Was it a hole dug too deep or UConn not getting it done during winning time, or both?

[DogMania]

Well they did come all the way back and actually took the lead at one point in the 2nd half, so the hole wasn't too deep to dig out of, but they simply didn't make enough plays during winning time. Granted a couple bad calls didn't help, but Houston was able to make more big plays, such as that block on Napier. Hindsight is 20/20, but I wish he pulled up and took a mid-range instead of driving it into the trees. Bazz has made so many big time shots, that we really can't put this L on him. I'll chalk that one up to a great defensive play by TaShawn Thomas. Props to Stiggers also for knocking down that 3 after Bazz hit two clutch FTs to put UConn up by 3.

A dubious way to start out AAC conference play, but there's a lot of hoops to be played. Let's hope they learned some important lessons from this game and don't dig themselves such a big hole next time. They simply too often don't seem to play with much energy in the first half. They need to figure out how to fix that.

Tough way to end 2013. Here's to wishing for a much better 2014.

 

[zls44]

Here's one: don't get down 20 to FUGGING HOUSTON. THEYRE AWWWWFULLLLLLLLLLLLLL



there. that felt good to let out.

 

[BoatShow]

Heaping dose of both.

 

[Kitaman]

Road game, no fans, team could only rely on each other to overcome the huge deficit. They climbed the mountain then fell down.

 

[willie99]

5 toes in

 

[BoatShow]

[quote="Kitaman, post: 802338, member: road game, no fans, team could only rely on each other to overcome the huge deficit. They climbed the mountain then fell down.[/quote]
On TV it seemed like at least half the meager crowd were husky fans(I probably sound like a Michigan football fan). Loudest cheers of the night were "DEFENSE" chants when UH had the ball. Going into a foreign arena and playing in front of a very good group of supporters should have been motivation enough.

 

[Ts5034]

I dont care who youre playing but you cant fall behind by 20 points in the first half and expect to win. Sure we had chances at the end, and the Olander foul was a terrible call but if UConn decided to actually play the first half instead of sleep walking through it...this is a 15 point win. A lot of things have to go your way in order to win a game when you fall behind by 20+ points . We had our chances at the end but there is no excuse for the first half performance

 

[UConnNick]

Road game, no fans, team could only rely on each other to overcome the huge deficit. They climbed the mountain then fell down.

That's far from the truth. I was at the game and there were a lot of UCONN fans in Hofheinz tonight, and we made a lot of noise, particularly in the 2H, while the Houston fans sat on their hands. I think the team got a big lift in the 2H from the UCONN fans in attendance. I don't think it's a stretch to say that we took over the arena, which admittedly wasn't difficult. My girl friend, who had never been to Hofheinz, said it looked like a high school gym in Connecticut from the outside. It's largely underground so it looks a lot smaller from the outside than it really is. I was with a group of 16 UCONN alums and there were a lot more than just us there.

 

[UConnNick]

[quote="Kitaman, post: 802338, member: road game, no fans, team could only rely on each other to overcome the huge deficit. They climbed the mountain then fell down.

On TV it seemed like at least half the meager crowd were husky fans(I probably sound like a Michigan football fan). Loudest cheers of the night were "DEFENSE" chants when UH had the ball. Going into a foreign arena and playing in front of a very good group of supporters should have been motivation enough.[/quote]

You are correct. Up until the last two minutes of the second half, it was the UCONN fans in attendance making all the noise. I'm glad you could hear the "DEFENSE" chants. That was from us. If the school had promoted this game the right way, we could have had three times more UCONN fans at the game than we did, and there were a lot of us. There are plenty of UCONN alums in south Texas.

 

[gtcam]

[quote="Kitaman, post: 802338, member: road game, no fans, team could only rely on each other to overcome the huge deficit. They climbed the mountain then fell down.

On TV it seemed like at least half the meager crowd were husky fans(I probably sound like a Michigan football fan). Loudest cheers of the night were "DEFENSE" chants when UH had the ball. Going into a foreign arena and playing in front of a very good group of supporters should have been motivation enough.[/quote]
On a night with nothing to laugh about - I must admit I laughed when Houston's Thomas raised his arms in the last seconds of the game to get the crowd to make noise and I heard NOTHING!!!
Let's hope 2014 brings UCONN Men's BB the will to play a full game and the new year brings the game back to Omar, gives DD some strength and energy and if TO is our big guy - conditioning and limited fouls.

 

[Dave]

anyone know what the actual attendance was officialy? On TV you couldn't see very many people at all, but we can't see an entire side of the court and parts of both ends. Even some of the game photos on the courant make it seem completely empty. it was fairly loud considering the number of people we could see.

 

[SubbaBub]

I'm thinking the right side basket was not setup correctly. Houston's last 3 was the only shot I recall dropping true the entire game.

SN also needs to realize that everyone is on to his flat footed three. And while he can hit that, it's not a high percentage shot when you are tied with a minute left. Don't consciously try to be dramatic, let it happen naturally. The drive was the play to make; layup, dish, or get fouled.

 

[UConnNick]

anyone know what the actual attendance was officialy? On TV you couldn't see very many people at all, but we can't see an entire side of the court and parts of both ends. Even some of the game photos on the courant make it seem completely empty. it was fairly loud considering the number of people we could see.

4,035, according to the boxscore. I can assure you the actual attendance was somewhat less, I'd guess in the 3,000 - 3,500 range. At the announced number Hofheinz would have been almost half full, and it wasn't. It used to seat over 10,000 but when Drexler was the coach they added some so-called 'luxury suites' which reduced the overall capacity down to 8,500 or so. The Rockets played there during their first few seasons after moving from San Diego. In the old days I've seen them cram well over 11,000 in there by putting folding chairs on risers around the entire concourse.

 

[ASweet3781]

That's far from the truth. I was at the game and there were a lot of UCONN fans in Hofheinz tonight, and we made a lot of noise, particularly in the 2H, while the Houston fans sat on their hands. I think the team got a big lift in the 2H from the UCONN fans in attendance. I don't think it's a stretch to say that we took over the arena, which admittedly wasn't difficult. My girl friend, who had never been to Hofheinz, said it looked like a high school gym in Connecticut from the outside. It's largely underground so it looks a lot smaller from the outside than it really is. I was with a group of 16 UCONN alums and there were a lot more than just us there.

I'm not sure why your arguing this point so aggressively. It would make our performance last night even more inexcusable.

 

[huskyharry]

Heaping dose of both.

Absolutely!
The hole would be very tough for any team to work their way out, but once Boat hit Giffey for that dunk, we should have continued playing well and walked away with the game. Instead, we played tight again the rest of the way and allowed them to get confident again. After Stiggers hit the three to tie it up, we collapsed instead of stepping up during winning time.

 

[BoatShow]

Absolutely!
The hole would be very tough for any team to work their way out, but once Boat hit Giffey for that dunk, we should have continued playing well and walked away with the game. Instead, we played tight again the rest of the way and allowed them to get confident again. After Stiggers hit the three to tie it up, we collapsed instead of stepping up during winning time.

Completely. After the Giff dunk I saw us knocking down free throws and winning by 6 or 8. Didn't score again though.