Thoughts on Duke

[Fishy]

1) Last year, it was often said that no player had more on him than Shabazz Napier - I think Boatright has much more riding on him this year and he's not as well equipped. He's not a natural point guard but he drives a square peg into a round hole through sheer will.

Honestly, if anything happens to this kid, we're screwed to hell. If you're a UConn student and you haven't offered to help ferry Ryan Boatright around campus in a palanquin, you better get to it. If he twists an ankle stepping off a curb, you will have us to answer to.

2) I'm throwing in the towel expecting the Brimah/Nolan combo to deliver anything on note in terms of rebounding. They're not good at it - they're not getting better.

Nolan played 22 minutes, did some good work on defense, but good lord, he didn't get a single rebound. In 83 minutes this year, he has seven rebounds. If you're 6'10" and getting regular minutes, they should withhold your food rations if you average one rebound a game.

We really know nothing about Rakim Lubin and he's likely a role player down the road, but I'm guessing he's worth more than seven rebounds in 83 minutes. He doesn't have to be very good to be better than Nolan - would prefer to see him get more minutes. Especially because...

Brimah is just a lousy rebounder. Has no feel for it, no aptitude for it and seemingly little interest in it. He's seven-feet tall and he got one more rebound than you tonight. Which makes...

3) Kentan Facey rarer than a unicorn these days - a UConn big who can rebound. Yale excluded, he's played some of his better games in losses against better competition. The kid shows up. Did he get that much better in the offseason or was he underutilized last year? Dunno, but it makes me want to see Lubin get some more time.

4)

5) Did this for the Texas game, I think, with similar results...

Our four-star kids - 22-47, 54 points, 25 rebounds.

Our three-star kids - 1-7, two points, five rebounds.

For the "It doesn't matter" crowd, better recruits get better faster and better able to face good teams like Duke or Texas. We need another shooter in this class and not one that's a project. (I've almost forgotten that we're still recruiting Stone.)

6) New Jersey is Duke's home away from home.

Or it was...

Duke has won all 10 of its games by at least 10 points, but this one was a lot closer being played in the Izod Center in the Meadowlands sports complex before a near sellout, pro-Huskies crowd.

Name another program that would have outsold Duke for a game at the Meadowlands - I can't. (Please don't say Rutgers or Seton Hall.)

7) Everyone is saying the right things about the foul and foul shot disparity, but come on.

8) Nolan's ability to draw charges is becoming legend. The kid is more proficient at getting run over than almost everyone I've ever met save a friend of mine who has been hit by a car three times.

9) I expected UConn to get curb-stomped tonight and was happy with the effort - not happy with the rebounding, not happy with the disparity from the whistles, but happy with the effort. The effort tonight likely beats West Virginia and Texas and surely handles Yale.

We can't shoot, we can't rebound, we can't pass, we don't value the basketball and our offense is an affront to Dr. Naismith's memory, but I think we're going to be okay here. I forecast another month of solid ugly before things settle in. We'll win via rock fight, steal one of the two big out of conference games and then roll through the AAC.

I'd have loved to have had Texas and Yale in the W column for seeding, but not worried about the tournament, even at 4-4.

 

[johnhuskies95]

I thought they played really hard against Texas. I don't know if that one was due to effort.

I agree with you on Facey. He rebounds AND finishes, which is pretty rare these days for a UConn big.

Thought a few people on twitter made a good point to Medcalf at ESPN: it's hard to judge Boatright as a passer when he has no one to pass it to.

Also thought Luke Winn made a great point in his column: Ollie has become really good at slowing down good offenses.

 

[huskyniner]

Also thought Luke Winn made a great point in his column: Ollie has become really good at slowing down good offenses.

Defenses win championships - we found that out last year. But we also need to have some type of shooting proficiency on offense to have a chance.

 

[prankster]

4) is right on the money!

 

[djct1999]

enough can't be said about boatright. this time last year i thought boat had no shot at the association. what a difference a year and an attitude adjustment makes. his lack of size is made up by his speed and athleticism and could become a valuable asset to an nba teams second unit. his effort last night in front of 25 scouts helped his cause.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

First time you did #5, you listed the number of 4/5-stars as 3, and I corrected it to 5. We got something out of 4 of them last night, and all 5 played. I want (and we need) that to be a continuing upward trend.

Not mentioned: Duke is good.
They even beat Wisconsin by 10 points on the road.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Nolan, Brimah, Calhoun, Cassell, Samuel: 62 Minutes Zero Points. 11 Fouls. Not going to win you many games. That being said somehow Boatright did everything in his power to keep us within striking distance. I really miss Deandre Daniels right about now.

 

[dogpause]

I'm encouraged by what we saw in the last two games. We really took it to Duke, but we're like a 5-cylinder engine that's only firing on one cylinder. It's amazing how little we're getting from anyone other than Boat and Facey. Dham will be great come tournament time, I just hope we're in the right tournament.

Terribly disappointed in Brimah, and agree completely that he seems to have no interest in rebounding.

Have we ever had a team that shot so poorly for so many games? Are they just bad shooter, or just haven't hit their groove?

Despite all the failings, this is a much better, and much different, team than the one that lost to Yale. We're improving, the chemistry is better, and the intensity of play is increasing. I truly believe we'll be a great team come tournament time because this team, and KO, have the ability to bring their level of play up to meet the occasion. We're making a lot of "young" mistakes, even by players who aren't freshmen, but the overall play has improved and it looks like they are drinking the KO Kool-Aid.

 

[Danzz]

Duke is very, very good. #1 0r #2 in the country very good. We played hard and made it a game but we just don't have enough scorers right now.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Duke is good, not great, and will probably get bounced early again. UConn's entire offense is dribble drive. We literally can't do anything else, and we aren't exactly stacked this year, yet we were torching Duke to the basket for most of the game. How does Kzyzewski find the 3 slowest McDonald's All Americans in every class? Okafor is a good player, but leans very heavily on the refs giving him all the 50/50 calls because he commits a lot of uncalled offensive fouls. The refs are not as star-friendly against better competition or in the tournament.

 

[Marat]

Duke is very, very good. #1 0r #2 in the country very good. We played hard and made it a game but we just don't have enough scorers right now.

Yes. If we got a couple more outside shots (and the refs wouldn't have been so quick to blow the whistle on Brimah) - that could have made it very interesting. I wish we had someone like Giffey to make the outside shot.

 

[NJHusky]

Yes. If we got a couple more outside shots (and the refs wouldn't have been so quick to blow the whistle on Brimah) - that could have made it very interesting. I wish we had someone like Giffey to make the outside shot.

While waiting for second half to start was watching the warm ups....Doook drained 8 threes in a row, missed 1 and then hit another 4...when i watched us we made 1, missed 8...it's really scary how bad of shooting team this is.....we need a slow guy that can shoot

 

[aceboon]

A note on Duke...for as much gets made out K's recruiting advantage coaching the FIBA squads, one thing I will say that has definitely helped him is the summer he and his staff spent with Thibs. I know UConn isn't that hard to defend this year due to the personnel, but Duke utilizing ICE concepts? I certainly don't recall that out of that team last year, and besides Winslow its not like they added more defensive players. Not a very complicated strategy aspretty much every NBA team does it but its certainly someting K got working with Thibs. Their defensive concepts are alot more NBA like this year, Boat was getting forced to the coffin corners all night yesterday.

 

[8893]

4) The elephant formerly known as Omar Calhoun has left the room. I think that's a good thing no matter how you look at it, in that at least the most insidious speculation should end now.

 

[Johnny Mac]

Had to look up palanquin...just to make sure.

 

[Waquoit]

Had to look up palanquin...just to make sure.

You never heard of context clues?

 

[Henry]

I realize the politically correct thing to say is that we were just not good enough but the reffing took us out of the game. You cannot establish anything if your starters are on the bench. The second foul on Brimah was a joke and the fifth was a travel or push off by Okafor. Flagrant 1 on TSam when we are making a comeback? That was the biggest joke call I have seen in a while. Never saw a Freshman get calls like the Duke players. That said, we need to improve foul shooting real quick and either need to improve outside shooting or stop taking those shots. Purvis takes many ill-advised shots but at least he is willing to take them. I did a lot of screaming watching Hamilton pass up shot after shot.

 

[8893]

1)
Honestly, if anything happens to this kid, we're screwed to hell. If you're a UConn student and you haven't offered to help ferry Ryan Boatright around campus in a palanquin, you better get to it. If he twists an ankle stepping off a curb, you will have us to answer to.

Someone with photoshop skills (or whatever they are calling it these days) needs to get Boat in here:

 

[aceboon]

I realize the politically correct thing to say is that we were just not good enough but the reffing took us out of the game. You cannot establish anything if your starters are on the bench. The second foul on Brimah was a joke and the fifth was a travel or push off by Okafor. Flagrant 1 on TSam when we are making a comeback? That was the biggest joke call I have seen in a while. Never saw a Freshman get calls like the Duke players. That said, we need to improve foul shooting real quick and either need to improve outside shooting or stop taking those shots. Purvis takes many ill-advised shots but at least he is willing to take them. I did a lot of screaming watching Hamilton pass up shot after shot.

I dismissed it after the game, and its still not ultimately the reason they lost, but when thinking about it this morning it really got me kind of agitated. Duke was spotted 9pts that should've resulted in UConn ball, the Tyus Jones 4 pt play where he kicked his leg out and initiated the contact with Boat, the Jones 3 pt play that was a clear ward off of Facey, and then the offensive goaltending by Winslow after the Okafor missed free throws. That's 9pts that you can't even say "well maybe Duke scores on the possession anyway", that's 9pts where its UConn's ball and the points are wiped off the board. Hard to spot the #1A/B team 9 free points when you're already struggling on offense like that.

 

[MASSconn]

We haven't had a team that physically dominates the full 40 minutes since we lost to George Mason in 06. The 11 and 14 teams were streaky and depended on guards. We got physically killed yesterday. Keep recruiting big 3's, 4's 5's. Miss those days.

 

[UConnJim]

You have to be encouraged by the effort last night. I do believe the team will get better as the season goes on. I was also encouraged by how Omar Calhoun moved on the court. He looked much more athletic than he did last year even though he was too rusty to contribute last night. The next couple of games should help him.

Purvis is an enigma. He is an excellent driver to the hoop and finisher on the fast break. He has been off and on with his outside shot. His handle is average at best. But, most concerning is his decision making as he seems to be trying to play too fast. He was a liability last night. The coaching staff needs to help him.

Hamilton is going to be real good. He is a freshman and it showed last night. He will continue to get better.

As for the centers, I agree with all that has been written. Nolan/Brimah are not good rebounders. It's both positioning and hands. I thought Nolan played good defense last night, but Brimah was totally lost against a quality big man. Not sure what can be done here. Maybe Lubin should get more playing time.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Fairly astute assessment. The loss aside I still had more fun watching a 4th year Boatright than I would watching Okafor, Jones, and Winslow as a fan knowing they're here for one year. I'll keep our recipe over Kentucky's and now Duke's one and done teams. Give us a few D-Hams and Diamonds sprinkled in with the lunch pail / developmental 4 and 3 stars. Nolan is not becoming the Hilton we hoped for and Brimah is really struggling with the rebounding, but look at what the Facey upside can be as a deep 4 star, even saw a spattering of hope in Lubin last night. Brimah saved our season last year and had a 40 point game! T-Sam was huge for the ship run. With all the super stars we've had, Ricky Moore won the Duke game in 99. By the time its all said and done, I have a feeling Brimah will have a more lasting imprint on college basketball than Okafor (Jahlil that is). I really like this team, they're tough as nails. This season will be a fun ride, even if the conference comp is garbage. Just please make the tourney, that's all I ask for. Then get us in to a decent conference. It's a lot harder for Gonzaga, Wichita St and VCU to hang banners, but I'd still rather be them than Kentucky. We're in the middle, where I'd like to continue to be.

 

[nomar]

There are few moral victories, but losing by 10 to Duke >>>>>>>>>>> losing to Yale by 1.

We're trending upwards.

I missed fouls 1 and 2 on Brimah, but man the last 3 were cheap.

Facey is really good.

 

[aceboon]

We haven't had a team that physically dominates the full 40 minutes since we lost to George Mason in 06. The 11 and 14 teams were streaky and depended on guards. We got physically killed yesterday. Keep recruiting big 3's, 4's 5's. Miss those days.

2009

 

[Pudge]

That's a pretty good Duke team.

2 pretty good ball handling guards who shoot 90% plus from FT & play fairly solidly on defense. Okafor is a Man-Child ... But he didn't blow me away with his play. I really really like Winston. He's physical & shows lots of energy; plus he can shoot. Beyond, they don't seem that deep.

They could go far in March. In fact, Cook & Jones seem capable of being solid clutch guys ... Over the UK Harrison's in game management.