Three Takeaways – Sacred Heart edition | The Boneyard

Three Takeaways – Sacred Heart edition

Matrim55

Why is it so hard To make it in America
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
5,937
Reaction Score
53,233
No. 1: Our defensive intensity was there throughout, and though that led to some overpursuit I'd rather see us be too aggressive than not aggressive enough. We forced 25+ turnovers and held them down around 30% shooting.

The problem was our defensive intensity ended the moment a shot went up, and so we got slaughtered on the offensive boards. They had 21 misses in the first half and rebounded 11 of them – embarrassing and unacceptable. You have to finish possessions by grabbing the damn ball.

It got better in the 2nd half, but still wasn't great. There are going to be some box-out drills this week.

No. 2: They looked like they knew exactly how they wanted to attack a 2/3 zone – something that's killed us in the past – and executed it. Sometimes the shots didn't fall and sometimes they overpenetrated, but again... I'm ok with that. The process of getting the ball to the foul line and punishing the zone was good.

No. 3: That time in the weight room really, really worked for the bigs, but most especially Carlton. He's going to be able to establish post position against almost anyone in the country, and I suspect in most games he'll finish better than he did tonight.

---------------------------

In all, a totally adequate if not entirely satisfying start to the season. You could see some very good stuff there to work with, but one very, very obvious area that needs improvement.

I am more encouraged than discouraged coming out of this one.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
8,125
Reaction Score
15,104
Akok is talented but very raw.
Wilson improved.
Carlton improved.
Vital A+
Gilbert has his game he'll step it up when needed.
Adam's should see more time.
Whaley should see more time.
Polley was disappointing.

Lots more to see. Nothing is conclusive after 1 game. First half was no surprise and the refs killed any flow so it took awhile to settle in. Let the guys play ball please.
 
Joined
Jan 19, 2019
Messages
848
Reaction Score
9,334
I only caught the second half due to cable issues but Some of my takeaways were

1. Rim protection has improved.
2. Vital was an animal in every aspect of the game.
3. Offensive pace was fast which I like .
4. Liked the ball going the the high post man against the zone. Middle was open almost every possession.
5. Student section was rocking.

A good start to the season.
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2012
Messages
2,819
Reaction Score
11,341
Bottom line is that we have some depth finally. Adams, Wilson, Whaley & eventually the frosh guards all off the bench contributing is big. The guys look like a legit college b-ball team for the first time in awhile.
 

HuskyHawk

The triumphant return of the Blues Brothers.
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
31,859
Reaction Score
81,475
No. 1: Our defensive intensity was there throughout, and though that led to some overpursuit I'd rather see us be too aggressive than not aggressive enough. We forced 25+ turnovers and held them down around 30% shooting.

The problem was our defensive intensity ended the moment a shot went up, and so we got slaughtered on the offensive boards. They had 21 misses in the first half and rebounded 11 of them – embarrassing and unacceptable. You have to finish possessions by grabbing the damn ball.

It got better in the 2nd half, but still wasn't great. There are going to be some box-out drills this week.

No. 2: They looked like they knew exactly how they wanted to attack a 2/3 zone – something that's killed us in the past – and executed it. Sometimes the shots didn't fall and sometimes they overpenetrated, but again... I'm ok with that. The process of getting the ball to the foul line and punishing the zone was good.

No. 3: That time in the weight room really, really worked for the bigs, but most especially Carlton. He's going to be able to establish post position against almost anyone in the country, and I suspect in most games he'll finish better than he did tonight.

---------------------------

In all, a totally adequate if not entirely satisfying start to the season. You could see some very good stuff there to work with, but one very, very obvious area that needs improvement.

I am more encouraged than discouraged coming out of this one.

The first half rebounding was awful. It takes work and Hurley will reinforce that. They also have to avoid letting the offense lure Carlton away from the lane. He can’t guard anyone out there and it kills our defensive rebounding. Plant him in the lane.

Sid was what we all hoped Sid would be last year. I think people will owe him an apology. Guy has more potential to be impactful than anybody but Gilbert and Carlton. He showed it and flashed some zone busting skills of the Dham variety.

Adams is a beast, physical and plays hard. Good defender and will be a nice player.

Our starting back court wasn’t great, although Vital came through in the second half. AG was solid on D and has to look for his shot more.

When you win by 20 because your bench came through, that bodes well.

Akok is interesting, maybe a guy who defers too much. Also, never went outside looking to shoot from the perimeter. We played a straight inside 4 role. Real talent that needs a killer instinct.

Gaffney was awful on D. He has to fix that. I don‘t care about his offense really but he has to play D.
 
Joined
Jun 11, 2013
Messages
1,448
Reaction Score
2,769
Looked as advertised: 6th in AAC. Trending up but missing serious talent we’ve had in the past. DH gets it. Hopefully JB brings something special.
 
Joined
Dec 8, 2015
Messages
12,228
Reaction Score
91,000
I liked what I saw from Adams. He played smart and under control. Hopefully he can be a solid back up.

Rique has such amazing vision. Should have had 12 assists if we didn't miss bunnies. Needs to hit his 3s. He will--no worries.

Akok will learn to finish those shots. They were solid looks. If he can learn to drive, game over. I think his 3 pt shot won't be great this year, inconsistent release. He is a total eraser at the rim. Must have altered 4 or 5 plus the 4 blocks. He came from 17 ft away through an empty paint and stuffed a kid at one point. His shot blocking will make us so much better.. no fear to close out hard on shooters.

Sid played really tough under the hoop first half. We need that from him. Did not look improved in the second though. Jury is still out imo. I think he will struggles against other good athletes and feast on lesser ones.

Vital is our heart and soul. Was there ever a doubt about it?

Carlton looks a wee bit slow to me. But the finishing was nice. He did this vs had teams last year though. I want to see him vs better comp. VERY strong now. He looks ambidextrous finishing at the rim. Solid left hand.

Whaley came back down to earth. Some bad defensive rotations. He'll keep improving. All we need is 10 tough, fundamentally sound minutes a game from him.. it might be the key to our season.

Polley got to the rim well.. didn't have that before.

Our rwbounding in the second changed the game. Time for coach to break out the blocking pads. We will need that against tier 1 teams.

I thought our offense looked coherent vs the zone, mostly. Sharp rotations and got the ball to the nail.

11 TOs is great too

A lot to work on. But I thought this game showed a ton of growth for our squad.!
 

Purple Stein

I like to sim things.
Joined
Jul 9, 2017
Messages
1,878
Reaction Score
7,496
I only caught the second half due to cable issues but Some of my takeaways were

1. Rim protection has improved.

Granted it was Sacred Heart, but that’s what stood out to me. We took the ball to the rim and we protected the rim.

Good signs all over tonight.
 
Last edited:

HuskylnSC

North is a direction; South is a lifestyle
Joined
Mar 7, 2017
Messages
2,333
Reaction Score
11,831
I thought we dominated appropriately for the first 5 minutes of the second half. I believe the rest of the game was ok in spurts. It was kind of like beating up on your little brother. Occasional effort was sufficient for a barely adequate win. BUT, the talent is there for so much more and that makes me excited. I believe Hurley will ramp up the intensity level in the next game and we'll have a better understanding of how the year will shake out.
 
Joined
Mar 19, 2013
Messages
2,429
Reaction Score
4,540
I thought these guys gave the effort when needed. I wish the free throw shooting will improve, however.
 

XLCenterFan

CT, NE
Joined
Feb 25, 2018
Messages
3,532
Reaction Score
13,420
Adams had his best game yet as a Husky.

We cannot get out rebounded like that.

Vital with 7 steals!?

Al and Polley have to hit some 3's.

I like Hurley the best when he's sprinting all over the floor.
 
Joined
May 7, 2014
Messages
14,397
Reaction Score
29,020
I got three myself. Didn’t see a single second of the game.Essentially looked at the half and final box scores. But I know that

Josh woke up
Defense stepped up
Vital found his shot

I give Hurley credit for 2/3
 

Apollo

step back from the ledge
Joined
Jun 9, 2019
Messages
501
Reaction Score
2,768
Comparing Uconn victory over Sacred Heart to Providence victory . I am a bit nervous after first game
It was the first game of the season. Wooooo-saaaa.
 
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
1,486
Reaction Score
10,848
Comparing Uconn victory over Sacred Heart to Providence victory . I am a bit nervous after first game

1) Providence is a much better team than us this year.
2) Providence shot almost 50% from 3
3) UConn was favored by 16.5. They covered by a decent amount.
4) SHU was 23/24 from the line. If they have an average night there UConn wins by 30.
5) You can’t draw conclusions from one game
 
Last edited:
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Messages
1,669
Reaction Score
4,285
- Sid and Adams look much improved. Let’s see it more over next few games and I’ll be more of a believer
- AG played ok- but god he can break down the defense and penetrate at will. Such a special player. Needs to bang those J ‘s tho.
- Akok is going to be special. Don’t care he only had 4 points. That will come. Great alterer on defense. I see him being a big time player for us as year goes on. Something about him.
- Whaley came back down to earth but it’s ok. He’s still better than last year
-Polley was ok. For the amount of run he gets and for how tall he is, he has to be one of the worst rebounders in the country. Don’t get it.
-Carlton looked strong and to me, didn’t lose a step. Gotta make those bunnies tho. I think Carlton has less hops than woody harrellson
-gaffney. Growing pains. Tuff night.
-Vital - tuff first half but was our heart and soul in second half punctuated by the early second half run he had that put game away.
*** can’t wait for bouknight to get in there
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2019
Messages
3
Reaction Score
12
Our free throw defense was concerning. Can’t allow the other team to shoot 96% from the line and expect to win as the competition ramps up. DH will figure that out though.
 

HuskyHawk

The triumphant return of the Blues Brothers.
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
31,859
Reaction Score
81,475
1) Providence is a much better team than us this year.
2) Providence shot almost 50% from 3
3) UConn was favored by 16.5. They covered by a decent amount.
4) SHU was 23/24 from the line. If they have an average night there UConn wins by 30.
5) You can draw conclusions from one game

Disagree with 1 and 5. It never works to compare who beats common opponents by more. PC may be better but we don’t know that yet just based on play against SH in each team’s opener.

UConn 2013-14 won by 1 point over Maryland in the opener. Oregon State then beat them by 7. clearly Oregon State was better than us that year.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
5,134
Reaction Score
22,261
Disagree with 1 and 5. It never works to compare who beats common opponents by more. PC may be better but we don’t know that yet just based on play against SH in each team’s opener.

UConn 2013-14 won by 1 point over Maryland in the opener. Oregon State then beat them by 7. clearly Oregon State was better than us that year.
I think it was a typo. He meant “ can’t draw conclusions”
 
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Messages
1,669
Reaction Score
4,285
1) Providence is a much better team than us this year.
2) Providence shot almost 50% from 3
3) UConn was favored by 16.5. They covered by a decent amount.
4) SHU was 23/24 from the line. If they have an average night there UConn wins by 30.
5) You can’t draw conclusions from one game
Providence is MUCH better than us ? Really? I guess I’ll have to check providence out. I find that hard to believe.
 
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
1,486
Reaction Score
10,848
Providence is MUCH better than us ? Really? I guess I’ll have to check providence out. I find that hard to believe.

Top 3/4 team in the Big East. Ranked 20th in kenpom. UConn is 70th
 
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
578
Reaction Score
2,423
Thought crowd was pretty good for game 1. The rebounding (or lack there of) was maddening. Was pleasantly surprised by Adams. Gaffney seems like he will not be a major contributor this year. The rest hit or miss but no real worries. I do think anyone high on Sid will be sorely disappointed. I think the basketball IQ is not there and never will be. Can’t argue with the athletic abilty though and he will give you good minutes at times and then absolutely kill us at times. If we rebound at all we win by 40. Overall pretty good first game.
 

4in16

uses the force
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
Messages
1,993
Reaction Score
4,694
Biggest takeaway for me is the bench can score. 34 points off the bench I believe, past few seasons the starters go out and the offense stagnates.
 

Online statistics

Members online
564
Guests online
3,574
Total visitors
4,138

Forum statistics

Threads
155,770
Messages
4,030,996
Members
9,863
Latest member
leepaul


Top Bottom