Lol there’s a difference between relying on shooting threes and being capable. Hurley wants to rely on it.
I’m not counting Andre’s dunks that happen because the defender is literally paying him no mind. Which is an adjustment I’ve personally been begging for for months because it’s always been right there. We do not draw up plays to get to the rim outside of Sanogo post ups.
Not wrong, Marquette is a pretty good example of capable but not relying on the three. That said, Hawkins is just that good of a shooter but doesn't really have a handle aside from a straight line drive to the rim.
There are basically only two plays most college teams run that are going to the rim. A post up and a high screen of some sort. UConn doesn't have a guard who consistently can utilize the second option as the driver so UConn mostly uses it as a pass to the rolling big if the three isn't taken. Even with drives the newish wrinkle of sitting Jackson's man in the paint has made it hard for driving guards but has left the three more open for both screener and ball handler. The latest addition of sometimes having Jackson in the dunker's position is one of two main ways Hurley has designed to attack that wrinkle. The other having Jackson run a dribble hand-off for a three for either Karaban or Hawkins (Karaban hit one in the first last game which partially pulled SHU out of that one man zone).
As for post plays, Hurley hasn't run as many straight posts for Sanogo recently since teams started doubling and tripling him in the post. He has adjusted to trying to get Sanogo the ball on the move more often to decent success (if the pass makes it to him it usually works).
I wouldn't say Hurley wants to rely on the three, but he is relying on his best offensive players and one of them is Hawkins who may have the best shooting stroke in college ball.
Creighton is a bit of a unique team in that they drop back with Kalkbrenner and give up the three on those high screens, and with Jackson's man also in the paint the paint was pretty closed off.