For those who weren't at the Sunday game
- Thread starter the Blades
- Start date
Just remember that these are just the highlights not the lowlights. I was there and saw some lowlights. There were some bad TOs by Gilbert because he was playing way too fast like Kemba when he was a freshman and he was telegraphing some passes as though he were still in high school. However I expected these things and also noticed he can get into the lane whenever he wants to. And he pushes it up really well. However his shooting wasn't good either and he hoisted some bricks when he was wide open and squared up. We need the guards to knock down 3s, if they can't this team isn't going anywhere in the postseason.
I was at the game as well. The defense wasn't at UCONN standards, however I was impressed with the court presence of Jackson, the agressiveness of Facey and the speed and skill of Larrier. It will take a while for Durham to develop which is not unexpected given the injuries, his youth and not playing for two years.
Our guards were OK they didn't play great but I think there is more skill and offensive capability on this team then we have had in a long time. In addition with Enoch and Durham there is some significant upside potential before the season is over.
I think it could be a fun team to watch but they do need to get ready early and be prepared to play at a high level in Hawaii.
Our guards were OK they didn't play great but I think there is more skill and offensive capability on this team then we have had in a long time. In addition with Enoch and Durham there is some significant upside potential before the season is over.
I think it could be a fun team to watch but they do need to get ready early and be prepared to play at a high level in Hawaii.
The 3 best players for UConn against UNH, without a doubt, were Jackson, Larrier and Facey. I was also very impressed with Jackson and Larrier. I was also impressed with some serious rebounds and post moves by Enoch, but from the defensive standpoint he took himself out with two quick fouls. Durham didn't play much but he had a nice twisting drive and also made a 3.
Brimah and Purvis were more or less no shows and Adams and Gilbert need to shoot better and make better decisions. But we know that all of these 4 players are better than what they showed and will all be contributors.
It greatly disappointed me that a division II team playing a 5 guard offense couldn't be crushed on the boards and forced UConn to abandon their bigs in favor of a smaller lineup second half. Teams should not be dictating UConn's matchups, UConn should be punishing teams that try and play such blatant small ball.
All of the above being said I agree with TrUConn on the bottom line: there is more offensive talent on this team than there has been in a while and if they can rebound and defend better, they have a very high ceiling.
I will be at the game Saturday and hope to see better perimeter D and better work on the boards and hope the bigs can stay on the floor. Especially Enoch, he is a potential beast if he cleans up these constant unnecessary cheap fouls.
Brimah and Purvis were more or less no shows and Adams and Gilbert need to shoot better and make better decisions. But we know that all of these 4 players are better than what they showed and will all be contributors.
It greatly disappointed me that a division II team playing a 5 guard offense couldn't be crushed on the boards and forced UConn to abandon their bigs in favor of a smaller lineup second half. Teams should not be dictating UConn's matchups, UConn should be punishing teams that try and play such blatant small ball.
All of the above being said I agree with TrUConn on the bottom line: there is more offensive talent on this team than there has been in a while and if they can rebound and defend better, they have a very high ceiling.
I will be at the game Saturday and hope to see better perimeter D and better work on the boards and hope the bigs can stay on the floor. Especially Enoch, he is a potential beast if he cleans up these constant unnecessary cheap fouls.
I don't want to harp on something I mention every year, but unfortunately UConn doesn't have the luxury of taking time to jell. They don't have time to learn how to rebound. While that may be unfair, it's the world UConn lives in these days. With the AAC being what it is, conference play offers few opportunities for "good wins", but many chances for bad losses. UConn needs to get their resume-building wins in November and December. It may not be reasonable to expect UConn to come out of the gate firing on all cylinders, but unfortunately it's necessary.
Very true, although I think this team will play it's best ball late in the year. The November/December wins are going to be needed for better seeding, they will not be needed to get into the NCAA tourney.
I see UConn and Cincy running away from the rest of the AAC teams this year, it could be 15 win seasons or more. In fact I predict 15 wins will be needed to win the AAC as between UConn and Cincy.
Thank you for posting the video. Larrier looks a lot more raw than I was thinking he would. Much taller looking out there than I was thinking.
this team looks long and lanky and raw-- hope they can mature quickly.
this team looks long and lanky and raw-- hope they can mature quickly.
The new uni's make it look even more so.....Anybody else notice that it looks like long baggy pants are out of style ? and shorter and tighter are in ? Not oldschool short like the early 80's.... but I even had some fans sitting next to me say it looks like players lost weight, I guess the new uni's can do that...for comparison look at these long baggy knee coverer's:
I think the new uniforms show the player's bodies and definition a little better. It's good for fans because it lets them know exactly what kind of shape their players are in. For example Kailie McClaren of the women's team of a few years back would not have looked good in these newer uniforms and they called her Big Mama in the older ones. Right off the top of my head I cannot think of anyone on the men's team who had conditioning issues except the kid from Germany of a few years ago, Tolksdorf, looked like he wasn't in the best shape his freshman year.
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I am liking the depth of this team. We have a lot of new pieces in the mix but there is defiantly more depth this year than we have had in the past few years. I think Vance Jackson will honestly be the X factor for us with his three-point shooting and spacing the floor to get others open as well. Gilbert will develop overtime as a backup to Adams and can be that spark off the bench that we desperately need. It is obviously way too early to tell but I think we have a solid squad and can make some noise this year. AAC is not the cream of the crop conference but there are some decent teams that can help build our resume (Cincinnati, SMU, Temple). The biggest test will be the Maui Invitational Tournament and the big one against Syracuse at Madison Square Garden. Let's hope for the best! GO HUSKIES!
