To me biggest key down the stretch | Page 2 | The Boneyard

To me biggest key down the stretch

Clingan is not a 32 mpg guy. I wish he was. The NBA wishes he was.

One of the biggest questions coming into the year was whether Clingan's insane efficiency in 15 mpg could translate to a bigger role. The answer is "yes, but only 25-27 mpg." That may be disappointing for some, but is probably also enough for what we want to accomplish.
This is very astute and simply stated. There was a definitive reason Clingan played limited minutes last year and the coaching perfectly put him into a role where he could really flourish.
 
For me there are 2 keys:
1. AK has to reclaim his perimeter shooting and if not then he needs to look to drive the ball
2. Both Cam and Newton need to improve their on ball defense. A team with two hard driving guards are going to toast them.
Not if Clingan is protecting the rim.
 
It's a feature, not a bug. Danny keeps Clingan fresh with Samson. That's why we almost always make that big push towards the end of the first half. With 4 minutes left the opposing big has played 10-12 minutes - chasing Johnson up and down the court for a good part of it trying to stop him from dunking. Donovan has played 6-8 minutes and comes in fresh while the other guy is gassed.
 
Health is number one.
But Purdue just shot close to 60% from 3pt line last night. If we don't get our touch back from the arc there are a lot of teams not named Creighton or Purdue that could have a hot night and knock us out of the tournament because we lack consistency. Not naming names but now is the time to shake it off and tickle the nylon guys.
 
The amount of fouls and busted plays due the high hedge D has been very minimal. Some here hate it and will go to their graves bashing it...but the fact of the matter is that it is an effective disruptor of offensive sets, and Samson (who is the one who does it most often) is highly effective and quick to get back to the paint after the hedge.

Our D is so effective because we don't just park our big men in the paint in some predictable Syracuse-esque 2-3 zone.
Samson is better than Don (and not as good as Whaley was), but he's picked up a few cheapies doing it. That's what I'm against. Get your fouls being physical, not touching at 35'.
 
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The key is Samson. He is probably the least intelligent player on our team (from a basketball IQ standpoint). His super power is fouling in the most moronic of circumstances, time and time again. So if he can quit that, we should be ok.
Honorable mention would be AK's outside shot. That, however, I think will come, maybe as early as tonight. He is money.
 
Hey Guys,

Top concerns:

Clingan's Foul Trouble
Clingan's Health
The Team's Inconsistent Three Point Shooting
The all-around Ineffective Play of Samson Johnson
Zach Edey's Dominance in the paint can put Clingan on the bench fast.

The Huskies total commitment to team play & depth should overcome these issues

Father Demo
 
Samson is better than Don (and not as good as Whaley was), but he's picked up a few cheapies doing it. That's what I'm against. Get your fouls being physical, not touching at 35'.
Donovan has never hedged. Not a single time in 2 seasons.
Samson is a foul machine. He picks up fouls 5 feet and 50 feet from the rim. It doesn't matter where he is, he refuses to guard without using his hands.
 

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