This may not go down as a "great" win but...

[Matrim55]

Not sure I agree on the Vital part. Adams and Gilbert are sure fire starters. MAL and Vital will come off the bench.

Certainly a good chance of that. But if Vital knocks down 0pen 3s, plays great defense and doesn't turn it over, I think the starting job will be his to lose, with the two freshmen as change-of-pace subs.

 

[KembaStepback]

Certainly a good chance of that. But if Vital knocks down 0pen 3s, plays great defense and doesn't turn it over, I think the starting job will be his to lose, with the two freshmen as change-of-pace subs.

I just don't see a scenario where Gilbert isn't starting. The talent is just on a different level. I also think they prefer Adams off the ball...even tho I think they both (Gilbert and Adams) play on the ball a lot.

 

[Matrim55]

I just don't see a scenario where Gilbert isn't starting. The talent is just on a different level. I also think they prefer Adams off the ball...even tho I think they both (Gilbert and Adams) play on the ball a lot.

Second part first: No way do we want Adams to spend more time off the ball. If he comes back next year I think he's a top candidate for the Cousy Award and, with good reason. He's not just a drive-and-dish guy, but has turned into a heady point guard who understands how to get his shooters the ball in rhythm, and how to move the ball quickly before the defense can rotate. He is, at this point, a pure PG.

This doesn't mean that there won't be times when he and AG share the floor. I'm certain there will be, and Adams has the game to be dangerous as a SG. But that's not what we want.

First part second: I'm less concerned with overall talent than "fit," and Vital – when he shoots with confidence – is a great fit next to Adams. He defends his butt off, he's a smart if not inventive passer, he rebounds bigger than his size on the weak side, and we know he makes clutch foul shots. As he improves his ball handling, I think he'll be more of a weapon.

Anyway, it's a good problem to have. But I think "let's put the ball in Jalen's hands less" is a bad plan for 2017/18.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Another computer tough guy. If you don't like me posting you can just ignore or block me. You must be such a loser! sorry..

If you look at the hundreds of thousands of posts over the past 3-4 years, you'd realize that very few people here would choose the AAC over any other P5 conference and some would even accept the Big East (I think more would if it didn't come at the expense of football).

Your comment comes across as either oblivious or just inept...

 

[freescooter]

This three game span regardless of wins and loses is a strong reminder of how far UConn has fallen from Big East to AAC. ECU, USF, and Tulane, this is stretch to even be a mid-major schedule.

No way you can return to a elite program in this conference. How does UConn get out of the AAC????

We become an elite program again by winning games. Like going 26-3. Things like that. Like Gonzaga does in their craptastic league. Like Wichita State has done in their blah league. You win the darned league regular season and then the tourney and make deep runs not finish 6th and get run in the 2nd round of the Dance. Btw with the pedigrees in this league it is in fact embarrassing that it is so weak. Only Cincinnati and to an extent SMU and maybe Tulsa are holding up their part of things. UConn temple Memphis should all be ashamed at what they have permitted to happen to solid to excellent programs. I have hope for UConn because I believe in ADDave. Can't speak to the others.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Some times I wonder how far out of the loop I am... I don't comprehend why any one here would want to demean the enormity of this win. Our guys aren't Spartan warriors trained to defy death in order to achieve victory. They are SIX kids, including two freshmen , who keep taking on teams with twice as many players, with the the clear understanding that Refs with quick whistles can blow up their game plan in a couple of minutes. ...and that if they have a bad game they take their brothers down with them. If they screw up, there is no where to hide while a fresh team mate takes up the slack, they must suck it up... and not screw up the next chance. They have to defend effectively and consistently,without fouling, when they are warn down. Every action is so much more critical than it is for the opponents because THERE IS NO MARGIN FOR ERROR.

These guys should be shaking in their boots with all they have going against them...yet they compete.

This may be a lost season for some of us, it clearly isn't what I expected, but look at what we are witnessing. Think of yourself in your late teens or early twenties and how you would have reacted to the lights, action, and outrageous odds of failure. Then consider the growth and character we are seeing in our guys....and thr effort and commitment of our coaches.

I love winning too, but let's not miss how special this season has become.

Fire away.

well said. I myself get sucked into the record but you are right.
A lot to be learned by the players this year.

 

[IMind]

We become an elite program again by winning games. Like going 26-3. Things like that. Like Gonzaga does in their craptastic league. Like Wichita State has done in their blah league. You win the darned league regular season and then the tourney and make deep runs not finish 6th and get run in the 2nd round of the Dance. Btw with the pedigrees in this league it is in fact embarrassing that it is so weak. Only Cincinnati and to an extent SMU and maybe Tulsa are holding up their part of things. UConn temple Memphis should all be ashamed at what they have permitted to happen to solid to excellent programs. I have hope for UConn because I believe in ADDave. Can't speak to the others.

UConn will win another NCAA title in Men's College basketball before Gonzaga wins it's first. We've seen that act before and frankly I'm tired of it. Would I rather win the league? Yes... *snark* but let's not pretend Gonzaga is anything more than a glorified New Mexico State. Oh wait... they made a Final Four... */snark*

I do agree with you're statement about the pedigrees in the league. I don't think that it has much to do with UConn's recent history though.

 

[Giddyup5]

Second part first: No way do we want Adams to spend more time off the ball. If he comes back next year I think he's a top candidate for the Cousy Award and, with good reason. He's not just a drive-and-dish guy, but has turned into a heady point guard who understands how to get his shooters the ball in rhythm, and how to move the ball quickly before the defense can rotate. He is, at this point, a pure PG.

This doesn't mean that there won't be times when he and AG share the floor. I'm certain there will be, and Adams has the game to be dangerous as a SG. But that's not what we want.

First part second: I'm less concerned with overall talent than "fit," and Vital – when he shoots with confidence – is a great fit next to Adams. He defends his butt off, he's a smart if not inventive passer, he rebounds bigger than his size on the weak side, and we know he makes clutch foul shots. As he improves his ball handling, I think he'll be more of a weapon.

Anyway, it's a good problem to have. But I think "let's put the ball in Jalen's hands less" is a bad plan for 2017/18.

Completely agree.

I see too many posts regarding next year with AG running the point. I think this is based on AG being smaller then Jalen and having the reputation of a point guard.

IMO Jalen should be the floor general. That doesn't mean that Gilbert can't handle the ball a lot, but I think many of the problems we had in the first 2 games of the season was due to Adams not being the primary floor general.

 

[champs99and04]

Whaler's not wrong, and it's not a reactionary thing, either. He said the same thing after the SMU game.

There are 0.0 excuses for losing to South Florida with the roster we had out there last night. As I said in the game chat, if we have six players...that's still six more than they have. It doesn't make you a miserable person if you're not taking pleasure in beating a fringe D-1 team, even if it was a "road game." Those games might show something, but they prove nothing. That happens when you play somebody in your weight class or above it or at least somebody only one or two levels below. This was none of that.

That said, I did come away from that game feeling pretty good, because the underclassmen - particularly Vance and Christian - played well, and the stuff I posted above about not being able to gauge improvement against poor competition...well, that's true to an extent. Coaches don't view it that way and I know KO doesn't. Coaches will be thrilled even by a good practice, so the fact that they buried a D-1 team through execution and precision is encouraging.

To me, this team is about what you'd expect...good enough to beat bottom barrel teams on the road and good enough to compete with the top of the league at home. The jury is still out on the latter but beating bad teams is certainly a way to salvage a no win situation.

 

[whaler11]

Whaler's not wrong, and it's not a reactionary thing, either. He said the same thing after the SMU game.

There are 0.0 excuses for losing to South Florida with the roster we had out there last night. As I said in the game chat, if we have six players...that's still six more than they have. It doesn't make you a miserable person if you're not taking pleasure in beating a fringe D-1 team, even if it was a "road game." Those games might show something, but they prove nothing. That happens when you play somebody in your weight class or above it or at least somebody only one or two levels below. This was none of that.

That said, I did come away from that game feeling pretty good, because the underclassmen - particularly Vance and Christian - played well, and the stuff I posted above about not being able to gauge improvement against poor competition...well, that's true to an extent. Coaches don't view it that way and I know KO doesn't. Coaches will be thrilled even by a good practice, so the fact that they buried a D-1 team through execution and precision is encouraging.

To me, this team is about what you'd expect...good enough to beat bottom barrel teams on the road and good enough to compete with the top of the league at home. The jury is still out on the latter but beating bad teams is certainly a way to salvage a no win situation.

I enjoyed winning the game - there just isn't anything to take from it other than you won. 9-12 is better than 8-13.

I guess I'm a bad fan and all but I've been showing up and watching on TV long after most people walked away.

I don't really take shots at anyone on the roster and I give Ollie a pass on the year.

That doesn't mean there aren't a lot of red flags that you should just ignore because they went on two great runs in the last 8 years.

 

[QDOG5]

Ragging on the AAC is a good way to blow off steam but the for the present is moot. The administration decided to put their eggs in the football basket and that is how we ended up in this god forsaken conference. This is where we are and these are the teams we play. UConn is not going to jettison football for at least 5-10 years if they ever do. So we cheer our team on against a lousy USF team with 900 people in the stands (plus Mike Bibby) and we get excited to beat a lousy Tulane team and we cheer on our freshman who will definitely be MAJOR contributors next year and we hope and pray to be invited into the Big Ten or ACC and when we do we kick some a--and we show up to the conference tourney by the thousands and get all throaty and we win, win, win and we go to regoinals, sweet 16, elite 8's and we drink good beer and dance with the band at the team hotel and we win more National Championships. I have a dream, people!

 

[champs99and04]

I enjoyed winning the game - there just isn't anything to take from it other than you won. 9-12 is better than 8-13.

I guess I'm a bad fan and all but I've been showing up and watching on TV long after most people walked away.

I don't really take shots at anyone on the roster and I give Ollie a pass on the year.

That doesn't mean there aren't a lot of red flags that you should just ignore because they went on two great runs in the last 8 years.

You can take something from it, just as long as it's tempered with the acknowledgement that basketball exists outside of Storrs and our opponents have an effect on how the team may look from night to night.

We won by a margin about twice what the spread was, which is indicative that - all things being equal - they probably played one of their better games this season. Nothing more or less than that.

 

[KembaStepback]

Second part first: No way do we want Adams to spend more time off the ball. If he comes back next year I think he's a top candidate for the Cousy Award and, with good reason. He's not just a drive-and-dish guy, but has turned into a heady point guard who understands how to get his shooters the ball in rhythm, and how to move the ball quickly before the defense can rotate. He is, at this point, a pure PG.

This doesn't mean that there won't be times when he and AG share the floor. I'm certain there will be, and Adams has the game to be dangerous as a SG. But that's not what we want.

First part second: I'm less concerned with overall talent than "fit," and Vital – when he shoots with confidence – is a great fit next to Adams. He defends his butt off, he's a smart if not inventive passer, he rebounds bigger than his size on the weak side, and we know he makes clutch foul shots. As he improves his ball handling, I think he'll be more of a weapon.

Anyway, it's a good problem to have. But I think "let's put the ball in Jalen's hands less" is a bad plan for 2017/18.

I don't disagree. I actually very much agree. I just don't see it happening (in regards to CV playing over AG). I agree that Adams needs to be on the ball. I'm just not sure what the balance is with JA and AG. I think AG needs to be on the ball as well. I think both will get turns to handle the rock.

 

[KembaStepback]

The other issue is we will have MAL in the mix. Not that it's an issue. He needs the ball in his hands as well. I think the most likely candidate to be off the ball is Adams. Not to say he wont have the ball in his hands often. I'm very curious to see how KO balances this.

 

[HooperScooper]

The other issue is we will have MAL in the mix. Not that it's an issue. He needs the ball in his hands as well. I think the most likely candidate to be off the ball is Adams. Not to say he wont have the ball in his hands often. I'm very curious to see how KO balances this.

Adams will be the team's best player. I think you do what puts him in the position to be at his best and help the team the most. And to me that is putting him at PG and then let everyone else follow off that and deal with it.

 

[KembaStepback]

Adams will be the team's best player. I think you do what puts him in the position to be at his best and help the team the most. And to me that is putting him at PG and then let everyone else follow off that and deal with it.

Again - I don't disagree with you that he will be the teams best player. I just think the coaches will see this: The dropoff from JA to AG at PG is less than the dropoff from JA to CV at SG.

This doesn't mean he wont have the ball in his hands with the ability to create. I think he absolutely will. I also don't think the coaching staff looks at positions that concretely.

 

[freescooter]

UConn will win another NCAA title in Men's College basketball before Gonzaga wins it's first. We've seen that act before and frankly I'm tired of it. Would I rather win the league? Yes... *snark* but let's not pretend Gonzaga is anything more than a glorified New Mexico State. Oh wait... they made a Final Four... */snark*

I do agree with you're statement about the pedigrees in the league. I don't think that it has much to do with UConn's recent history though.

You might be right about that he Zags but if you ask the folks who pick and seed the tournament or cover college hoop they will tell you Gonzaga is a major program in a crap league. Probably get a 1 or 2 seed this year again. If we start winning our league and going 26-3 on a regular basis we'll return to elite status too. But when we never win the regular season title and win the conference tourney only occasionally and struggle to finish higher than 6th in the league We aren't going to be considered an elite program.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

When I watch games from the '98 and '99 years, it is so refreshing to watch the ball movement by that team. KEA, Ricky, and Rip all handled the ball and penetrated and set up teammates. I hope that next year's team can get multiple players to be "multi-threat" options. Having said that, I really agree that Jalen needs to be the #1 PG, but Alterique would be 1a (and MAL 1b when ready) will handle the ball a good deal.

While I'm wishing and hoping, I would like to see passing become contagious as it has when we had really great passers on the team in the past (e.g. Nadav, Sheffer, Marcus, Villanueva, Napier). I think that Durham could be a really good passer as well, but time will tell there.

 

[superjohn]

We can't be sure about a lot of things next season but one thing we can be sure of is Jalen Adams is our point guard. Can't believe people are even arguing this.

 

[KembaStepback]

We can't be sure about a lot of things next season but one thing we can be sure of is Jalen Adams is our point guard. Can't believe people are even arguing this.

Ok...so where does AG play? How about MAL? Like I said. Positions are fluid. JA and AG will have the ball in their hands bringing it up a lot. Call them 1a and 1b if you want.

 

[djct1999]

I bet Vital starts at SG next year, with Alterique & MAL as off-the-bench options. And I bet that Vance & Terry are our starting forwards.

This is what the boneyard has become. I used to come here for information. Now I come to laugh. If Vital and Jackson are the starters, I bet UConn isn't ranked.

 

[huskymagic]

This is what the boneyard has become. I used to come here for information. Now I come to laugh. If Vital and Jackson are the starters, I bet UConn isn't ranked.

The funny part is your serious. Jackson is a good player and right now for sure will be a starter without question as nobody has his size and shooting ability on next years team. He also fits team wise and chemistry wise with Jalen. Vital starting at the 2 isn't shocking either as he also fits team/chemistry wise with Jalen and has shown he can hit the 3. Alterique is in a battle with CV and MAL for the 2 spot. Jackson is our 3 and Terry our stretch 4 with Enoch at center.

 

[blackbird]

Completely agree.

I see too many posts regarding next year with AG running the point. I think this is based on AG being smaller then Jalen and having the reputation of a point guard.

IMO Jalen should be the floor general. That doesn't mean that Gilbert can't handle the ball a lot, but I think many of the problems we had in the first 2 games of the season was due to Adams not being the primary floor general.

It goes back to..who on earth takes their All American candidate Point Guard, and moves them off the ball for a redshirt freshman? That would be beyond stupid.

 

[champs99and04]

Can we please stop acting like position labels matter? Point guards work off the ball all the time in all sorts of different offenses. Passing is also a skill that does not discriminate by position - one could actually argue that in certain offenses, point guard skills are marginalized (see the Triangle, not that anybody runs that anymore). Whether Adams is using a ball screen at the top of the key or flaring off a curl on the wing, I think we all understand that he's the most dynamic player on the roster and needs the ball in his hands.

It's counterproductive at times to have your best play-maker conducting traffic at the top of the key because you turn him into a table-setter - you don't want your best player initiating the action that leads to the action, you want him touching the ball when those rifts have already opened up. If you can do that with a traditional high ball screen, great. A lot of our best teams have run other stuff as well and our roster next season - particularly if nobody emerges as a reliable post player - may actually be better suited to run the 1-4 stuff that we're seeing now, in which case Adams will move off the ball.

 

[djct1999]

The funny part is your serious. Jackson is a good player and right now for sure will be a starter without question as nobody has his size and shooting ability on next years team. He also fits team wise and chemistry wise with Jalen. Vital starting at the 2 isn't shocking either as he also fits team/chemistry wise with Jalen and has shown he can hit the 3. Alterique is in a battle with CV and MAL for the 2 spot. Jackson is our 3 and Terry our stretch 4 with Enoch at center.

Its even funnier now that you explained it.