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There was some jack ass who created a thread a couple days ago in which he predicted doom on Saturday in South Bend. The same guy also declared with authority that it would be difficult for anybody to argue that Napier-Boatright-Giffey-Daniels-Wolf was our best lineup, and nobody could argue otherwise. Does anybody remember who this person was? It was me. And it seems the one guy who had a major beef with my assertion that the five aforementioned individuals should play the bulk of the minutes was Tyler Olander, because this kid played the game of his life today. It was shocking to watch, really. He made a couple hook shots, knocked down some jumpers, and crashed the glass for some putbacks. He want EIGHT OF NINE on the game - yes, Tyler Olander, the kid who caused all of Husky Nation to cover their eyes whenever he shot the ball earlier in the season, put in sixteen points missing ONE shot. Talk about character, talk about resiliance, talk about work ethic. If that doesn't fire you up, you're probably rooting for the wrong team.
I stated before the year that this was the most important regular season in over 25 years for this program. The reality is this program has been flooded with uncertainty for the past eighteen months, and we desperately needed somebody to step up and stop the bleeding. Needless to say, we've found our guy. We knew Kevin Ollie could recruit. We knew he had exceptional character. We knew he could convince his players to run through a brick wall for him. All along there was one question - could he coach? Well, he's answering that question pretty convincingly. I continue to be amazed by the discipline this team displays on a night to night basis. It's truly remarkable considering the inexperience Ollie is working with. Deandre Daniels, Omar Calhoun, Enosch Wolf, Niels Giffey, and Tyler Olander are playing consistent minutes for the first time, and they haven't blinked. You don't see players pouting, arguing with officials, pointing the finger at one another, or playing tenatively. The "one team, one goal" mantra is easy enough to preach, but this team truly practices it. I'll take a team like this any day over five different guys rowing in different directions.
There were some trualy admirable individual performances out there today, but what impressed me the most about today's game was the team defense. Notre Dame came out of the gate hot, hitting seven of their first ten shots and jumping out to a 16-10 lead. After that, the Huskies defense held the Irish to 17 for 46 from the field, which by my rough calculations comes out to around 35%, give or take a couple figures. The on-ball defense was fantastic, the help defense was even better, and most importantly, the rebounding was tremendous. I was concerned before the game that the craftiness of Notre Dame's veteran guards would cause the defenses calibration to swing out of whack, but they really buckled down and made it difficult for the Irish to get open looks.
Back to Ollie for a second, because I can't say enough nice things about him: his ability to game plan and adjust on the fly are traits you'd associate with guys who have been coaching ten years. The off-ball motion has been particularly impressive, especially considering he doesn't have a plethora of offensive talent at his disposal. I've yet to watch any tape of this game, but the high elbow dribble hand-offs really seem to throw opposing defenses off balance, because you have to account for the possibility of a kick-out, a basket cut, or even a jump shot. He also doesn't over-think things late in games - he gets the ball into the hands of his best two players, and allows them to win the game. I'm not going to sit here and pretend a rookie head coach has it all figured out, but it is very unusual for a coach to show this type of poise and feel for the game and not at least morph into a damn good head coach. Sure, this team isn't eligible for the postseason, but this season is about the next twenty years more than it is now.
I'm already jacked for Monday's game against Louisville. With Duke going down today, and Michigan facing a tough road test tomorrow against Ohio State, there's a legitimate chance the Cardinals will be ranked #1 when they head into Storrs Monday. I will be there with my fafther, yelling at the top of my lungs the entire game. For those of you going, I encourage you to do the same. This team may not be eligibile for the tournament, but we can at least make it feel like a tournament game. As for the matchup, I'm not going to re-count everything I said the other day, but I will say UConn will need Enosch Wolf to stay on the court and play much better than he did today. He has the tendency to go over the back, particularly on the offensive glass. UConn will need to match seven footer for seven footer with Gorgui Dieng of Louisville, because for as well as Olander played today, it's unfair to ask him to compete on the glass with Dieng. Another kid I suspect we'll see more of on Monday is Nolan. He won't play a huge role, obviously, but we'll need a lot of fresh bodies to oppose the super-active frontcourt of Behanan (playing now), Dieng, and Harrel. Regardless, Louisville is still probably ten points better than us - it's going to have to be one of those games where the crowd wills the team to victory. Ask Pitino how his mistress is doing, harass the Louisville players, do whatever you have to do to make sure the Cards don't leave the XL with a victory Monday. This is our Super Bowl.
Player notes:
Deandre - It was a real workmen-like effort from Daniels today. He didn't have his offensive game clicking, so he helped the team win by pulling down nine enormous rebounds, playing tough defense, and chipping in eight points. Monday, though, he'll have to play a larger role offensively. Behanan is likely to give him headaches in the paint, but the flipside is he'll have a quickness advantage on the perimeter. And if they play a zone, even better. He'll be able to flash to the foul line, use his length to grab the pass, and either drive or knock down a jumper.
Shabazz - Is it true he wasn't nominated for the Cousy award? If so, that's ridiculous, because there might not be three better two-way guards in the Nation right now. Not only is he one of the best scorers in college basketball (his averages are deceiving because he defers in games where we don't need him to score), but he also rarely gets beat off the dribble defensively. Shabazz played another excellent game today - 19 points on 8 of 13 from the field, five rebounds, and four blocks. Definitely first team all-Big East if the season ended today.
Boatright - Ryan didn't play his best game today, but he came through when it mattered. Just as we were in danger of letting another game slip away, Boatright blew by his defender and drew a foul (by the way, I love the fact that Ollie didn't use a ball screen on the last play, Boatright certainly doesn't need one, and bringing a ball screen just creates more traffic and a greater chance for turnover), sinking the front and back end of a one and one. And outside of a lapse here and there, he did a nice job defensively. I'm expecting big things from Ryan Monday.
Giffey - Niels put up only 2 and 2 today, but he's not on the floor to compile numbers. He really helps the spacing offensively which allows Boatright and Napier more room to opperate. Defensively he may be the best on-ball defender on the team. When we throw a lineup of Boatright, Napier, and Giffey out there, the opposing team really struggles to score the ball. I would love to see some +/- numbers on this trio with Daniels and Olander/Wolf.
Calhoun - If there is any way Ollie can get Omar in touch with Bob Knight, he should probably do that, because his game would be helped tremendously if he added the shot fake to his aresnal. By my calculations, Omar is 3 for 78 on the year from three - he would probably be better served taking a dribble in and knocking down a mid-range jumper. Once you hit a mid-range or two, then he can possibly make his way out to the three point line. He can't get discouraged though - with Boatright and Napier on the roster, he's going to continue to get open looks. Keep shooting, kid.
Evans - Solid contributions from him today. You never get the feeling the team loses anything with him on the court, although the offense does seem to become a bit stagnant when Evans and Giffey are on the court at the same time.
And of course, the aforementioned Tyler Olander. The kid has caught a lot of grief from Husky fans, but he works his ass off, never complains, and does what he's told. I'll go to War with him any day.
This is the best win this program has had in almost two years. You can bet your ass the Irish won't schedule us when they run off to the ACC, because we have their number in South Bend, plain and simple. Just imagine the type of win streaks they could build without having to face the big bad Huskies. UConn basketball, at the core, is toughness. And no team in the programs history is tougher than this group. I couldn't be prouder to be a fan of this group of kids, and I'm hoping like hell they'll all come back next year (minus R.J.) so we can make a run at #4. See you all Monday.
I stated before the year that this was the most important regular season in over 25 years for this program. The reality is this program has been flooded with uncertainty for the past eighteen months, and we desperately needed somebody to step up and stop the bleeding. Needless to say, we've found our guy. We knew Kevin Ollie could recruit. We knew he had exceptional character. We knew he could convince his players to run through a brick wall for him. All along there was one question - could he coach? Well, he's answering that question pretty convincingly. I continue to be amazed by the discipline this team displays on a night to night basis. It's truly remarkable considering the inexperience Ollie is working with. Deandre Daniels, Omar Calhoun, Enosch Wolf, Niels Giffey, and Tyler Olander are playing consistent minutes for the first time, and they haven't blinked. You don't see players pouting, arguing with officials, pointing the finger at one another, or playing tenatively. The "one team, one goal" mantra is easy enough to preach, but this team truly practices it. I'll take a team like this any day over five different guys rowing in different directions.
There were some trualy admirable individual performances out there today, but what impressed me the most about today's game was the team defense. Notre Dame came out of the gate hot, hitting seven of their first ten shots and jumping out to a 16-10 lead. After that, the Huskies defense held the Irish to 17 for 46 from the field, which by my rough calculations comes out to around 35%, give or take a couple figures. The on-ball defense was fantastic, the help defense was even better, and most importantly, the rebounding was tremendous. I was concerned before the game that the craftiness of Notre Dame's veteran guards would cause the defenses calibration to swing out of whack, but they really buckled down and made it difficult for the Irish to get open looks.
Back to Ollie for a second, because I can't say enough nice things about him: his ability to game plan and adjust on the fly are traits you'd associate with guys who have been coaching ten years. The off-ball motion has been particularly impressive, especially considering he doesn't have a plethora of offensive talent at his disposal. I've yet to watch any tape of this game, but the high elbow dribble hand-offs really seem to throw opposing defenses off balance, because you have to account for the possibility of a kick-out, a basket cut, or even a jump shot. He also doesn't over-think things late in games - he gets the ball into the hands of his best two players, and allows them to win the game. I'm not going to sit here and pretend a rookie head coach has it all figured out, but it is very unusual for a coach to show this type of poise and feel for the game and not at least morph into a damn good head coach. Sure, this team isn't eligible for the postseason, but this season is about the next twenty years more than it is now.
I'm already jacked for Monday's game against Louisville. With Duke going down today, and Michigan facing a tough road test tomorrow against Ohio State, there's a legitimate chance the Cardinals will be ranked #1 when they head into Storrs Monday. I will be there with my fafther, yelling at the top of my lungs the entire game. For those of you going, I encourage you to do the same. This team may not be eligibile for the tournament, but we can at least make it feel like a tournament game. As for the matchup, I'm not going to re-count everything I said the other day, but I will say UConn will need Enosch Wolf to stay on the court and play much better than he did today. He has the tendency to go over the back, particularly on the offensive glass. UConn will need to match seven footer for seven footer with Gorgui Dieng of Louisville, because for as well as Olander played today, it's unfair to ask him to compete on the glass with Dieng. Another kid I suspect we'll see more of on Monday is Nolan. He won't play a huge role, obviously, but we'll need a lot of fresh bodies to oppose the super-active frontcourt of Behanan (playing now), Dieng, and Harrel. Regardless, Louisville is still probably ten points better than us - it's going to have to be one of those games where the crowd wills the team to victory. Ask Pitino how his mistress is doing, harass the Louisville players, do whatever you have to do to make sure the Cards don't leave the XL with a victory Monday. This is our Super Bowl.
Player notes:
Deandre - It was a real workmen-like effort from Daniels today. He didn't have his offensive game clicking, so he helped the team win by pulling down nine enormous rebounds, playing tough defense, and chipping in eight points. Monday, though, he'll have to play a larger role offensively. Behanan is likely to give him headaches in the paint, but the flipside is he'll have a quickness advantage on the perimeter. And if they play a zone, even better. He'll be able to flash to the foul line, use his length to grab the pass, and either drive or knock down a jumper.
Shabazz - Is it true he wasn't nominated for the Cousy award? If so, that's ridiculous, because there might not be three better two-way guards in the Nation right now. Not only is he one of the best scorers in college basketball (his averages are deceiving because he defers in games where we don't need him to score), but he also rarely gets beat off the dribble defensively. Shabazz played another excellent game today - 19 points on 8 of 13 from the field, five rebounds, and four blocks. Definitely first team all-Big East if the season ended today.
Boatright - Ryan didn't play his best game today, but he came through when it mattered. Just as we were in danger of letting another game slip away, Boatright blew by his defender and drew a foul (by the way, I love the fact that Ollie didn't use a ball screen on the last play, Boatright certainly doesn't need one, and bringing a ball screen just creates more traffic and a greater chance for turnover), sinking the front and back end of a one and one. And outside of a lapse here and there, he did a nice job defensively. I'm expecting big things from Ryan Monday.
Giffey - Niels put up only 2 and 2 today, but he's not on the floor to compile numbers. He really helps the spacing offensively which allows Boatright and Napier more room to opperate. Defensively he may be the best on-ball defender on the team. When we throw a lineup of Boatright, Napier, and Giffey out there, the opposing team really struggles to score the ball. I would love to see some +/- numbers on this trio with Daniels and Olander/Wolf.
Calhoun - If there is any way Ollie can get Omar in touch with Bob Knight, he should probably do that, because his game would be helped tremendously if he added the shot fake to his aresnal. By my calculations, Omar is 3 for 78 on the year from three - he would probably be better served taking a dribble in and knocking down a mid-range jumper. Once you hit a mid-range or two, then he can possibly make his way out to the three point line. He can't get discouraged though - with Boatright and Napier on the roster, he's going to continue to get open looks. Keep shooting, kid.
Evans - Solid contributions from him today. You never get the feeling the team loses anything with him on the court, although the offense does seem to become a bit stagnant when Evans and Giffey are on the court at the same time.
And of course, the aforementioned Tyler Olander. The kid has caught a lot of grief from Husky fans, but he works his ass off, never complains, and does what he's told. I'll go to War with him any day.
This is the best win this program has had in almost two years. You can bet your ass the Irish won't schedule us when they run off to the ACC, because we have their number in South Bend, plain and simple. Just imagine the type of win streaks they could build without having to face the big bad Huskies. UConn basketball, at the core, is toughness. And no team in the programs history is tougher than this group. I couldn't be prouder to be a fan of this group of kids, and I'm hoping like hell they'll all come back next year (minus R.J.) so we can make a run at #4. See you all Monday.
