Yes exhibition... but still

[CardiacAndre7]

One thing on Kwintin — According to his Instagram story he is back in the gym on campus right now (close to midnight) putting in work. Could tell he was frustrated by the game tonight but instead of sulking like a lot of guys would do, he took it as an opportunity to get better. The raw skills are clearly there so the fact that he seemingly has the work ethic to go along with that athleticism is a step in the right direction.

I literally saw him play for like 1 minute in the first half. Don't know how much he played in the second cuz I turned it off somewhat early, but why would KO not give him a little more run. Seems like a front court by committee right now, give em all a shot.

 

[HuskyFich]

The Cleveland Browns went 4-0 in the preseason

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

I was at the game, and I really don't think it was as bad as people are making it out to be.
Frustrating to watch, for sure, and reminiscent of last season. But let's remember some important things.

This UConn team was thrown together, with what, 4 returning players who played on the team last season? A team that had a losing record, nonetheless. Providence is an established team, with all five returning starters from a very good Big East team that went to the NCAA tournament.

The two most concerning things, to me, were shot making and defensive rotations.
We have to make wide open shots. Ollie needs to determine who the best 3pt shooters are, and where their spots are. It is inexcusable to start a game shooting 1-10 or whatever it was from 3.

Defensively, I didn't think effort was necessarily the problem (especially in an exhibition game), but rather player's lack of communication and knowing where to be and when to help. PC were allowed waaaaay too many wide open 3s. (PC also shot the lights out tonight). Some of the freshmen/big guys were way too slow on their feet, and used their hands too much rather than defending straight up with their chest. And please stop falling for every pump fake and leaving your feet on every shot. The amount of fouls called were mind-numbing.

Ollie didn't use a consistent lineup, because he was rotating like 11 guys so they could all get experience in an exhibition game. That did not help against a good PC team. Once the season starts there will be more defined roles.

A huge positive with this team is the shear fact that there is much more muscle and depth down low than the previous couple years. Oh, and Anderson is an excellent on-ball defender.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Larrier didn't play in the second half

 

[hjoerring]

Same coach, different players

And, same YOU!

 

[David 76]

It was not a good showing. If we improve from here, it will be meaningless.
I'm still amazed at the posters who, until two months ago, couldn't stop telling us how much the team and coaches sucked, and are now highly offended that we looked bad. Or, who demanded that we be a top 25 team this year without adding a single player other than Kwinton.

Our shooting was horrible, our defense was confused. But the bright spots for me were Anderson, Polley, Cobb and (still) Vital.

 

[jibsey]

I was at the game, and I really don't think it was as bad as people are making it out to be.
Frustrating to watch, for sure, and reminiscent of last season. But let's remember some important things.

This UConn team was thrown together, with what, 4 returning players who played on the team last season? A team that had a losing record, nonetheless. Providence is an established team, with all five returning starters from a very good Big East team that went to the NCAA tournament.

The two most concerning things, to me, were shot making and defensive rotations.
We have to make wide open shots. Ollie needs to determine who the best 3pt shooters are, and where their spots are. It is inexcusable to start a game shooting 1-10 or whatever it was from 3.

Defensively, I didn't think effort was necessarily the problem (especially in an exhibition game), but rather player's lack of communication and knowing where to be and when to help. PC were allowed waaaaay too many wide open 3s. (PC also shot the lights out tonight). Some of the freshmen/big guys were way too slow on their feet, and used their hands too much rather than defending straight up with their chest. And please stop falling for every pump fake and leaving your feet on every shot. The amount of fouls called were mind-numbing.

Ollie didn't use a consistent lineup, because he was rotating like 11 guys so they could all get experience in an exhibition game. That did not help against a good PC team. Once the season starts there will be more defined roles.

A huge positive with this team is the shear fact that there is much more muscle and depth down low than the previous couple years. Oh, and Anderson is an excellent on-ball defender.

If Larrier is one of our 3 point shooters that’s trouble, not to say he can’t make one but he should stay midrange. Gilbert, Adams, and Vital have to be the ones until someone else shows up. The 3 point shot is kind of necessary in MCBB in case anyone has noticed lately. Jalen and Christian who are going to be gassed by game ends from everything else they do are going to need help in that department. Gilbert made one yesterday so let’s hope that continues.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

... do you really need me to explain what is going to happen if this trend continues?

Nope, you've done your job. Anything more would be tiresome. Spread the word.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I was at the game, and I really don't think it was as bad as people are making it out to be.
Frustrating to watch, for sure, and reminiscent of last season. But let's remember some important things.

This UConn team was thrown together, with what, 4 returning players who played on the team last season? A team that had a losing record, nonetheless. Providence is an established team, with all five returning starters from a very good Big East team that went to the NCAA tournament.

The two most concerning things, to me, were shot making and defensive rotations.
We have to make wide open shots. Ollie needs to determine who the best 3pt shooters are, and where their spots are. It is inexcusable to start a game shooting 1-10 or whatever it was from 3.

Defensively, I didn't think effort was necessarily the problem (especially in an exhibition game), but rather player's lack of communication and knowing where to be and when to help. PC were allowed waaaaay too many wide open 3s. (PC also shot the lights out tonight). Some of the freshmen/big guys were way too slow on their feet, and used their hands too much rather than defending straight up with their chest. And please stop falling for every pump fake and leaving your feet on every shot. The amount of fouls called were mind-numbing.

Ollie didn't use a consistent lineup, because he was rotating like 11 guys so they could all get experience in an exhibition game. That did not help against a good PC team. Once the season starts there will be more defined roles.

A huge positive with this team is the shear fact that there is much more muscle and depth down low than the previous couple years. Oh, and Anderson is an excellent on-ball defender.

Thanks, helpful.

Not a particularly good entertainment product on display, and certainly too small a sample size for me to draw conclusions, but thankful to see names, faces, and bodies in motion.

 

[Wordbomar]

He's going to use it to continue pitching that they are the superior program. And look at what he's already done with the MAL tampering and getting Reeves and Duke.

Although I feel like this game doesn't mean much, other than if anything it just gave us experience against a high level veteran talented team, Cooley will try to use this against us don't make any mistake about it.

 

[Ricker]

Watched on my phone using the Foxgo app so I couldn't see well enough to ref the game, but my takeaways...

Carlton will play a bigger role than I imagined. A lot of big guys start a bit rough fouling etc, but I thought he had good instincts and did okay with the ball in his hands. he seems like an intelligent poised player that will get better and better. He has a frame and attitude to get stronger and stronger as well. I'm pleased with his first action.

Polley made that particularly great move that was impressive, and hit free throws confidently. I couldn't see well enough to watch his defense, but I have great hopes for him.

I don't think Diarra got in until the last few minutes, but I thought that was a mistake. He went after the ball harder than anybody and moved quick and confidently on defense. I think we need what he brings. He can defend the post with quickness when the guards extend defense to the 3 pt line.

Larrier didn't just play poorly, I thought he was the cause of both our falling behind, and our early wipeout in the second half. An earlier poster thought he didn't play in the second half, so maybe my little screen had me not seeing accurately. It seemed like we wanted to offensively 'go to' larrier, or, at least that he believes that. Bad misses without moving the ball more, led to flurries of PC baskets it seemed. I think he should be a player that just takes his good opportunities rather than be a 'go to' player. He seemed physically overmatched.

Whaley didn't do anything special I saw, but I also I did not note negative plays. I had no expectations for him coming in to the season so I am impressed he has found his way into playing time over a kid like Polley, and seemed to have significant playing time.

I thought a particularly awful lineup was 3 guards, Larrier, and Whaley. Anderson is a solid guard and plays hard defensively. I couldn't form an opinion on Cobb. Williams clearly hasn't earned time. Was Onourah available or get in?

Obviously, shooting sucked, but I think there is plenty to work with and there will be much improvement. The biggest issue for this team is that they can't afford early season losses while they get better.

 

[UConnStats]

Watched on my phone using the Foxgo app so I couldn't see well enough to ref the game, but my takeaways...

Carlton will play a bigger role than I imagined. A lot of big guys start a bit rough fouling etc, but I thought he had good instincts and did okay with the ball in his hands. he seems like an intelligent poised player that will get better and better. He has a frame and attitude to get stronger and stronger as well. I'm pleased with his first action.

Polley made that particularly great move that was impressive, and hit free throws confidently. I couldn't see well enough to watch his defense, but I have great hopes for him.

I don't think Diarra got in until the last few minutes, but I thought that was a mistake. He went after the ball harder than anybody and moved quick and confidently on defense. I think we need what he brings. He can defend the post with quickness when the guards extend defense to the 3 pt line.

Larrier didn't just play poorly, I thought he was the cause of both our falling behind, and our early wipeout in the second half. An earlier poster thought he didn't play in the second half, so maybe my little screen had me not seeing accurately. It seemed like we wanted to offensively 'go to' larrier, or, at least that he believes that. Bad misses without moving the ball more, led to flurries of PC baskets it seemed. I think he should be a player that just takes his good opportunities rather than be a 'go to' player. He seemed physically overmatched.

Whaley didn't do anything special I saw, but I also I did not note negative plays. I had no expectations for him coming in to the season so I am impressed he has found his way into playing time over a kid like Polley, and seemed to have significant playing time.

I thought a particularly awful lineup was 3 guards, Larrier, and Whaley. Anderson is a solid guard and plays hard defensively. I couldn't form an opinion on Cobb. Williams clearly hasn't earned time. Was Onourah available or get in?

Obviously, shooting sucked, but I think there is plenty to work with and there will be much improvement. The biggest issue for this team is that they can't afford early season losses while they get better.

Onuorah was out with a hip injury.

Agreed that Larrier lost them this one, but apparently KO was willing to accept that to get him exposure against a good team. He and Gilbert were clearly very rusty, but as long as they don’t lose confidence, this was good experience for them. Hopefully they look sharper in the next two exhibitions.

Agreed that there is plenty to work with and there is a lot of improvement in this team’s future. Wilson gaining eligibility would also be huge.

 

[Waquoit]

This UConn team was thrown together, with what, 4 returning players who played on the team last season?

This is the kind of stuff that bothers me. It reminds me of Anne Donovan, coach of the CT Sun. She runs off a few players and a few others leave because they don't like the situation she created. She then used the excuse of having a team full of new players to explain poor performance.

 

[Bagel&Cheese]

The one thing Calhoun squads always had were shooters to get us out of trouble in the half court set. Today's players are all so concerned about what set to run and they play like robots rather than having a natural feel for the game. We have lost that from our squads the last few years. We can't expect to just turn it on when we need a bucket. It doesn't work that way when we can't shoot the ball...yikes...

 

[nomar]

This is the kind of stuff that bothers me. It reminds me of Anne Donovan, coach of the CT Sun. She runs off a few players and a few others leave because they don't like the situation she created. She then used the excuse of having a team full of new players to explain poor performance.

Is this what KO "does"? The last time this happened KO led the team to 20 wins and then followed that up with a title. Or are you comparing a WNBA coach to a Yarder?

This is a unique situation, admittedly one largely of KO's making. We're coming off the worst season in the post-Perno era and we lost a number of quality players. But regardless of who's to blame, the fact is we need to give the team substantial time to gel, and anyone who was expecting the team to hum right off the bat was living in Disneyland.

 

[superjohn]

Is this what KO "does"? The last time this happened KO led the team to 20 wins and then followed that up with a title. Or are you comparing a WNBA coach to a Yarder?

This is a unique situation, admittedly one largely of KO's making. We're coming off the worst season in the post-Perno era and we lost a number of quality players. But regardless of who's to blame, the fact is we need to give the team substantial time to gel, and anyone who was expecting the team to hum right off the bat was living in Disneyland.

People still don't seem to get it, we don't have time to gel. We look like absolute cr@p again to start this season and miss the tournament again and that's a wrap for Ollie.

 

[dennismenace]

He is coming off an ACL. I can tell you that it will take a while for his knee to be back to normal even if there's no swelling, no pain, and no instability. Typically after an ACL reconstruction players are not themselves again until year 2.

Well, if that's true it looks like he won't be going anywhere next year despite expectations from so many. That would be good for the team and him and help get us back to respectability as his recovery continues.

 

[AntG168]

People still don't seem to get it, we don't have time to gel. We look like absolute cr@p again to start this season and miss the tournament again and that's a wrap for Ollie.

Agree. But we do have time. We have 5 more exhibition games, and plenty of more practice time. This is why teams normally keep these kinds of scrimmages private. We don't normally see our teams against this level of comp this early in the process. Its unfair to judge them off of this game. Give the team and the coaches the necessary time to prepare for the games that count. They haven't had that time yet

Correction: 2 exhibition games

 

[Wordbomar]

Agree. But we do have time. We have 5 more exhibition games, and plenty of more practice time. This is why teams normally keep these kinds of scrimmages private. We don't normally see our teams against this level of comp this early in the process. Its unfair to judge them off of this game. Give the team and the coaches the necessary time to prepare for the games that count. They haven't had that time yet

Two more exhibition games but yes agree with your point

 

[nomar]

People still don't seem to get it, we don't have time to gel. We look like absolute cr@p again to start this season and miss the tournament again and that's a wrap for Ollie.

You don't seem to grasp the full reality of the situation.

We need time to gel. And we do have time to gel. Not a lot of time, but time.

Anyone who thought this team would play well right off the bat should have their head checked. Because that notion was crazy.

I agree that the team needs to have a decent enough record to compete for an NCAA berth, or Ollie's on the chopping block. But if we get there, it's going to be because the team improves over time, not because it's magically great right out of the box.

I really can't tell you how silly I think it is for anybody who's been watching college basketball for longer than 2 months to have thought that this team would be playing well in November.

 

[AntG168]

Two more exhibition games but yes agree with your point

Why did I hear 5 somewhere? 2 sounds more correct anyway

 

[Nostical]

Three of PC's top guys did not even play last night! Our back court is good but our front court is (and seems to be perpetually) weak, young and inexperienced. If they don't improve dramatically it will be a long year and Ollie will be sitting on one of the the hottest seats in BBall. We can't afford to be mediocre. Benedict won't hesitate to make a move. He didn't hire him and Calhoun has moved on.

 

[UConnJim]

On defense last night, it was pretty clear that the guys haven't played together before as guys would get lost with switches and then had to figure out where to be. And, we can't let players get around our perimeter defense as we don't have a shot blocker in the middle. I think the defensive problems can be fixed with time. At the end of the game with the three guards of Gilbert, Adams, and Vital on the floor together, the team played well on both ends of the floor. They got some fast breaks, spread the floor, moved the ball, and scored.

The biggest concern that I had from last night was the play of Larrier. He had a really poor all-around game last night and the team played poorly when he was on the floor. He didn't shoot well, defend well, rebound well, pass well,... He took 15 shots in the first half which tells you a lot about last night's game as the ball pretty much stopped when he got it and he just jacked it up. Maybe the issue is not really playing in live action for 2 years. Maybe he had a bad night. Maybe his knee is not fully recovered. But, maybe he is not as good as we all have hoped.

 

[dennismenace]

Sad to see posters talking about Providence as a team out of UConns league now. So great we shouldn't expect UConn to come close to competing.

Hope UConn schedules more games at Mohegan in future. Fun place to watch a game. Maybe not schedule such college basketball juggernaut to make it a little more enjoyable next time.

Agree as far as the venue. I sat in the second row of the upper section and could see only the court (like being right on top of it) and the one row of folks in front of me. Comfortable chairs and room for people to get by. Place is spotless including men's rooms. Drove right into the "Riverview garage" and never had to even go outdoors. Delighted to find a Pepe's Pizza shop and it was sold during the game by slice as well. I enjoyed watching PC give them a real challenge early in the preseason. I think PC is well coached and their he was really into it. Talked to a PC fan and when I said I thought they were pretty good he said he thinks Rhode Island is better. Overall all of this is good for New England. Helps to thin out the talent going to the P5 and making a way for talented coaches to raise up programs.

 

[GemParty]

Three of PC's top guys did not even play last night! Our back court is good but our front court is (and seems to be perpetually) weak, young and inexperienced. If they don't improve dramatically it will be a long year and Ollie will be sitting on one of the the hottest seats in BBall. We can't afford to be mediocre. Benedict won't hesitate to make a move. He didn't hire him and Calhoun has moved on.

That is if Benedict is still here. Isn't Auburn looking for a new AD?