This game has nothing to do with hand checking. These officials are horrid on both sides, but heavy toward us.
Agree. It was as if no contact was allowed. I hope the NCAA reviews this game and uses it as a tool as to how not to call a game. The way the games are called is getting out of hand. All a player has to do now is to dribble at a defender who is moving and draw contact, which is close to unavoidable. And if you happen to get near the defensive arc, just throw your body at the nearest defender and you'll get a call. They have to come up with a better way to train the officials how to call the game. I've been a huge college hoops fan, but am slowing growing tired of watching this crap. Not just UConn games but any college game. Most games now are about 30 minutes of crap and maybe 10 minutes of entertainment.
As for this game, that 17-0 run can be put on KO and his players. Credit Tulane for realizing the way the refs were calling the game and attacking the basket and our defenders, while our team simply didn't attack and settled for outside Js. Then after the 17-o when we started to be more aggressive, the refs then weren't calling the game evenly, though Tulane was still attacking the basket more effectively than we were. It didn't help that our bigs were all picking up fouls at an alarming rate and that KO didn't put Nolan in sooner. In stead of spreading out the fouls so that our bigs could play more aggressively, KO had to put Nolan in late, though he played better D than any of his predecessors. Does anyone know what was up with KO not playing PN till late? Was he sick or something where he didn't want to play him if he didn't need to?
Lastly, DHam, granted he and Adams seemed to be the only ones who tried to attach the basket, tried to do way too much, resulting in a whole bunch of empty trips down the floor.
Props to the team to make the needed plays during winning time to pull out the W. We got an ugly win, but a win nonetheless. As for KO, working the refs, I think there is some merit to that. Maybe JC can give KO some helpful advice on that topic. He needs it. I've been a KO supporter and still am, but I agree that he needs to learn to work the refs the right way and needs to either recognize how the game is officiated and getting his players to make the correct adjustments.