Where this team is at right now

[champs99and04]

If I had told you back in July that this team would be sitting at 16-4 on January 27th, I think the majority of us would have signed up for it. Yet, as I read the posts on this board, and the comments in the game chat, it seems to me that there is a slight disappointment to our disposition. Did we expect this team to be better? And, more importantly, were we justified in thinking this team would be better? I'll attempt to answer that question below, and I'll be curious to see what others think.

There are two ways of answering that question. The first is from the perspective of somebody who has grown up in the golden age of UConn basketball, the era that saw this program establish itself as a perennial contender and consensus top ten power. The second is with the the tempered expectations, as we experience the infant years of the Kevin Ollie era. I think the two schools of thoughts can be distinguished by this question: are we OK with being a borderline top 25 program (we've seemed to have spent most of Kevin Ollie's tenure to this point in the "others receiving votes" category), or are we expecting a smoother transition, with the Sweet 16 being on the low end of the "success" spectrum and where we are now on the low end of the disappointment scale? I ask because I honestly do not know the answer.

Personally, I expected the team to be better, and much of my preseason confidence was directly proportionate to the confidence I felt the team had going into the season. When Shabazz announced last spring that he was returning to school, I don't think he was thinking eight seed and maybe a run to the round of 32. You could say the same about Boatright and Daniels, even if it may have been slightly less obvious to them than it was to us that they weren't ready for the draft (I can't say for sure what they thought). This is a team that, competed with and beat, some of the best teams the 2012-13 season had to offer. Had this team been eligible for postseason play, and, assuming they hadn't been ravaged with injuries towards the end of the year, I think a seven or eight seed would have been a reasonable expectation. Not coincidentally, that's right around where we happen to find ourselves now. The team hasn't regressed, but they haven't displayed more than negligible improvement, either. Is this a coaching problem? Or did this team already max out what they had (which would be a testament to Ollie), and provide false hope of a final four run that was supposed to be contingent on the exercising of untapped potential?

Me? I feel that if this team had a truly elite coach - like a Calhoun, K, Izzo, Pitino, Donovan, or Self - they would be in the top ten. That isn't a knock on Ollie. You have to be truly fortunate as a program to land one of the aforementioned coaches, because they aren't a dime a dozen. The fact that we can categorize Ollie as "above average" (or however else you'd qualify him) at this stage in his development is very encouraging, and a positive reflection on his staying power as somebody who can flourish at a big time program. As it is, though, he's good, but not great, and I think this team is a fairly good representation of that.

The coming eleven games - and however many we play after that - may do a lot or a little to change that opinion. I think there is potential there, though, for the legacy of the 2013-14 team to change from "Luke warm" to "overwhelmingly encouraging", and a lot of that is dependent on these final eleven regular season games. How you foresee the team finishing up the regular season is probably a byproduct of the way you answer some of the questions I posed in the first two paragraphs, but as a fan who is sometimes overly optimistic, I see the rest of this season as a major opportunity.

Scanning the college basketball landscape, there are three, maybe four teams that scare me: Arizona, Kentucky, Kansas, and Syracuse on a good day. Aside from those teams, there isn't anybody else I wouldn't happily take my chances with in March. It sounds stupid to think that a team at such a talent dis-advantage in the front court could make a run, but for the most part, every team in the country has a pressing flaw that could end their season early. None of these flawless teams happen to play in the AAC, which is why I picked UConn to win the conference before the season, and it's also why I see no reason this team can't go on a tear over the remaining weeks until selection Sunday and end up with a high seed.

Of the remaining games, six are against awful teams, and, of the five games we play against teams that have a pulse, three of them are at home. Running the table over the next ten games and heading into the final game of the year @ Louisville on the cusp of the top ten is an attainable goal, and it's one that can be accomplished with some urgency, attention to detail, and individual player development. Briefly, here is what needs to change:

• The defense needs to improve substantially. As it stands today, UConn is ranked 66th in the country in defensive efficiency, a mark that would damn near kill JC if he were still on the sidelines. Say what you want about the physical limitations of the roster, this is not acceptable. As far as individual defense is concerned, this team is fine. Giffey and Kromah are both excellent individual defenders, Napier and Boatright are a lot of the time, and the rest of them are generally serviceable (maybe with the exception of Omar Calhoun, who still isn't there yet). What haunts this team is off-ball defense, and the principles of Kevin Ollie's defensive schemes that continue to allude them. Attention to detail is not one of the strong suits of this team, and the communication mishaps that seemingly occur on a regular basis these days bother me especially. The beginning of the second half against Rutgers on Saturday is exhibit 1A. You're up five at the half, and Rutgers is able to shoot two wide open 3's to begin the second half and suddenly you're down one. That stuff can't be happening at this point. Maybe against Rutgers you get away with it, against other teams you certainly will not. With Brimah playing 15-20 minutes most games, sporting anything less than a top 30 defense is indefensible. Say what you want about Brimah, and some of his frustrating tendencies, but the fact of the matter is opponents are far less eager to attack the basket when he's in the game. That means if you communicate, hedge properly, and rotate soundly on the perimeter, teams are taking long two's and difficult mid-range shots the entire game. That's what we want. When we play Cincinnati, this is something that needs to be especially pronounced. They can't shoot the ball a lick. Pack the paint, chase them off the three point line, and force them to hit enough long two's to win the game. They probably won't.
• This offense goes from good to elite when DeAndre Daniels is DeAndre Daniels. His injury complicates things a bit, but I suspect he'll be to full strength - or close to it - by the time we really need him against Cincinnati on the 6th of February. What generally tends to happen, is DeAndre tests the waters early, and if he has success that opens the floodgates for the rest of the game, and if he struggles early he goes into a shell. My solution: force feed him the ball early and often. I'd much rather DeAndre go 4-15 than 1-8. He needs to shoot the ball for this team to win, because not only is he a threat that alleviates pressure from Shabazz, but he's also more engaged in other facets of the game when he's feeling good offensively.
• Speaking of guys that need to shoot more, does anybody else think Boatright is playing more tentatively this season than the past two? I've seen him pass up more open shots this year than I have the past two years combined. He's shooting less this season, and his efficiency has also dropped. If you had told me before the season Boatright was going to take less than ten shots a game, I would have guessed his field goal percentage would be over 45%.
• I wouldn't mind feeding Brimah the ball a bit more. He's two for two in his last two games when receiving the ball in the post, and he looked relatively comfortable down there. He's obviously not ready to be a focal point of the offense, but if he can establish deep post position, there's no reason not to feed him.

I really feel like this team is about to turn a corner. We're almost there. I can feel it. These final eleven games are just so crucial. If we're seeded 3-6, this team has a shot to do some damage in the tournament. It may seem far-fetched, but you win some games, you gain confidence, suddenly other teams in your region start getting upset, and now you're only two games away from the final four. It all starts on the defensive end of the court. That's where it started to change with the 2011 team, and that's where it will have to change with this team, too. Thursday can't be here soon enough.

 

[sammydabiz]

One of the best posts I've read, Champs, you're dead on about everything, good stuff brotha

 

[breezy]

Great post, I completely agree about DeAndre being more tuned-in when his offense is clicking.

I've been really impressed with Boat the past few games. His passing has gotten a lot better and he's done some things that make me feel confident about his ability to be a serviceable PG next year.

I think Omar's slump is more than compensated for by DD playing at his level and the periodic stellar play of LK. I think we can be incredible if Omar gets his confidence back, but I've been greatly encouraged by everything I've seen out of this team starting with the win at UCF. I think guys are starting to understand KO's rotation a little better and that's helping a lot for on-court confidence.

If this team keeps progressing and playing well, then I think our best punch can keep us in the game with anyone in the country. That said, like many UConn teams, this team can also lose to anyone on a given night if we're even 9.5 toes in.

To address the original question: I think that the higher expectations were justified because everyone thought Omar and DD would be coming out of the gate the way they finished last season. As serious fans we're naturally adjusting expectations after every game (look what we're coming to expect out of Amida). I went to the Harvard game and was upset by how ugly that win was. The last 5 games (including the 'ville loss) have gotten me incredibly optimistic about the rest of the way. Should be a fun latter half...

 

[ctchamps]

I don't think JC would have gotten as good a result with this core of players as KO.

Defense is predicated on rebounding and that is the achilles heal of this team. It's improving but neither PN, AB or TO have demonstrated competency in this department. DD is a decent rebounder, but the slack has been taken up by the perimeter players. And that's a big problem because they have to hedge off their players to help rebound.

Additionally the hand check rule favors larger guards. I wouldn't trade SN and RB for any other tandem of guards but they have a disadvantage with this rule and have to be careful not to get quick fouls. Early in games players are able to drive past them. In the past this was less of a problem but this season, even with the shot blocking prowess of AB, players are making easy shots. This has been the case more recently because AB is adjusting his shot blocking to avoid fouls. He's beginning to understand when to go for a block and when to go for a rebound but he still is uncertain. So automatically assuming JC would have gotten better results with the defense with this group of players is anything but certain imo.

Last season UConn had two good wins vs. MSU and Cuse. The BE schedule was favorable. The five position was a disaster until the end of the season in which PN looked serviceable. DD also showed he was a good player the last third of the season. But only Bazz was a constantly great player all season. So although I was optimistic about this season it was predicated on continual improvement from DD and OC and PN making a significant leap over last season once it was known that Wolf was coming back. And although I felt this team would be better with Wolf, I didn't project it being good enough unless his play significantly improved. AB is the surprise, but he has to have more games like UCF and Rutgers before anything is certain.

My feeling is that this season would be 2009-2010 again if JC was coaching these players. His quick hook would be detrimental to players like PN, TO, NG and DD. I think KO has gotten DD to be more consistent. We'll have to see how he responds once he heals. Hopefully he won't be tentative, but who knows given his temperament. I definitely feel NG responds better to KO than JC. I think RB and SN would respond equally as well to both coaches.

All I can say is that DD, PN and AB have tremendously improved under KO since they first put on UConn uniforms. I also think RB has become a good point guard where before he was primarily a shooting guard. So I'm less likely to agree with your conclusions although I really enjoy reading your analysis.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

@champs99and04 Tremendous post as usual. The expectations is a question I often ask myself and I'm always unsure of the answer.

 

[businesslawyer]

That was a great OP, and I'm of the opinion that this team has upside way beyond what it has achieved to date. We know DD can put together a string of games where he plays like an All American night in and night out because he did it last year. He has to get there individually. I think Boat was clearly "reigned in" to start the season, and we've seen him cut way back on mistakes, but we're only beginning to see him get what he can accomplish playing more in control. Again, real room for improvement. The 5 position, collectively, is obviously better than where it started the year. At this point more consistency from both Nolan and Brimah is enough -- I don't need much more up side improvement.

Calhoun had a miserable year getting talent to play up to its potential his last season here, but that was his exception, not the rule. Last year, I thought KO had this team achieve what it could reasonably expect to. This year -- to date -- not so much. Its too late realistically speaking to win the conference title, but it's not too late to his a stride and have a great March. I still see the talent to make it happen. But whether it happens ....

 

[BoatShow]

Agree so much especially with force feeding the ball to DD. KO tell the team "DeAndre is taking our first 5 shots" and take it from there.

 

[James]

After sticking up for him in the offseason a bunch, the boatshow hasn't developed much in the past two years in being a pg. he does some unthinkable stuff on the court, like trying to score over 3 defenders at 5'9. If anything he is passing the ball less ...#freesamuel.

 

[huskiesnyc]

Your move @DogMania

 

[Marty Jackson]

great OP...
I think the record of 16-4 is better than people were hoping. I think the lingering hangover of the Houston and SMU games is what has people concerned. That and the fact that so many of the early games were close.

That was a great OP, and I'm of the opinion that this team has upside way beyond what it has achieved to date. We know DD can put together a string of games where he plays like an All American night in and night out because he did it last year. He has to get there individually. I think Boat was clearly "reigned in" to start the season, and we've seen him cut way back on mistakes, but we're only beginning to see him get what he can accomplish playing more in control. Again, real room for improvement. The 5 position, collectively, is obviously better than where it started the year. At this point more consistency from both Nolan and Brimah is enough -- I don't need much more up side improvement.

Calhoun had a miserable year getting talent to play up to its potential his last season here, but that was his exception, not the rule. Last year, I thought KO had this team achieve what it could reasonably expect to. This year -- to date -- not so much. Its too late realistically speaking to win the conference title, but it's not too late to his a stride and have a great March. I still see the talent to make it happen. But whether it happens ....

I agree with the first paragraph but not the second. We still have 2 games against Cincy, 1 against UofL and Memphis. And we still have SMU. The season is still in the team's hands. Now if they lose 3 of those 5, I would agree. But if they come out of that with 4 or 5 wins (2 against Cincy), they should be sitting fine in the conference standings. That assumes they take care of business for the other games.

Not giving up on the reg season championship quite yet.

 

[caw]

Really the difference between this team being ranked in the top 10 and not ranked is two horrendous halves. The second half against Stanford and the first against Houston.

That's it really, 17-3 and this team is likely about 17 or higher in the nation right now and on pace to being a 4-5 seed. 18-2 and this team is looking at a 2-3 seed or better (see Florida).

Now would this team be any better or any worse if they had managed the 4(?) extra points needed to have those bad halves and still win? Let's say Calhoun makes his three against Stanford and Napier hits or to beat Houston. Does that change how good or bad this team actually is? I don't think so.

I think this team is quite good but still flawed. That flaw can be covered by team effort, PN/AB growth and Daniels being aggressive. Will it, that's the question. I think UConn has outrebounded 4 of 5 opponents, so that's good.

 

[UC Billy]

I am one wh

If I had told you back in July that this team would be sitting at 16-4 on January 27th, I think the majority of us would have signed up for it. Yet, as I read the posts on this board, and the comments in the game chat, it seems to me that there is a slight disappointment to our disposition. Did we expect this team to be better? And, more importantly, were we justified in thinking this team would be better? I'll attempt to answer that question below, and I'll be curious to see what others think.

There are two ways of answering that question. The first is from the perspective of somebody who has grown up in the golden age of UConn basketball, the era that saw this program establish itself as a perennial contender and consensus top ten power. The second is with the the tempered expectations, as we experience the infant years of the Kevin Ollie era. I think the two schools of thoughts can be distinguished by this question: are we OK with being a borderline top 25 program (we've seemed to have spent most of Kevin Ollie's tenure to this point in the "others receiving votes" category), or are we expecting a smoother transition, with the Sweet 16 being on the low end of the "success" spectrum and where we are now on the low end of the disappointment scale? I ask because I honestly do not know the answer.

Personally, I expected the team to be better, and much of my preseason confidence was directly proportionate to the confidence I felt the team had going into the season. When Shabazz announced last spring that he was returning to school, I don't think he was thinking eight seed and maybe a run to the round of 32. You could say the same about Boatright and Daniels, even if it may have been slightly less obvious to them than it was to us that they weren't ready for the draft (I can't say for sure what they thought). This is a team that, competed with and beat, some of the best teams the 2012-13 season had to offer. Had this team been eligible for postseason play, and, assuming they hadn't been ravaged with injuries towards the end of the year, I think a seven or eight seed would have been a reasonable expectation. Not coincidentally, that's right around where we happen to find ourselves now. The team hasn't regressed, but they haven't displayed more than negligible improvement, either. Is this a coaching problem? Or did this team already max out what they had (which would be a testament to Ollie), and provide false hope of a final four run that was supposed to be contingent on the exercising of untapped potential?

Me? I feel that if this team had a truly elite coach - like a Calhoun, K, Izzo, Pitino, Donovan, or Self - they would be in the top ten. That isn't a knock on Ollie. You have to be truly fortunate as a program to land one of the aforementioned coaches, because they aren't a dime a dozen. The fact that we can categorize Ollie as "above average" (or however else you'd qualify him) at this stage in his development is very encouraging, and a positive reflection on his staying power as somebody who can flourish at a big time program. As it is, though, he's good, but not great, and I think this team is a fairly good representation of that.

The coming eleven games - and however many we play after that - may do a lot or a little to change that opinion. I think there is potential there, though, for the legacy of the 2013-14 team to change from "Luke warm" to "overwhelmingly encouraging", and a lot of that is dependent on these final eleven regular season games. How you foresee the team finishing up the regular season is probably a byproduct of the way you answer some of the questions I posed in the first two paragraphs, but as a fan who is sometimes overly optimistic, I see the rest of this season as a major opportunity.

Scanning the college basketball landscape, there are three, maybe four teams that scare me: Arizona, Kentucky, Kansas, and Syracuse on a good day. Aside from those teams, there isn't anybody else I wouldn't happily take my chances with in March. It sounds stupid to think that a team at such a talent dis-advantage in the front court could make a run, but for the most part, every team in the country has a pressing flaw that could end their season early. None of these flawless teams happen to play in the AAC, which is why I picked UConn to win the conference before the season, and it's also why I see no reason this team can't go on a tear over the remaining weeks until selection Sunday and end up with a high seed.

Of the remaining games, six are against awful teams, and, of the five games we play against teams that have a pulse, three of them are at home. Running the table over the next ten games and heading into the final game of the year @ Louisville on the cusp of the top ten is an attainable goal, and it's one that can be accomplished with some urgency, attention to detail, and individual player development. Briefly, here is what needs to change:

• 
  [ ]The defense needs to improve substantially. As it stands today, UConn is ranked 66th in the country in defensive efficiency, a mark that would damn near kill JC if he were still on the sidelines. Say what you want about the physical limitations of the roster, this is not acceptable. As far as individual defense is concerned, this team is fine. Giffey and Kromah are both excellent individual defenders, Napier and Boatright are a lot of the time, and the rest of them are generally serviceable (maybe with the exception of Omar Calhoun, who still isn't there yet). What haunts this team is off-ball defense, and the principles of Kevin Ollie's defensive schemes that continue to allude them. Attention to detail is not one of the strong suits of this team, and the communication mishaps that seemingly occur on a regular basis these days bother me especially. The beginning of the second half against Rutgers on Saturday is exhibit 1A. You're up five at the half, and Rutgers is able to shoot two wide open 3's to begin the second half and suddenly you're down one. That stuff can't be happening at this point. Maybe against Rutgers you get away with it, against other teams you certainly will not. With Brimah playing 15-20 minutes most games, sporting anything less than a top 30 defense is indefensible. Say what you want about Brimah, and some of his frustrating tendencies, but the fact of the matter is opponents are far less eager to attack the basket when he's in the game. That means if you communicate, hedge properly, and rotate soundly on the perimeter, teams are taking long two's and difficult mid-range shots the entire game. That's what we want. When we play Cincinnati, this is something that needs to be especially pronounced. They can't shoot the ball a lick. Pack the paint, chase them off the three point line, and force them to hit enough long two's to win the game. They probably won't.
  [ ]This offense goes from good to elite when DeAndre Daniels is DeAndre Daniels. His injury complicates things a bit, but I suspect he'll be to full strength - or close to it - by the time we really need him against Cincinnati on the 6th of February. What generally tends to happen, is DeAndre tests the waters early, and if he has success that opens the floodgates for the rest of the game, and if he struggles early he goes into a shell. My solution: force feed him the ball early and often. I'd much rather DeAndre go 4-15 than 1-8. He needs to shoot the ball for this team to win, because not only is he a threat that alleviates pressure from Shabazz, but he's also more engaged in other facets of the game when he's feeling good offensively.
  [ ]Speaking of guys that need to shoot more, does anybody else think Boatright is playing more tentatively this season than the past two? I've seen him pass up more open shots this year than I have the past two years combined. He's shooting less this season, and his efficiency has also dropped. If you had told me before the season Boatright was going to take less than ten shots a game, I would have guessed his field goal percentage would be over 45%.
  [ ]I wouldn't mind feeding Brimah the ball a bit more. He's two for two in his last two games when receiving the ball in the post, and he looked relatively comfortable down there. He's obviously not ready to be a focal point of the offense, but if he can establish deep post position, there's no reason not to feed him.

I really feel like this team is about to turn a corner. We're almost there. I can feel it. These final eleven games are just so crucial. If we're seeded 3-6, this team has a shot to do some damage in the tournament. It may seem far-fetched, but you win some games, you gain confidence, suddenly other teams in your region start getting upset, and now you're only two games away from the final four. It all starts on the defensive end of the court. That's where it started to change with the 2011 team, and that's where it will have to change with this team, too. Thursday can't be here soon enough.[/quo

 

[sdhusky]

Really the difference between this team being ranked in the top 10 and not ranked is two horrendous halves. The second half against Stanford and the first against Houston.

That's it really, 17-3 and this team is likely about 17 or higher in the nation right now and on pace to being a 4-5 seed. 18-2 and this team is looking at a 2-3 seed or better (see Florida).

Now would this team be any better or any worse if they had managed the 4(?) extra points needed to have those bad halves and still win? Let's say Calhoun makes his three against Stanford and Napier hits or to beat Houston. Does that change how good or bad this team actually is? I don't think so.

I think this team is quite good but still flawed. That flaw can be covered by team effort, PN/AB growth and Daniels being aggressive. Will it, that's the question. I think UConn has outrebounded 4 of 5 opponents, so that's good.

I don't think you can cherry pick Houston and Stanford.

FL, MD, BC, Indiana etc could have gone the other way too... I think 16-4 is about right for how we've played.

 

[UChusky916]

Spot-on post Champs.

One key bullet I would add is REBOUNDING. This team is has not lost when they win the rebounding battle, it's that simple really. DD (when healthy) needs to bang down low and grab boards. Brimah has done well lately, especially on the offensive end, and needs to keep it up.

Also, I think it's tough to put this on Ollie and say that Calhoun would have this team in the top10. Calhoun-coached teams have had the same type of weak 1st halves like Houston. The rebounding might be better, yes, but I'm not so sure that Calhoun automatically makes this team that much better.

I also feel like this team WAS about to turn a corner until DD's injury. Hopefully DD only has to sit a few games at most. I can only hope that the rest of the team picks up the slack with DD out. Maybe the front court collectively picks up their rebounding and maybe Boat/NG/OC start to establish themselves a bit more offensively. DD is certainly a key to this team and I agree that we have to get him going and force feed him the ball when he's healty... but more importantly I think we need the pieces around him working as well.

As a side note, I'm really intrigued to see if Facey gets a few more minutes in the games that Deandre sits. I love seeing Facey out there together with Brimah at 5.

 

[mauconnfan]

Me? I feel that if this team had a truly elite coach - like a Calhoun, K, Izzo, Pitino, Donovan, or Self - they would be in the top ten. That isn't a knock on Ollie. You have to be truly fortunate as a program to land one of the aforementioned coaches, because they aren't a dime a dozen. The fact that we can categorize Ollie as "above average" (or however else you'd qualify him) at this stage in his development is very encouraging, and a positive reflection on his staying power as somebody who can flourish at a big time program. As it is, though, he's good, but not great, and I think this team is a fairly good representation of that.

This would be the only thing I would question. I think you're getting a lot out of this team as is and I don't think any experienced coach could do much more at all. They are not ultra talented, ultra intelligent basketball-wise and are not at all physical. There's not much you can change or squeeze out either. I am extremely happy with 16-4 and it goes along with my 24-7 prediction, hope I'm wrong and it's 25-6 or even better! But this team is what you see and a couple their wins as well as a couple of their losses could have gone either way……

Happy guy with this team right now………nonetheless a wonderful read champs

 

[caw]

I don't think you can cherry pick Houston and Stanford.

FL, MD, BC, Indiana etc could have gone the other way too... I think 16-4 is about right for how we've played.

I don't think you got the point of my post. The first two paragraphs were just stating a likelihood and how a few points can vastly affect perception, when the team overall hasn't really changed.

The key part was the last sentence of paragraph three and first sentence of paragraph four. These are meant to show the win loss column and ranking, shouldn't change ones opinion of this team that much. Maybe it wasn't clear.

Overall, I had them at 17-3 at this point in the season, so they are slightly off where I thought they would be. They did play way too many close games OOC. The past 4/5 have been better, excluding UL. Rebounding looked better, before UConn was being beat on the glass by bad teams. Sure UL may have been better at rebounding but there is improvement. Even the second half rebounding looked better than the first. Health and Brimahs growth are the keys to this team right now. 8-3 is my guess to finish the regular season, if healthy. That puts UConn at 24-7. That said, I don't think there is any team in the schedule UConn can't beat, even UL @ UL.

 

[Hi-Low]

Great post but our lack of an experienced front line is really what's holding us to a borderline top 25 team. The 2010-11 Kemba team had AO/RS to clean up the glass, Bazz has himself and DD, nobody else over 3 rebs per game. Not sure I see that kind of run in this team...hope I'm wrong. Sweet 16 is possible for this team and then maybe they catch lighting in a bottle.

This is a nice team with good to great shooters that can keep us in every game. I'm not sure about a lot of untapped potential expect for Brimah and maybe DD (not including Facey). Everyone else is pretty much close to maxing out their talent and they do have talent, but only Bazz is an elite talent right now....sometimes that's enough.

I think 16-4 is where they should be and 24-7 (or better) is where they should to end up.

 

[Vancat]

I don't think JC would have gotten as good a result with this core of players as KO.

here's a thought...anybody else entertain the idea that JC was spent (out of touch, ready for retirement, whatever)?

 

[Onions]

So your prescription is more shots for DD, more shots for Boat, and more shots for Amida. Most of the rest of this board is asking for more shots for Giffy as well. So who exactly is supposed to sacrifice their shots to make this happen? Even if Kromah stopped shooting altogether the only way to do this is to ask Shabazz to take less shots. Is that what you really want?

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I think the team is right about where it should be based on the play in season.

I had higher expectations coming into the year, but they've played so many close games with average and bad teams it's tough to say they deserve to be ranked even with a good record.

A lot of hoops to come and as we all know, legends are made in March.

 

[freescooter]

I know this won't be too popular, but this team is what it is. A top 20-30ish team. Still has a huge hole in the middle notwithstanding the improvement we've seen from Brimah who I would describe as "an undersized 7 footer" if there is such a thing. We're the kind of team that can rise up and bite you if you're not on your game as we showed at Memphis, but not really up to playing with the big boys night in night out as we demonstrated at SMU and against Louisville. Napier is a terrific point guard, and especially in college point guards can carry teams a long way. That is what he is and has been doing. He makes every other guy out there better. I agree that if Daniels gets on a hot streak, it will help a lot, maybe move us up to the top 15-25, but he is in some ways reminiscent of Stanley Robinson, albeit with a better handle and basketball IQ. He is there some nights and looks like he belongs at the next level, but others he looks like he belongs a level down. Unfortunately the NBA nights have been few and far between.

We continue to struggle against teams that have good front lines. We're still looking for another power forward type to let Daniels go out and play his more natural position as a 3. I think we would benefit tremendously from a power forward of the Jeff Adrien-Kevin Freeman type. There isn't anyone like that which makes th eproblems in the middle seem even more significant.

As to the record, 16-4 is about where I thought they'd be, though I admit I didn't think we'd have the same 16 wins (I expected losses to Florida and @ Memphis) nor did I expect to lose to SMU or Houston. I thought based on how we were playing early that we'd have a WTF loss along the way, too. Going forward I think Cincinnati is a tough match up for us. So is Louisville. Both are just better teams right now. Not to say we couldn't upset one of them if everything went well, but I wouldn't want to have to play either of them to make the tourney. And I wouldn't want to have to go through both of them for the AAC title. I'd say 8-3 the rest of the way would be about where we finish. Maybe an upset win over Cincy at home, balanced off with a loss to SMU at home. Losses to Cincy and UL on the road. 24-7 overall.

 

[Palatine]

The biggest disappointment with this squad is its ability to squander prosperity. Building and losing leads as large as seventeen points shows a lack of focus and discipline. Letting lesser opponent after lesser opponent off the mat is something that Calhoun would have fixed by February. Now is when we find out if KO is cut from the same cloth.

 

[Scot-e]

Free- That was an extremely positive post for you. I had a moment reading it. Usually I have a movement.