Wow - that was some crap there

[1999.2004.2011]

Does anyone realize that this team is trying to replace the best player in college last year (Napier) and four other key players (Daniels, Kromah, Giffey and Olander) from last season? Besides Boatright, this is an extremely young team who are going to get the best shot from every single team in this conference each night being the defending national champions. I know that this conference lacks the matchups we had in the old Big East, but teams like Temple (solid program) and Tulsa (who made the tourney last year) can play.

This is part of the growing pains of replacing players from national championship teams, and if you think its just us, please look at teams like Florida, Michigan State and Syracuse who are in the same position as us right now trying to replace upperclassmen talent.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It's bad enough that we're mired in this league, but it's just mind-numbing that we're playing down to it every night.

I have no idea what Kevin Ollie says in his pregame pep talks, but I wish he'd let Hobbs handle it because these kids come out of their face every night. They can't score, they turn the ball over like they're drunk and they're a threat to go sub-50% at the line on any given night.

How do you go 8-18 from the free throw line? How do you let Tulsa run the game off the clock without fouling? How do you send Tulsa to the line 30 times? How does a UConn team get manhandled by the likes of Tulsa?

9-6 and heading to Stanford...what could go wrong there?

One of the worst games in recent memory. I don't know who those guys were playing in place of our players, but they didn't deserve to have UConn on their jerseys.

 

[woodchuck68]

I don't disagree with a lot of what was written. This is a frustrating team to watch. The thing that I noticed is that Ollie seems to be consistently going to DHam (e.g., having him inbound the ball, having him drive to the hoop even when it isn't working, shoot even when his shot isn't going in, etc...) It looks really bad right now, as DH is making tons of freshman mistakes.

Last years team's poor play was bailed out repeatedly by Napier over the course of the season - and we still had a bunch of wtf losses last year. We don't have that luxury this year - as good as RB (and others in spurts) have played.

I think Ollie's strategy is to continuously go to Dham in the hopes that he matures in time for this to be considered a quality season. That strategy involves considerable growing pains. I'm not sure if Dham will be ready in time, but if he's no ready to be the #1a (to RB's #1) player on the team, we're not currently good enough in other places to beat the top tier with consistency.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Last night I agonized over whether to go out to a bar to watch a late game or risk my computer to malware in order to stream from some dodgy site or just wait until the replay was available online. Temptation got me to look on my phone at the mid-second half score before turning out the lights, and I ended up streaming the radio broadcast on TuneIn and thankfully fell asleep before the comeback fell short. I get the impression that I'm better off not ever watching the game. No, I'm pretty sure I'd hate seeing a lack of passion, smarts, preparation, execution and the 3 things that comprise my signature. Ugh.

This morning, I've awakened and caught up with all of the agonized and agonizing posts. It's very telling to see how many posts have very few comments - not even a sense of connectedness between an unhappy fanbase. Hoping for things to gel .

 

[noeynox]

Hamilton is making some mind numbing decisions out there. Some of his TO's the last few games look sloppy, tired, or just like mental lapses. I wonder if his shots not falling like he is accustomed is affecting other parts of his game. He missed three bunnies last night.

 

[PAHusky]

Does anyone realize that this team is trying to replace the best player in college last year (Napier) and four other key players (Daniels, Kromah, Giffey and Olander) from last season? Besides Boatright, this is an extremely young team who are going to get the best shot from every single team in this conference each night being the defending national champions. I know that this conference lacks the matchups we had in the old Big East, but teams like Temple (solid program) and Tulsa (who made the tourney last year) can play.

This is part of the growing pains of replacing players from national championship teams, and if you think its just us, please look at teams like Florida, Michigan State and Syracuse who are in the same position as us right now trying to replace upperclassmen talent.

I think most of us understand your point, and I'll excuse losses to teams like Duke, Texas, and even the last second lapse against Yale, but this was on a whole other level of terrible. The entire team looked like they would rather have been anywhere else last night. For as much as we complain about our conference on this board, we're not doing a whole lot this season to prove that we're better than any of these teams. KO gets somewhat of a pass because of what happened last year, but this team comes out flat almost every game and goes through huge stretches of pathetic play, and a decent amount of blame falls to him for that.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

The most frustrating was those two offensive rebounds at the end. I understand the help D down low opens up that possibility but once the shot went up, Brimah and Facey just turned around and watched it, while the Tulsa players crashed the boards. The only hope for a rebound they had was if it fell right into their hands. I just truly don't understand how our big men can be so lazy rebounding so consistently.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I think most of us understand your point, and I'll excuse losses to teams like Duke, Texas, and even the last second lapse against Yale, but this was on a whole other level of terrible. The entire team looked like they would rather have been anywhere else last night. For as much as we complain about our conference on this board, we're not doing a whole lot this season to prove that we're better than any of these teams. KO gets somewhat of a pass because of what happened last year, but this team comes out flat almost every game and goes through huge stretches of pathetic play, and a decent amount of blame falls to him for that.

Though, in their defense, who wouldn't want to be anywhere other than Tulsa, Oklahoma?

 

[CTBasketball]

I remember Jim Calhoun sometimes would die down and shut up on the sidelines to teach the team a lesson. But that usually happened in Nov/Dec.

Not sure if Ollie knows, but the games count...

 

[upstater]

3 points:

1. Boat's 2 missed free throws at the end that barely tipped the front of the rim shows that he is wearing down. They are tired.

2. Calhoun used to sit on his butt early in the conference season when he thought his players weren't listening. Sink or swim. He was on his legs by February.

3. As wrong as it was for Ollie not to direct them to foul in the last minute, his strategy actually worked. GRAB a defensive rebound. Was it the wrong strategy? YES. Did it work? Well, yes, and no. His strategy yielded the desired result: a missed FG. But the result was squandered by lazy play.

Anyone who says two misses aren't better than having the other team at the free throw line is out of their mind.

I'm not going to blame the last minute on Ollie's fouling decisions, because that would be taking attention away from the real culprit: lack of desire to rebound the miss.

 

[upstater]

I remember Jim Calhoun sometimes would die down and shut up on the sidelines to teach the team a lesson. But that usually happened in Nov/Dec.

Not sure if Ollie knows, but the games count...

Also in January.

UConn teams usually come around in February.

 

[PAHusky]

Also in January.

UConn teams usually come around in February.

The problem is, when you don't win big OOC games and your conference isn't great you can't sit and wait for the team to come around, or your season boils down to "AAC tourney win or bust"

 

[upstater]

The problem is, when you don't win big OOC games and your conference isn't great you can't sit and wait for the team to come around, or your season boils down to "AAC tourney win or bust"

I never expected them to come out with 2 wins this road swing. Tulsa wasn't as good a team as I expected, and UConn should definitely have won, but they are undefeated with 4 wins in the league, and they beat temple away. It's still early but I think the conference regular season champ also gets a bid, as long as they aren't 10-6 (I do't even know how many games we play).

The thing that concerns me is all the travel. It's a real killer for these kids, and you could see it last night. I don't know how West Virginia does it.

 

[Bonehead]

I'm not going to make excuses for ko, but it must be tough to game plan when your dealing with personal issues.

then take a leave of absence and get your head straight as opposed to letting affect the team - if you feel it is tough to game plan with his pending divorce going on.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Also in January.

UConn teams usually come around in February.

What a bunch of crap. I've been watching UConn for a long time, and when Calhoun was coaching, they won games all year long. This idea that we've always been some sort of shadow team that only shows up for the NCAA tournament is absolute nonsense, and it's completely downplaying how good this team used to be.

 

[CTBasketball]

then take a leave of absence and get your head straight as opposed to letting affect the team - if you fell it is tough to game plan with his pending divorce going on.

Yep. Shouldn't let your personal life affect your duties at work. It can be a bit harsh, but that's reality. And if you can't deal with it, take a leave of absence.

 

[aceboon]

Lol, they lose a game on the road to a tournament team from last year that returned all their players and now KO needs to take a leave of absence to get his life together. The comedy on this board after a loss is something else.

 

[CTBasketball]

Lol, they lose a game on the road to a tournament team from last year that returned all their players and now KO needs to take a leave of absence to get his life together. The comedy on this board after a loss is something else.

I'm not saying he should. If he admits that it does affect his job, then he should.

 

[upstater]

What a bunch of crap. I've been watching UConn for a long time, and when Calhoun was coaching, they won games all year long. This idea that we've always been some sort of shadow team that only shows up for the NCAA tournament is absolute nonsense, and it's completely downplaying how good this team used to be.

How can you be so hyperbolic this early in the morning.

Has anyone written on this board that UConn was a loser team in the past?

And how long have you been a UConn fan?

You honestly were unaware that Calhoun's teams peaked in February and carried it through? Really?

AND, furthermore, CBasketball is right about Calhoun sitting on the bench and not saying much in a fit of pique. HE DID DO THAT.

 

[upstater]

then take a leave of absence and get your head straight as opposed to letting affect the team - if you feel it is tough to game plan with his pending divorce going on.

Someone posted last week that the divorce papers were filed 9 months ago.

 

[aceboon]

I'm not saying he should. If he admits that it does affect his job, then he should.

I just find it funny that there are people saying he lacks fire on the sidelines and its his divorce affecting him, when the same "he's too reserved, he's not like Calhoun and confrontational" garbage was posted the last 2 seasons on here. Some true weirdos on this board.

 

[CTBasketball]

I just find it funny that there are people saying he lacks fire on the sidelines and its his divorce affecting him, when the same "he's too reserved, he's not like Calhoun and confrontational" garbage was posted the last 2 seasons on here. Some true weirdos on this board.

Different coaching styles. Although I wished he rode the refs a tad more.

 

[Bonehead]

Lol, they lose a game on the road to a tournament team from last year that returned all their players and now KO needs to take a leave of absence to get his life together. The comedy on this board after a loss is something else.

I am NOT saying that - my reply was to a poster who said it must be hard to game plan when going thru a divorce - if it is step aside...I would assume its not.

 

[Bonehead]

Someone posted last week that the divorce papers were filed 9 months ago.

I am NOT saying that - my reply was to a poster who said it must be hard to game plan when going thru a divorce - if it is step aside...I would assume its not.

 

[Allis]

then take a leave of absence and get your head straight as opposed to letting affect the team - if you feel it is tough to game plan with his pending divorce going on.

I was kind of thinking the same thing. Divorce is a traumatic experience and can take a while to get over.

With that said, I think what we may be seeing is that UConn's championship win last year was more the fruit of Calhoun's work than Ollie's. Those were Calhoun's players. Not to mention that Calhoun was probably still around in the background helping out.
If that's the case, hopefully Calhoun comes back and helps out again?