Villanova Post Game Thread

[uconnfan68]

We are shooting about 3% worse from the line this year. There’s not much to complain about with a team ranked first that’s on a very nice winning streak. But I don’t envision blowing people out in the tournament the way we did last year. It’s my opinion. You can disagree with it. The numbers are what they are.

Just need to keep SJ and DC off the line.

 

[alphasigko]

Our big men had 8 points between them... 2 + 6...add to that missing 6 FTs in a close game, we were lucky to get what we got...

 

[superjohn]

This one creeped up on me. (Now I can’t stop laughing.)

@Austin316 has a lot of hilarious comments.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Nova would be a much bigger problem if they had some depth down low. The drop off from Dixon to Ware is huge. I’m actually struggling to think of someone UConn has played against this year that got meaningful minutes and was less of an impact.

 

[Bomber36]

Our big men had 8 points between them... 2 + 6...add to that missing 6 FTs in a close game, we were lucky to get what we got...

They missed 4 free throws

 

[alphasigko]

I'm pissed it came down to the final seconds. Clingan should not have played 24 minutes. I mean, he was just not good.

And SJ was any better?

 

[Scoe]

Just need to keep SJ and DC off the line.

They just need to hit 1-2 the other guys gotta knock down both.

 

[Palatine]

Virtually every top 10 ten team in the country lost this week. Most of them to unranked teams.

But let's complain that Clingan missed two free throws. Good grief.

 

[Purple Stein]

We win by ten if we actually used him on offense rather than launching 25 footers.

Villanova’s man to man was tenacious. We missed a few mismatches in the post but given how much pressure the guards were under and how far out we had to start our offense it wasn’t easy for them to see those mismatches let alone get the ball into the post.

Give credit where credit is due. Villanova decided they were going to make it hard to enter the ball into the post. To our credit, we didn’t force it.

 

[Pmac923]

Anybody who thought Clingan had a bad game knows nothing about basketball and is probably mentally handicapped.

He forces about 4 or 5 missed shots, another 5 or 6 possessions away from the paint along with 2 or 3 blocks. He can single handedly shift a game without even scoring.

 

[runner11]

My only complaint is that our sets that had been previously generating open 3s tonight mostly allowed the guards to just get open enough to receive the ball a few feet behind the line. I assume it’s some combination of Nova having very good and switchable perimeter D and our league allowing a lot of grabbing off ball. I would love to get AK the ball at the elbow or in mid range a bit more. Newton looked really good in pick and roll in the second half. Great game.

 

[HooperScooper]

Made 75% and shot well late but missed some front ends of one and ones. Every point counts and it’s not deniable that this year’s squad hasn’t shot free throws as well as last year’s. I’m very happy with the win but would love to see a slight uptick at the line.

Last year they shot 76.1% and this year they were at 72.8% before tonight. The difference is probably on the centers. Sanogo was pretty good last year at the line and Johnson and Clingan haven't been very good this year.

 

[Devland]

Just need to keep SJ and DC off the line.

Neither one is going anywhere near the floor at the end of a close game.

 

[RedStickHusky]

We should hold onto #1. -- Not that anyone cares.

You can not care about getting it but you can't not care about keeping it.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Yeah that’s basically what I’m getting at. They’ve both had games this year we probably lose without their contributions. If just one of them becomes more consistent in this second half of the season, we can breath easier if another injury happens.

Fwiw, I believe in these guys talent. I just don’t think they have the space to really carve out a productive role offensively. And we’ve shown we don’t need them to to win.

We aren’t going to prioritize getting them going so the margin for error combined with the opportunity available is just way to small for them to be that productive. I don’t think Ball even attempted a shot or drive tonight.

Don’t think it’s a situation like Joey or Alleyne last year either. Both guys who had a very green light even with limited minutes.

But like I said we don’t really need it to win.

 

[jdb50]

We won another Big East road game. We have seven days till the next game and there is a lot to improve on that can guide practices. We made mistakes tonight but never lost our composure. This team really believes in each other and is unselfish. Lets Fn go!

 

[gsmooth]

Villanova is good. Neptune is much more poised and impressive on the sidelines than he was last year. Villanova may actually do some damage this season.

How they lost all of their Big 5 games to Philly teams I will never understand.

 

[UCann]

That timeout from Karaban was so impressive. He's always so calm and in control.

So clutch and smart. 90%+ of players don’t make that timeout call. Not to mention the big 3 at the end.

 

[dennismenace]

This game is the official requiem for "Hurley cannot win a close game".
He has won multiple close games, home or away, big or small ball.
This team has the mettle of a champion led by veterans Sir Newton and Spencer.
A special shout out to Castle, calmly sunk 2 free throws after that nasty fall.

Yes and after that body slam and without expression looked at the ref and calmly said "I'm ok". Tough, tough kid.

 

[87Xfer]

If SJ is our starting 5 next season, I can't see how that's a good thing at this point. Is anyone else seeing "wall potential"?

 

[AntG168]

If SJ is our starting 5 next season, I can't see how that's a good thing at this point. Is anyone seeing "wall potential"?

He’s a tweener

 

[DogMania]

I’m not saying I thought it was lopsided, they just allowed tons of off-ball contact and holds. It just is what it is, it’s clearly how this league wants the games called, but it’s an ugly brand of basketball. There’s a reason there were SO MANY late game heaves on both sides.

I wish the BE refs would buckle down the constant off the ball clutch and release.

Made 75% and shot well late but missed some front ends of one and ones. Every point counts and it’s not deniable that this year’s squad hasn’t shot free throws as well as last year’s. I’m very happy with the win but would love to see a slight uptick at the line.

Agree. Their FT% is not as good and could cost them in a tight win or go home tournament. Let's hope they improve as the season goes on. Missing FTs especially front ends earlier in the game can result in a tight nail biter when they should have had some breathing room. Also when they miss 2 FTs or front end of the one and one, it results in an empty trip and can impact the momentum of the game.

 

[UCann]

We should hold onto #1. -- Not that anyone cares.

Absolutely. Two Quad 1 wins. Zero reason to move us. Doesn’t matter what else happens.

 

[dennismenace]

Justin Moore applying the same hook move on back to back possessions sure was veteran savvy.

Yes and it probably cost them the game.

 

[Hunt for 7]

I can’t imagine anyone watching this game and came away thinking Clingan was horrible. He changes every defensive possession when he is in the game. Clingan is what the great Al McGuire called an aircraft carrier. He takes up so much space even when he does not get the rebound he helps Alex or Castle by drawing all the block out attention. It’s kind of funny we are kind of right where we were last year. Opponents play completely off our center and Castle(AJ) clog the lane and overplay Cam, Alex and Tristen. The answer is not playing Castle less because we need his defense and rebounding. The key is finding his role. He plays a bit smaller than AJ but is a better shooter. We just need him to be more of an offensive threat and I know Hurley is going to get him there.