Thoughts and Analysis: CONN 78, MD 77

[UConNick]

What can I say, we won!! I rewatched the game (view from the Rent was exciting, but not good) and took about a page of notes on the team. Overall, it seemed like 2 different games, with the BS tech at 11:43 being halftime. That one play really shocked me: did not see ONE thing out of the ordinary on tv. I wanna credit BigErnMcCracken with the proof: nothing out of the ordinary was going on, and that one ref apparently had it out for us for a lot of the game. I'll use that to tangent to the officiating, which overall I actually thought was pretty good. But a lot of calls against us actually came from that one ref. Probably just a coincidence, but who doesn't like a good conspiracy theory? Anyways, on to the game. First half and the first ~10 minutes of the second half were AMAZING. It was run run run, and this led to high percentage shots on nearly every possession. Half court was also good, I especially like how we broke down their 2-3 and 1-3-1 matchup zones. Those couple possessions were clinics on how to break a zone. Our best lineup may have been SN RB NG DD AB, they were very dominant for an extended period of time together on the court. Also like the possible return of block city, led by AB. Overall the offense hummed like a well oiled machine, and the defense was good and serviceable. Now, post 11:43 time. The offense virtually flipped a switch, and became stagnant algo with an emphasis on taking iffy shots. This led to a lot of turnovers, including some very bad and petty ones, like the palming and errant passes. Maryland really turned up their defensive pressure, and it seemed to bother us a lot, especially considering we weren't getting any foul calls. Lastly, and I really hate to do this, but I am a bit skeptical of Ollie's coaching down the stretch. Samuel did not play in the first half, then was out there in crunch time? Also would've been nice to have a Facey sighting. Last comment on the defense: loved the pressure and how many turnovers we forced. But a caveat: it can be feast or famine. Overall, a win's a win a win. Great way to start the season with a tough test.

D'Oh? You thought that was all? Still got some player by player analysis to do! Remember, 10 toes in in EVERTHING you do!

Napier: Did everything at an extremely high level, applied heavy ball pressure, but that was his undoing when he fouled out. Technical was bull . He did nothing out of the ordinary. Hopefully, he doesn't take the MD comeback too hard, because he played like an AA.
Boatright: Effective on offense; LOVE the breakaway dunks! However, he gambled way too much on defense, which led to a very poor display of on ball defending. Steals were great, but also a result of his feast or famine approach.
Calhoun: Very assertive on offense: I liked it to a point. He seemed to get a little shot happy, and it contributed to the offensive drag. Pressured ball well on defense.
Daniels: Played under control yet was very effective for the most part. Liked the blocks on the inside. However, he disappeared when we really could have used him during the run. Also too hesitant on 3s. Let it fly, your job is to score! Didn't seem too active on boards during second half.
Nolan: Started and still played with that swagger, but did not seem very visible. Lost some minutes to Brimah. He remained aggressive on the offensive glass, but seemed to get very lazy in the second.
Samuel: Had that good strong drive, and played crunch time despite not seeing the floor in the 1st. Really liked the jump ball, he showed poise. However, he did seem a little uncomfortable at the end.
Kromah: Overall very impressive. Strong defensively and had a few rim rattling dunks. Also hit a 3. Became drive happy in the second; this led to bad shots and turnovers and factored in the run.
Giffey: Unbelievable during the first half: 13 off the bench including three after three. Did a good job of establishing position when rebounding. Created floor space. Should have played sooner in the second half, he would've been instant offense. Still a lot of positive to take away.
Tolksdorf: DNP. Not surprising.
Facey: DNP. Quite surprising. Hope he did and I just didn't see him.
Olander: From Zero to Hero! How about that 3! Especially after not playing in the firsthalf. Definitely earned some hustle points, but still wasn't super effective. All in all, steps in the right direction.
Brimah: Again, I love him. I was actually making the Thabeet comparison prior to the talking heads doing it. Too many fouls, has to be more patient when not going for a block. Liked the huge rebound at the end, shows how much confidence Ollie has in him that he was out there then.

Finally! It's over! Thanks for reading the whole thing and feedback is greatly appreciated!

 

[OklahomaUconn]

You mentioned bigern proof? Does he have vid of it..i havent seen it..i agree on ur player reviews except i think dd was too out of control trying to drive on a few occasions and yea he had at least 3 chances for a wide open 3 ...they were playing off him

 

[djct1999]

I was at the Barclays last night and I walked away feeling great about this team and its chances this year. First, and most important, for the first time in a few years I felt like I was watching a vintage UConn team. We were deep, kept attacking, moving the ball nicely, getting steals and fast break dunks. The kids seemed to mesh really well. They were having fun. The two most glaring things to me about this game was a) how much more athletic we were to them and b) how tight the refs were calling the game. I felt the refs really kept Maryland in the game for the most part. My biggest surprises, albeit in 1 game, were Giffey and Brimah. Both were outstanding. Bazz was Bazz and you just feel much better with the ball in his hand. Was also happy with the play of Nolan and I think once Samuel settles in(he was visibly nervous last night), he will add some quality depth. Kromah, as well. He played well and certainly looked like he belonged on the floor. Boatright played, well, like Boatright. Overall, he had an ok game. The positive is I didn't see him force anything. He definitely seems to be more team orientated. I didn't see much of an improvement skill wise, but I did like the way he held himself throughout the game on the floor. The lone disappointment to me was Daniels. As I replay the game in my head, I honestly don't even remember him doing anything on the floor. We need much more from him. Score aside, this was a great opening game with a ton to look forward to in Storrs this year. There isn't a single team in the country that will run us off the court. In November, thats all we can ask for.

 

[Kitaman]

This team has new components so team chemistry is a work in progress. With the components we have including experience mixed with youth we will have a very good season. Tyler's 3 is not the highlight, he was banging with that MD big who was pushing Nolan around. That is a major luxury as he's our most beefy player who can match up or at least bang with similar opponent players. We have an outside game, inside game and once the team clicks a stifling defensive game. This team is so loaded that when our AA fouled out we still had enough on the floor to beat a good Div 1 team.

Come January we will see an elite team that can match up with any of our Championship teams. Its early and we will have good/bad games but Ollie is on to something here and this season will be joy to watch, especially the 2nd half of the season.

 

[Huskies4ever]

This team is so loaded that when our AA fouled out we still had enough on the floor to beat a good Div 1 team.

Bazz certainly played like one last night. Loved his stat line: 18,7,7.

 

[Peacefrog]

Brimah was a revelation last night. If he can continue to contribute like that it will kick the team up a notch. There has been a lot of preseason discussion about Samuels ability and whether or not he belongs at this level. Last night he looked like he did. His driving hoop came at a critical time and his defense looked good. I'm pretty sure he was in there a couple of minutes in the first half by the way, got a nice steal. Also makes me feel better about point guard depth for next year if Boatright leaves early.

I'm not sure why Daniels was shying away from those wide open threes. Ollie got on him at one point.

I wouldn't have guessed that Facey would be the odd man out of the rotation. 10 guys played and contributed last night. Lots of depth at every position.

 

[djct1999]

One final thought. There seems to be some discontent with how Ollie coached last night. Although, I do think he struggled with the rotation, there is no doubt he will figure it out. What I saw throughout the game, was a coach on the sidelines completely immersed in the game. He was so into it, that many times I would look over and he was squatting in a defense stance cheering his players on. It honestly felt that he wanted to suit up and play with his team. You have to love that and I can't imagine how any of these kids don't think the world of him. A second year coach will grow into the x's and o's. You can't teach the intangibles he brings.

 

[3uconn]

Personally, I thought Napier was uncharacteristically out of control at points. He seemed to want to push the ball up the floor quick, at times it did work, then at times he was trying to go through multiple defenders.

Also, it got real sloppy from 10:00 to 4:00 in the second half. Wayyyy to many turnovers where if we hadn't turned the ball over the game wouldn't have been close down the stretch.

With that being said, it was what I expected. Especially with playing a pretty good team in our opener instead of playing a couple of easy wins then starting to play better teams. It should be a great year.

 

[upstater]

I was at the Barclays last night and I walked away feeling great about this team and its chances this year. First, and most important, for the first time in a few years I felt like I was watching a vintage UConn team. We were deep, kept attacking, moving the ball nicely, getting steals and fast break dunks. The kids seemed to mesh really well. They were having fun. The two most glaring things to me about this game was a) how much more athletic we were to them and b) how tight the refs were calling the game. I felt the refs really kept Maryland in the game for the most part. My biggest surprises, albeit in 1 game, were Giffey and Brimah. Both were outstanding. Bazz was Bazz and you just feel much better with the ball in his hand. Was also happy with the play of Nolan and I think once Samuel settles in(he was visibly nervous last night), he will add some quality depth. Kromah, as well. He played well and certainly looked like he belonged on the floor. Boatright played, well, like Boatright. Overall, he had an ok game. The positive is I didn't see him force anything. He definitely seems to be more team orientated. I didn't see much of an improvement skill wise, but I did like the way he held himself throughout the game on the floor. The lone disappointment to me was Daniels. As I replay the game in my head, I honestly don't even remember him doing anything on the floor. We need much more from him. Score aside, this was a great opening game with a ton to look forward to in Storrs this year. There isn't a single team in the country that will run us off the court. In November, thats all we can ask for.

Very good analysis.

 

[upstater]

Our guard play will get us deep into Madness.

Great guard play in college wins championships and we have lots

Big men not so much

But we are very vulnerable to a 6'8" 250lbs low post guy. We cannot stop that

Luckily there are not many guys who are 250 to go up against.

We also don't play Georgetown this year. I watched that Oregon game and it was ridiculous what they let the 350 pound Smith get away with. Shaq would have loved the new rules.