UConn Arkansas

[Conndog]

High hedge keeps their ball-handler from turning the corner and getting into the paint on PnR, preventing penetration.

St. Mary's tonight was getting into paint 1v1 without a screener, using their quick guards to just drive by Jackson, Hawkins, and Newton. Arkansas will try the same thing. High hedge not relevant in that scenario.

Maybe the problem with the high hedge is that Sanogo stays with the guard too long- I don't know, the medicine may be worse than the disease (letting guard get by might not be so disastrous)

 

[jibsey]

This concerns me. If there is one thing we seem to poorly defend, it's this.

This is how we are exploited driving guards. There’s no solution but our depth on fouls.

 

[PNolanFan]

I am the biggest Sanogo over Clingan guy around but think this could be a game where Clingan is the guy. His rim protection will be super important I am thinking and they have a bunch of forwards who play up at center, think this could be a game where clingan massacres them on the offensive boards. Am hoping we see more of a 50/50 split for this game when generally I am a fan of closer to 30/10 minutes split

 

[Psolo12]

Revenge game. We’ve come full circle.

This game made me physically sick

 

[MexicoHusky]

Where's Arkansas rank on D? Will our 3 point shooters (Hawkins, Newton, Joey C, Karaban) get clean looks. I like our chances if they do.

 

[uconn_jack]

Twitter?

Are basketball games won on twitter?

 

[NJHusky]

"identity" vs Ego...Matt Painter is done now, because he didnt see the logic in not having zach edy have to man up a super quick 6-4 guy at FDU...he wont play zone, and they are done- thats ego

Jay Wright brought up the ego phrase at the half (though it may be more geared to st marys playing uptempo)

if we adjust our man d away from the "identity"of denying outside 3 pt line & therefore not giving true help defense TO a shell help man that takes away Arkansas drives , that would be a great coaching adjustment IMO...plus we can get 2 bigs in together for a bit with this coaching tweak

Why would you focus your D on denying the 3 against a team that doesn’t shoot well?

 

[huskyjawz]

We just need to stay in front of our man. This will be a Jackson, Alleyne, Diarra game on defense for me. Diarra has his first chance to make a real impact on this tournament. Joey C might not be playable by the second half in this game. We have to keep their guards out of the paint

O

No big deal, but the committee does like to try and dunk on us in any and every way they can. Dropped us a seed line to purposely match us against Pitino. Make us play one of the last round of 32 games and the very first Sweet 16 game across the country. Arkansas with a full day off more than us. They should really try and keep the integrity Thursday/Sat and Fri/Sun stuff the first 2 weekends. It can't be that hard to do.

I don't care. Bring it on committee losers, we will be fine. I see you though.

Your scheduling is great:



View attachment 85396

I was shocked to see that they didn't do this. They also have shorter travel.

 

[giddyup]

McGuire's a big UConn fan and he's right. I've already seen them all over social media commenting about the matchup. Their MBB twitter page has 146k more followers than ours and basketball isn't even their main sport. Gotta give credit where credit is due, they've got a passionate fanbase.

They have more fans because they live in Arkansas, a uniquely irrelevant place with trailer parks aglow by the synchronized flashes of Razorback sports as dogs bark, beer cans spurt open and the ritual screaming of domestic fights, screen doors slamming and tires angrily churning gravel fill the air.

 

[Excalibur]

I am the biggest Sanogo over Clingan guy around but think this could be a game where Clingan is the guy. His rim protection will be super important I am thinking and they have a bunch of forwards who play up at center, think this could be a game where clingan massacres them on the offensive boards. Am hoping we see more of a 50/50 split for this game when generally I am a fan of closer to 30/10 minutes split

I don't know. Clingan has struggled most against the teams with aggressive, athletic front courts. He can get muscled a bit. I do think that if there is a time to try them together for a few minutes, it's this game.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Never change the rules once a game is started. Reseeding is an absurdly stupid idea.

I mean, he's not literally recommending reseeding and going 1-16, 2-15, etc.

He's just saying "how good are the remaining teams, in order?"

 

[nashusky109]

It's crazy how little research a lot of their posters did. A team that was once ranked 2nd this year. I'm not saying we are world beaters but a lot of those posters have literally no idea that Andre was a finalist for best defensive player, Adama was a finalist for top Big guy, and we have one of the best shooters in the NCAA and a whole lot of depth. I'm, very scared of this game because athletic teams that can drive have been bad for us this year but their board didn't seem to do any research before posting.

In any case, even though there isn't a player or coach left from the last time the team played Arkansas, I hope our guys return the favor.

 

[AdamaNation]

They DEFINITELY don't. They have a thread on there where one of them ranked the S16 teams and had us at 13 while giving us the description "tough on def, but lack scoring punch", meanwhile we're 3rd in the country in offensive efficiency lol. Funnily enough the description he used for us is the exact one I would use to describe Arkansas.

And decimated a top ten Kenpom defense by 20 in the second half.

 

[FreeKlaiber]

Why would you focus your D on denying the 3 against a team that doesn’t shoot well?

you misread it :

"if we adjust our man d AWAY from our "identity"of denying outside 3 pt line & therefore not giving true help defense TO a shell help man that takes away Arkansas drives , that would be a great coaching adjustment IMO...plus we can get 2 bigs in together for a bit with this "

maybe badly worded lol

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Why would you focus your D on denying the 3 against a team that doesn’t shoot well?

Most college BB guards and wings can make an uncontested 3 pointer. Even low percentage three point shooters.

A good three point shooter can make them when contested. Bad three shooters usually can’t when contested.

Point being, you can’t just play way off a bad three point shooter. Still have to guard the three point line. Just hedge a little more than usual so that you’re always in position to deny the drive.

 

[UofCT]

Are basketball games won on twitter?

Are you Jack Mac?

 

[HogginIt]

Suspect this is going to be a really good game.

Haven't had the opportunity to watch a lot of Big East basketball this year, and it sucks because I cut my teeth on watching the 80's-2000's Big East.

It's going to be a physical game. Alabama plays finesse, Arkansas just beats the hell out of you with their style of play.

Hopefully Muss keeps Smith on a short leash once again. He let him play extended minutes when he returned and we lost a lot of games to end the year because of it. He wasn't producing and Muss kept giving him a chance to find his rhythm again. If he's not scoring expect Black, Council, Devo, to eat up the majority of the minutes. If you can't stop a drive whether ISO or off a screen get ready for them to constantly come at you.

Everybody looks at the NBA talent of Black and Smith but truth is Devo Davis is the best guard in march. He's been like that since he got here.

No matter what, I suspect this one will be a one possession game at the end and who knows who comes out the victor.

I'm excited for it either way because like I said to start, this is going to be a really good game.

 

[Waquoit]

It might as a possession by possession change of pace , but I like hurleys credo “play to your identity”. Zone isn’t that.

To paraphase Rorschach, "We don't have to match-up with you; you have to match-up with us." I think we kill 'em.

 

[NJHusky]

you misread it :

"if we adjust our man d AWAY from our "identity"of denying outside 3 pt line & therefore not giving true help defense TO a shell help man that takes away Arkansas drives , that would be a great coaching adjustment IMO...plus we can get 2 bigs in together for a bit with this "

maybe badly worded lol

Not enough coffee by me. Lol

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

I think Hurley has been secretly practicing the two Big Man rotation and will unleash that soon. In all honesty if Sanogo was just a couple speeds faster and could play as a forward this could be one of the all time great Uconn teams with that lineup.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

In all honesty if Sanogo was just a couple speeds faster and could play as a forward this could be one of the all time great Uconn teams with that lineup.

If we went around changing the attributes of all of our players, plenty of different lineups could work.

 

[bendm]

I'd rather just change our man defense though. Focus on stepping off and playing the driving lanes instead of a constant denial of the 3 like we did with SMC (and most opponents)

this is a must. if we dont do this and still refuse to use a 2-3 then it's going to be painful.

 

[SubbaBub]

I love that Arkansas' fans are basically doing Final Four scouting on their board right now. Bless their hearts.

 

[SubbaBub]

Arkansas basketball fans are some of the best in the country. They know and love the game. They are not wake up in March fans who don’t follow the sport. They won a title in the 90’s under Nolan Richardson and have been wandering in the desert trying to regain the success of that era. They are hungry.

Every message board has shmoes. Don’t judge the fans based on their scrappys.

Source- lived there 3 years. Had more ball conversations than the years I lived in NC.

So the 90's version of 80's Georgetown.

 

[navery12]

Where's Arkansas rank on D? Will our 3 point shooters (Hawkins, Newton, Joey C, Karaban) get clean looks. I like our chances if they do.

#15 defense and #24 at defending the 3. They play a bit like us in that they allow very few 3 point attempts, and the ones they do allow don't go in