Memphis

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

They are 10-4, with home losses to Providence (by 9) Monmouth (by 3) and SMU (by 4), and also lost at Ole Miss by 8. Their good wins are at Oklahoma by 5 in OT, an 8 point win over Iowa and a 16 point beatdown laid on South Carolina at home. Most of the other wins they had are fluff.

They have 4 double digit scorers and 2 of the top 3 are Lawsons- Dedric leads the team with 20.6 ppg and a manly 11.1 rebounds per game, while his brother K.J. is 3rd with 13.4 ppg.

This team seems to be doing most of its scoring inside. Their 3 point FG% is actually worse than UConn's - a miserable, donkey ball-sucking 30.3%, so it looks like a zone defense may be in order against this team, especially given the propensity of the UConn bigs to rack up fouls at a stunning rate.

 

[jhc08002]

The terrible 3-pt percentage sounds great considering how well UConn has played that 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone except for the fact that the bigs can really not afford to get into foul trouble since that's how they'll be able to stop Memphis.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

I think we will see a lot of zone Thursday night unless Memphis shows it can beat it...........it seems to make sense based on who they are and based on who UConn is as a team right now. It's kind of embarrassing with all the zone UConn is playing now and even Calipari took a veiled shot at UConn with Diallo, telling him he didn't have to come to UK if he wanted to play zone defense all the time, but with the short bench and the foul propensity of the bigs it may make sense to mostly play zone D. I think Dedric Lawson's damage inside needs to be limited and UConn doesnt really have anyone besides Facey who can check him and he may be a load for Facey. We need Facey on the floor against any zone UConn sees during the game, although I think Tubby will press UConn. Try and induce TOs and bad decisions and shots as Tulsa did.

 

[jhc08002]

Facey on Dedric and Brimah coming over for help -- if they can stay disciplined it can really limit Memphis' ability to score. It worked last game and that same strategy worked wonders against Kentucky in the Final 3 years ago with Nolan and Brimah.

 

[the Blades]

but with the short bench and the foul propensity of the bigs it may make sense to mostly play zone D..... We need Facey on the floor against any zone UConn sees during the game..... Try and induce TOs and bad decisions and shots as Tulsa did.

+1....Uconn keeping the TO's low---- BB IQ and shooting pct% high would be a good start... (Facey/ Brimah/ Enoch if they learn to pass out of the double/triple teams down low b4 they get stripped could help that TO number too)

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

I was shocked at the TOs Enoch had in little PT but remembered he had an 11 TO game playing for the Armenian national team over the summer and at time I said "wow!" I never saw a big man who had 11 TOs in a game because they don't handle the ball enough or possess it enough to allow as many TOs as that. And I didn't see the game to know how they were happening. I have seen guards with 10 TO plus games but big men should never have more than like 3, if they are then they are not doing something right.

 

[the Blades]

True KSTW, you can't have bigs turning the ball over as little as they handle and expect to win, the 3 above came close to double TO's vs. Tulsa ( 8 TO's total... 3,2,3).... Facey had those 2 career games a few weeks back and looked good facing the hoop in the middle of the zone at the FT line. But if your bigs get double TO's then you add Purvis's mandatory 4-5 WTF plays a game it's almost impossible to win. Hopefully KO can get the boys to clean this up. Uconn opened as a 7 point underdog and now they're down to +6 so some Vegas money has faith in the Husky's to make it closer and are laying the points.. ODDS.....Connecticut

Also here's a little from KO giving props to Tubby, he doesn't sound to happy, it's almost like he's talking about how he wants his team to play but they haven't:

 

[the Blades]

Preview from the Uconn site : Huskies and Tigers Battle in First Game of 2017

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

I have always liked Tubby Smith as a coach, even when he took flack at Kentucky for playing his son who wasn't a very good player.

Tubby's shining moment as college basketball coach came in the 1998 NCAA Elite 8 game when he coached Kentucky against Duke. Kentucky was down by 20 points with around 10 minutes to go when Tubby ordered a full court press on Duke and its point guard, Steve Wojiehowski, who is now the coach at Marquette. I always felt Wojo, though heady, was a poor athlete and overrated. Kentucky proceeded to badly expose Wojo, who had a succession of bad TOs. Unfortunately for Duke he was really their only ball handler. They lost their 20 point lead and then the game to Kentucky which went on to win the title that year. I thought Tubby did a brilliant job with that team and he has been a winner every other place he has been.

I mention this because UConn is also a little short on ballhandlers right now. The Gilbert injury has hurt the team very substantially. So we could see the old Tubby press once again.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

By the way KO shouldn't be happy about how the team has played. Although you can't complain about the defense the offense has been an absolute horror to watch all year.

 

[andersonfro]

All about the to and rushed shots...purv!

 

[12rtackerman12]

Lol Purvis might be the worst ball handler in D1 basketball.

 

[andersonfro]

Not to mention d2

 

[andersonfro]

gotta go to a hs Jv game to see these kind of turnovers

 

[andersonfro]

So the Lawson family is genetically superior to every other living thing apparently

 

[12rtackerman12]

Idk how much more of this I can watch.

 

[Ozzie3178]

Experience experience experience for these young guys is what this season all about!

 

[12rtackerman12]

JA is playing too many minutes.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

The problem Purvis has is that when his shot isn't falling and he is forced to drive, if it's any kind of a drive which calls for tight handling he is in trouble. The ball is perpetually buttered for Rodney, other teams know it, and he gets a lot of his dribble drives slapped away becoming TOs and transition opportunities for the opponent.

Purvis is okay if has a clear path to the hole but if you throw any impediment in his path and he has to dribble creatively it is gonna be a certified disaster. So if you are a defender properly coached just get in front of him and block his lane off, make him dribble in other than a straight line.

 

[andersonfro]

Experience experience experience for these young guys is what this season all about!

I'm convinced that the obstacles they face with the offense will be gone next year, between Jackson's confidence, Jalen's decision making, Steve's experience playing the block against this level, Juwan's physical development, the addition of 2 legit ball handlers among other things. I'm absolutely enjoying watching the growth of these guys, buuuut...I'm going to be frustrated lol

 

[andersonfro]

JA is playing too many minutes.

The kid is gassed 30 minutes in

 

[the Blades]

Same sh#t different day : Full Box Score

Very generous team these Huskies.... 15 TO's to 4 for Memphis....tough to overcome even with the big rebounding margin. Now I know what it's like being an opposing fan
watching my team vs. Geno. But gotta give Tubby credit. Memphis looks alot better running their offense with a guy who knows what he's doing, think they miss Pastner ? Don't remember Crawford being that type of scorer.....Also good to see Vance hit some shots ( 14 points), kids looks like he's got a game just needs some confidence..

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

15 boards by Brimah....yes UConn had a nice rebounding game but when you shoot 37% again, 20% on 3s plus cough up the TOs to a team that is great in transition, it's not a winnable game. UConn just is not a good ballhandling team. The team takes its ballhandling cues from Purvis.

I saw Adams yelling at Purvis during the first timeout, he was really going after him verbally. It seems like Jalen from his body language is a very fiery competitive dude, but I think the 40 minute games and losing basketball are eating him up. He has to let KO chew out Rodney when Rodney needs to have his butt chewed out, which unfortunately is way too often.........Jalen has to shut up and let the coaches do the talking in time outs. I realize it is painful to watch that kind of play by your teammates, but let the coaches deal with it..........

 

[Ozzie3178]

Turnovers are gonna make me go fully bald with the little hair I have left on my head!!

I can't take unforced dumb turnovers!! Others are somewhat understandable. But these unforced inexplicable turnovers. Smh

Obviously some of this is attributed to a lack of a full practices and scrimmages due to injuries but still for those out there...... stop point shaving!! Lolol

 

[CaNOLEE]

If only Purvis could talk or even work with someone to help him improve. Crazy idea, what if the NCAA allowed 3-4 older experienced guys to hang around the program and mentor these kids? Maybe even pay them?

nah, that's too crazy.

 

[andersonfro]

Anyone who wants to maintain Amida and Kentan haven't developed can eat it. They did all they could to get a w tonight

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Purvis just is not an instinctive player with a feel for the game. He has a weak handle but it's more than that- he does not read and react well. Part of doing well in sports is reading and reacting to what you are seeing, and that process is difficult for Rodney. He is not safe with the ball.

Unfortunately, due to the injuries he has to handle the ball some. If Gilbert were healthy he and Adams would be doing almost all of the handling, but now Rodney has to help out the ragged Adams, who is being taxed with trying to organize the team on offense, provide scoring punch, play 40 minutes and defend the perimeter, and watch his teammates throw the ball away, and it's an awful lot to ask of him to do all those things.

 

[dbaum_]

When things do not go right with this team, they just let it get to them. They are just playing too frantic and playing not to lose instead of playing to win. It is very hard to watch this team constantly struggle to get into a rhythm. There have been stretches where they have defended and shown effort but other times where they get so down on themselves they give up. This is the team we are going to see for the rest of the season and I do not see it turning around anytime soon. It's too much for Adams to try to carry the team and everyone just has to learn how to play hard and learn from their mistakes. Kentan Facey has been the bright spot of this season as he has improved drastically in years past but it seems like it is going unnoticed given how the season has gone. We just need to keep fighting and not get down ourselves. It is a learning process and something we as UConn fans are not accustomed to, but they have to learn to handle adversity and continue to develop.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Recap and quotes from KO

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400916570

"We're 5-9 (overall, 0-3 American Athletic Conference) and our feelings aren't good right now," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said.

Ollie noted that UConn's three starting guards connecting on only 8 of 38 shots from the field. That included missing 14 of 16 shots outside the arc. "We've got to get some scoring from the outside to open up the inside, so (opponents are) not just double-teaming," Ollie said. "We can't shoot the way we've been shooting and try to stay in games. It puts too much pressure on our defense."

"It's our Achilles heel -- shooting from the outside and 15 turnovers," Ollie said.

"Markel Crawford did whatever he wanted to do," Ollie said. "He felt no pressure from our guards. We have to do a better job. We can't feel sorry for ourselves."

 

[the Blades]

KO's remarks from Memphis: Hartford Courant- Overmatched UConn Falls To Memphis, 70-61

.....beside the TO's he talks about the guards, his offense & shooting %....will this team ever get a consistent effort from everyone and put a game together ? "The Huskies lost their fourth in a row, their longest losing streak since Ollie has been head coach. They are 5-9, and have lost their first three conference games for the first time since 1984. "0-and-3, this is not where I wanted to be at, 5-9, this is not where I wanted to be at," Ollie said. "There's no quit in me and hopefully there's no quit in these guys. We've got to have enough in this locker room to win games." It didn't look that way against Memphis, a team UConn defeated three times last season, including a 20-point win on this floor. The Tigers are playing more solid under veteran coach Tubby Smith, shot 47.5 percent and turned the ball over just four times."

"We can't shoot 8-for-38," Ollie said after UConn's 70-61 loss to Memphis at the FedEx Forum. "Our three guards can't do that. We can't do that. We just don't have the margin of [error] to do it. We just don't. So we've just got to get better. As coaches, we've got to get them in better positions, and as players, they've got to step up and make shots." Ollie, after spending close to 30 minutes with his team, cited that stat over and over again, almost as if in disbelief — 8-for-38. Rodney Purvis (5-for-19), Jalen Adams (3-for-14) and Christian Vital (0-for-5), the only guards the Huskies have, combined for that abysmal figure. UConn went 4-for-20 on three-pointers."

 

[the Blades]

...funny KSTW, both reading KO's thoughts and this version...of Uconn.... the "Overmatched Huskies" at the same time...got to turn this around somehow there's alot of games left...as the Courant added: "In the meantime, the Huskies face two months of conference games, going from city to city where teams that have rarely beaten UConn look forward to getting a crack at this team."

 

[CaNOLEE]

At some point I'd love to read, "we have to do a better job coaching/developing them".

I know when I buy a steak burrito and it tastes like garbage, I get mad at the cow, lettuce, cheese and the sour cream, not the chef/restaurant.

 

[andersonfro]

That's a ridiculous analogy because it completely excuses Calhoun for taking a shit on the grill

 

[12rtackerman12]

At this point we should be starting JA, Vital, Jackson, Facey and Brimah. Purvis should only come off the bench to give JA a breather as he is being way overused for a 5-9 team.

 

[the Blades]

At this point we should be starting JA, Vital, Jackson, Facey and Brimah. Purvis should only come off the bench to give JA a breather as he is being way overused for a 5-9 team.

+1.......
I got a feeling that Purvis's shooting % ( 32%/ 28% on 3's.. lowest on the team as he leads them in FGA's) and non stop WTF plays that he still makes after 5 years in college will become an addition by subtraction next year. ( kinda like post Dyson with Kemba in the lead) Give those 2 kids a little more of his PT.... what's it gonna cost KO another loss ? Time for KO to turn in the keys to that broken down Ferrari that he's having trouble keeping on the road.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Had Gilbert not been hurt Rodney would be coming off the bench already. But based on his poor shooting and TOs every game I agree that Vital and Jackson should start from here on. Vital also has been turning the ball over but I think he will be a solid player and decision maker with time. Vance just needs experience and confidence and now is the time for him to get both. Ollie needs to make changes and unfortunately Purvis has just not played well and he needs to sit. That is the bottom line.

Upcoming is home games vs. UCF Sunday and Temple Wednesday, then to Georgetown Saturday. Gotta win 2 of 3.

 

[CaNOLEE]

anderson, these kids have to be developed/nurtured. Ollie points the finger and throws his kids under the bus in press conferences. If the coach doesn't take individual responsibility, how does he expect his players too?

And I get that he didn't inherit an optimal situation, but Calhoun's turd won a championship in year two under the guidance of Ollie and a great player/leader in Nape. And how have we capitalized on that success since?

 

[andersonfro]

That championship team was too old to have been effected by the sanctions. And let's not forget the year before that championship Bazz was immature and unfit to run a lemonade stand.

According to the quotes KO has taken responsibility but seriously man what do you want him to do aside from get these guys open looks, get out there and take Purv's layups for him? They get looks all game long and can't throw the ball in the ocean. Combination of inexperience & limited abilities.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

According to the quotes KO has taken responsibility but seriously man what do you want him to do aside from get these guys open looks, get out there and take Purv's layups for him? They get looks all game long and can't throw the ball in the ocean. Combination of inexperience & limited abilities.

I agree with this. It's easy to point fingers at coaches when things are not going well but there have been games when the real problem was missed open shots which is different than repeated bad shots. Last night a few times Purvis put up quick shots that led to easy transition baskets the other way. Did KO tell Rodney to put up those shots? Did Purvis think he heard someone sounding like KO yelling "shoot it" who was really behind the bench in the stands? Other times guys were wide open and flat missed. It's bad basketball which is mostly being caused by inexperienced players thrust into different roles due to injuries, limited shooting abilities, limited balhhandling personnel and less than optimal decision making by veteran players who should know better which also includes Brimah with his repeated foul issues every single game.

 

[CaNOLEE]

I had a buddy on the Kemba national championship team as a walk on, Peter Cochrane from Newtown. He was on the team the following year as well and he told me that in the gym that offseason, Nape and Lamb had a little power struggle as to who was going to be the goto guy. So for that, Ollie gets credit but at the same time, in '13 we needed Nape to take the majority of the shots/big shots. More credit goes to Boatright for deferring and playing amazing defense at the end of the year.

As for Ollie, a confident coach would say, "we have to coach them better, put them in better positions to succeed, help them play to their strengths and mask some of their weaknesses". Not just, "we need to make shots". That's obvious. But how do you go about doing that? You can't just say 'Rodney go make 8-15 instead of 5-15'. How do you equip Rodney with skillset to do that? That has to happen every minute of every day in practice. He's been here 4 years and he's going backward. That alarms me. I love what I see out of Facey right now, but the good stories are few and far between. No one is going to snap their fingers and make it better. It takes a lot of work and a lot of thought.

Maybe it came too easy, too fast?