UConn's fast break and what we can expect from this point on.

[DogMania]

I wasn't sure what to title this, but something that was said during the UK vs UF game that sparked a few thoughts. They said that 28% (something like that) of the Gators' points come off the Fast Break, which is a good sign for UF in that they don't rely on it, but are capable of generating a solid % of easy scoring opportunities. But that's not the main points here.

My first thought was how generally bad UConn is in transition. I don't know what their percentage is (maybe it's better that I think), but it must be way down from what it has been in the past. They not only generate transition opportunities at a low rate, but they certainly seem to squander many of them. Just seems most of the time they either turn it over, get it blocked, get fouled or end up pulling it back out. They've been a tad better of late, but still very un-Husky like. I'm not implying that they should try to push it more often, because the style of play is sometimes dictated by the personnel, but I think the team should be capable of running more and finishing at a higher percentage. Part of their problem with finishing is when it's Bazz or Boat, they're prone to getting their layup or dunk (in Boat's case) blocked due to their size. The other cast of characters don't seem to be good finishers when coming in at breakneck speed. Kromah, from what I can remember, is pretty good at finishing, but Daniels, Giffey, Omar and our bigs are a bit of an adventure. Brimah, as good an athlete for his size, rarely gets out on the break. TO isn't going to be many down the court. Nolan is the one big who sometimes is in the mix, but it just seems our bigs aren't running the floor like the bigs of the past. Part of this might be due to they need to do all they can on the defensive glass to get us the ball back and any focus on running the floor in both games as well as practice simply isn't the greatest priority.

The other observation is that UF, who's lost just 2 games, might be the team playing the best ball and has a good chance of keeping that run going where they end up as the last team standing. If that were to take place, one feather in UConn's cap is that we'll be not only one of just two teams to beat them this season, we would be the last time to have beaten them.

Last thought is that wouldn't it be ironic if both UF and UConn made it to the NCAA finals. Granted our getting there would be surprise, but not completely out of the realm of reason. That situation would be similar to when Georgia Tech beat us in the regular season, I think at MSG, but then the world was set back on its axis when our Huskies took care of business and blew GT off the court for the championship. Now I would never count our team out, but if they face UF in whatever round of the Tourney, I'm not sure they will come out on top, based on the level that these two teams are playing. Billy D, his this team playing great now. They do it all, score inside, outside, mid-range and transition, and defend as good as anyone.

I like our team and wish that I could make a statement like I did before the 2011 BET began that the team, lead by Kemba, had the talent to run 11 straight, but I think our team has too many vulnerabilities (problems rebounding, lack of scoring in the post, lack of size at the perimeter, scoring reliance predominantly on a 2 to 3 players, to name a few) that at least one of these will likely bite them in the ass somewhere along the way. We would need some favorable match-ups (avoid big athletic front-courts and/or big athletic back-courts) to avoid such a fate, though I would never say that's out of the question.

 

[CTBasketball]

Yep.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Regarding our fast break woes, you hit the nail on the head: it's a size/strength/athleticism issue.

Bazz and Boat have toughness in spades, but at 6'0 and 5'10 have trouble finishing at the rim against bigger defenders -- this is an issue on drives in the half-court, as well as on the fast break.

Omar and Giff are somewhat limited athletically, which impacts the speed and forcefulness with which they can attack the rim, and touch is sometimes a problem.

DD, Nolan, and Brimah lack the physicality and toughness to power through contact and finish.

Kromah, like you pointed out, is a good finisher because he's solidly-built, reasonably tall for a guard, and has great athleticism.

The guys Ollie is bringing in are similar to Kromah in that they have a great combination of size and athleticism in 6'3-6'7 frames, and should have no problem bringing back the fast break as a feared component of our attack.

 

[DogMania]

Regarding our fast break woes, you hit the nail on the head: it's a size/strength/athleticism issue.

Bazz and Boat have toughness in spades, but at 6'0 and 5'10 have trouble finishing at the rim against bigger defenders -- this is an issue on drives in the half-court, as well as on the fast break.

Omar and Giff are somewhat limited athletically, which impacts the speed and forcefulness with which they can attack the rim, and touch is sometimes a problem.

DD, Nolan, and Brimah lack the physicality and toughness to power through contact and finish.

Kromah, like you pointed out, is a good finisher because he's solidly-built, reasonably tall for a guard, and has great athleticism.

The guys Ollie is bringing in are similar to Kromah in that they have a great combination of size and athleticism in 6'3-6'7 frames, and should have no problem bringing back the fast break as a feared component of our attack.

I like how you brought up the recruits that KO will be bringing in. I give JC and KO a lot of credit for recruiting the current cast of players considering what they had to go against to get them, but they seemed to swing and miss on a lot more targets they had preferred compared to the seasons before that string of issues reared their ugly head. Please, lets not bring all that crap up. KO has seemed to turn the corner on all that stuff.

But as you alluded to, big guards/wings like Purvis, Sam Cassell Jr, Daniel Hamilton and Prince Ali, plus the addition of the big, athletic and physical PF Rakim Lubin, should transform this team into a more athletic and physical team. I must admit, I've not watched many video clips of all these players to form an opinion as to how much they might transform UConn back into a more transition team. Now I don't mean like back in the 90s, but more the well balanced 99, 2004 and 2011 teams that were good in both the half-court and in transition.