Who will be our Jeremy Lamb this Tourney?

[Kitaman]

Bazz is not Kemba but he is Batman, so who the hell can we count on to be Robin? We will not go far with Boatright as Robin. The possible suspects are Deandre (of course), Kromah, Giffey (going off like he lost his mind) or Brimah (unlikely). Sadly Omar would have been a good candidate but forget about him.

We need that player to step up more than ever. I want to say DD but he's not been consistent. This team is so hard to predict but if one of the above can bring a double double (and some) every tourney game then we can beat anyone. The cliche 'A Star is Born' will fit this team more than ever this Tourney as Bazz departs and someone takes the torch. I hope we will say and see this happen the next couple of weeks.

Of course as a pre-requisite, Bazz HAS to play like the best player in the nation and we have to rebound. I also know that Boat will also give us something, that I'm sure of.

I'm excited but overly cautious concerning expectations unless I see a 'Robin' emerge. We are being ignored but to a certain extent understandably. We are an elite team and we can bet we won't go down without a fight.

We are UConn dammit!!!!!

 

[Huskybass]

I think we need to be firing on all cylinders to make a deep run. That means Bazz has to play like an AA and Boat, Deandre, Niels, Kromah and Brimah all need to make significant contributions. Some quality minutes from Samuel would be a big plus as well.

If we play well, I like our chances against anyone not named Louisville.

 

[Marat]

We are all hoping that DD continues to ball like he did end of last season and there are hints of this re-emergence recently. He is the side-kick that is long and difficult to matchup against (ala Lamb).

We need 2 of the 3 Bazz/Boat/DD to have good games, along with great defense, solid rebounding, and continued contributions from Giffey or Kromah. I think that will be good enough to make it out of this weekend.

Beyond that, Bazz needs to be Kemba-like, and DD needs to be a star to go further.

 

[Lefty2one]

Has to be DD, he's the only one with the talent to pull it off. Giffey can be taken away by a defense if they choose to.

 

[UChusky916]

I watched @tcf15 's video playlist yesterday of the 2011 tournament game highlights (if you havent, get on it). What surprised me was how many contributions we received from everyone (not just Lamb). We were a much more balanced team in 2011 than we are now. That's probably hard to understand considering we had Kemba. He scored a bunch but he did so many other things with dribble penetration and attracting double teams to free up others. Lamb definitely nailed his shots. Then Roscoe hit some next. Then Bazz hit some jumpers. Then AO got a few offensive rebounds/put-backs.

My point being... we don't need a Robin, we need all-around contributions from the team to make a run. It would be nice to have Daniels step up and be a consistent threat like Lamb, he's certainly capable of it and it would help our chances. However, we will also need Boat to string together some good games. He needs to take care of the ball, get into the lane and kick out, and get to the free throw line. Brimah can be a more intimidating/defensive Okwandu, but unfortunately, we don't have an Oriakhi to control the boards/get put-backs. We need consistency from everyone, but I think that Daniels/Boat are definitely most important. Giffey as an honorable mention wildcard... he's got a great stroke like Lamb but Lamb had a more diverse offensive skillset (that floater was deadly).

Scoring easy points is so important in the NCAAs. The best way to score easy points are in transition, from the FT line, and from the low post (this includes offensive rebounds/put-backs).

To get out in transition we have to get stops/steals, which we are capable of. We are a good free throw shooting team, so that is good too, but we have to get into the lane and get to the FT line otherwise that doesn't help us. I'm not sure we have the ability to get easy points down low. We don't have a strong banger who can get position for post-ups, get boards, and make putbacks. That is where we lack. We need to try to establish our bigs early and often in an attempt to get these easy points. Utilize Brimah's hook shot. Let Nolan bang down low. I'd rather not have Tyler shooting, but if he does it needs to be down low rather than from the elbow.

 

[djct1999]

I feel both Giffey and DD will come up huge for us.

 

[caw]

I think it's going to vary per game. I think the backcourt will be pretty solid and get the team 30-35+ points per game. I think DD and Giffey go back an forth as the "Robin" assuming UConn does well enough to have multiple games.

Giffey seems to have his shot back and is making good drives at the rim. Daniels just needs confidence, I think the injuries were one thing but the lak of confidence after was another. Even if the UL game was in garbage time (don't agree but don't want to argue it) it might have given him a shot of confidence UCon needs.

Brimah is more an X factor. He may be very effective or not at all. The first three potential opponents (SJU, Nova, ISU) are bad matchups for him. Most have bigs who can pull their defender from the rim and are more the big stocky rather than the long/lanky. I'm not saying UConn gets bySJU but that is the reality of the region.

 

[aceboon]

DeAndre would be my choice, with Giffey hopefully giving us a solid 8-10 pts a game. We also need Bazz to step up and be aggressive from the start, that doesn't mean firing away but being asserting, getting into the lane, drawing fouls, and stop with the hesitation on jumpers. The way he's played recently with the silly turnovers, passing up of wide open jumpers, and settling for long contested 3s honestly has me scared of how he's going to play in these games, we need that Bazz with that bounce in his step.

 

[CTBasketball]

We are a very difficult team to prepare for if you haven't seen us. They don't have the speedy guards and high-intensity on-ball defense that Louisville does, so I think we'll be OK there.

And I think this will give Niels open looks, Kromah open lanes to drive, and DD to work around the basket then step out for the 3. This team reminds me of Memphis's frontcourt. A huge 6'8" guy followed by another sort of lanky 6'8" guy. We need to drive and get to the foul line. That is a must against St. Joe's. Sooner or later, the rebounds will find their hands. Its better to cut that opportunity out.

 

[Waquoit]

It's Giffey, especially if DD concentrates on his mid-range game.

 

[uconnng8]

Niels, if he is hitting the 3 and taking it to the rim he brings us up to a whole new level. Also if Omar gets hot shooting he can win us a game, regardless of how much everyone thinks he has regressed.

 

[TheRogers]

The defensive job Giffey did on Kilpatrick was brilliant. Stick him on the opposing team's best offensive threat and good things will follow!

 

[Marat]

l. Also if Omar gets hot shooting he can win us a game, regardless of how much everyone thinks he has regressed.

It may seem like aeons ago, but Omar was the leading scorer with 16 against Nova last year, when Bazz/Boat had a combined 6 points. By law of averages, all those misses may start going in again.

 

[dogpause]

I think it will be Amida, unless you have to be a long range shooter. I'm assuming you mean someone who elevates their game to the next level, as Jeremy did. I think Brimah has shown signs that he is ready to take the stairs. I just hope we start passing it to him more.

Giffey hasn't shown consistency in four years, so I don't expect that to change. Would be great if Omar wears this hat, but I think his problems are as much physical from his injuries as they are mental, so that won't change much.

 

[August_West]

, Id just settle for Bazz being Bazz, other than the Rutgers game on Senior night he hasn't been very good offensively since the Memphis game at HCC. That's really one good shooting game in a month. We need his shot ON and we need him finishing at the rim. It opens everything else up for 'Robin" ,whoever that may be, to step up.

 

[superjohn]

The biggest key is getting Bazz to play like he did earlier in the season. For a while he did look like Kemba and it was a guarantee we would have far and away the best player on the floor every game. The last 3 weeks Bazz has been a different player and doesn't resemble the guy we saw earlier. If he gets back to being a dominant player we make a deep run.

 

[babysheep]

I wanna see this every game

 

[UCweCONN]

It has to be DD. He needs to play like the top 20 recruit and NBA player he can be. Honestly though, it will probably be Giffey. His international experience and the fact that this is his last go-around will give him added motivation.

 

[Kembacity]

Has to be DD, he's the only one with the talent to pull it off. Giffey can be taken away by a defense if they choose to.

The thing thats great about this though is that teams we play have a very important choice to make. If they decide to collapse on Boat and Bazz when they penetrate, then it leaves a Giffey wide open for his trademark 3's, but if they decide they cant lock down on bazz and Boat for fear of Giffey going off, then it opens up the interior game for the guards to make plays themselves, or drive and toss up a lob to Brimah.

Giffey being a knockdown shooter for everyone to worry about is the best thing that happened to this team, because they know that they'll have to adjust, and we can keep them confused if they arent amazingly coached

 

[dogfan96]

The biggest key is getting Bazz to play like he did earlier in the season. For a while he did look like Kemba and it was a guarantee we would have far and away the best player on the floor every game. The last 3 weeks Bazz has been a different player and doesn't resemble the guy we saw earlier. If he gets back to being a dominant player we make a deep run.

Could be that he wore down at the end of the season from having to do so much every night in order for the team to be successful. Even when his shot isn't falling, he's still the primary ballhandler, facilitator, and rebounder. Hopefully can recharge a little over these few days off.

 

[Marat]

The biggest key is getting Bazz to play like he did earlier in the season. For a while he did look like Kemba and it was a guarantee we would have far and away the best player on the floor every game. The last 3 weeks Bazz has been a different player and doesn't resemble the guy we saw earlier. If he gets back to being a dominant player we make a deep run.

Bazz being Bazz with a solid performance from another may be enough to beat some good teams. You are right. Looked at the box score from the win vs current #1 Florida - Bazz had 26 points (5-8 from three), and DD 14 points (7 rebounds) were there only ones to score in double figures. They got the win.

 

[dogfan96]

And even when Bazz isn't great, he can still be a killer in crunch time.. like sticking the step-back jumper in Kilpatrick's mug on Friday night.

 

[Alum86]

I am worried who is going to be our 2006 Denham Brown. Please Bazz, take the last shot and do not force it to Boat or Kromah or Nolan. Pass to Niels only if absolutely necessary

 

[Marat]

I am worried who is going to be our 2006 Denham Brown. Please Bazz, take the last shot and do not force it to Boat or Kromah or Nolan. Pass to Niels only if absolutely necessary

You forgot to mention Omar - remember the last second pass to him vs Stanford for the win? smh....

A contested shot from Bazz is probably better than an uncontested shot from some of the others.