North Florida Ospreys

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

This team is 3-9 and is coming off a 14 point loss to Texas Rio Grande, but they have played a really good schedule, absorbing losses to Auburn, LSU, Florida, Syracuse, and Arkansas. The only win they have that even looks decent is at North Dakota by 1. They only lost to Syracuse by 6 and outrebounded Syracuse, so this could be a competitive game.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

The Ospreys have only one player averaging in double figures, their leading scorer Dallas Moore, a 6'1" guard who is averaging 23.2 ppg. Moore has great shooting stats- over 45% from 3 point range, making over 3 a game, 50% FGs and almost 90% on FTs. 40/50/90 guys are very rare but this guy could be a poor man's Steph Curry. Hopefully someone covers him and does not give him too many open looks.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Wow UConn has really looked good so far. They are involving Brimah on offense and he is disruptive on D. Vitale hustling and playing good D and sticking 3s. Adams looking like a point guard out there. Facey looks very improved. I like what I see. Even Enoch has been somewhat effective albeit against a weak team. Granted NFU isn't a great team but nor were Wagner and Northeastern. I see progress. These kids are playing better and it gives me hope that maybe this season isn't lost. Don't give up on these kids yet.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

A little bit of a weak finish to the half by UConn. The score doesn't indicate how well they played

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

It might be Enoch's best half of the year, Not saying much since he has yet to have any good half this year, so it's progress. He could have had 10 points if they made some better entry passes to him. Not sure what's up with VJ firing passes at his ankles. VJ has to pick up his passing and shooting game.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

UConn shot 61% 1st half and outrebounded NFU, but allowed NFU to make 8-17 3 pointers. Not acceptable and they have to clean that up, but the board work and shooting and interior D have been good by UConn. NFU can't score inside and there is no reason to allow 8-17 on 3s.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

I love this kid Christian Vitale. Some of you guys were down on him after a couple bad shooting games. He's the same tough kid that made 2 FTs to beat Syracuse. UConn won with tough kids like this in the past, do the names John Gwynn, Lyman DePriest,and even Kevin Ollie the player ring a bell? This kid just scrapes and scrapes and make plays. He is tough on D and makes some 3s and that is all I want out of my backup guards.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Vitale and Facey are the two best players on the floor for UConn this game although Brimah was a big factor before getting into foul trouble

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

UConn now pulling away. The team has played very well today and is showing signs of adaptation to this new style they must play, which is long spurts of zone D to conserve fouls, Adams being a point guard, selective transition offense, looking for Brimah dunks or Facey tear drops on offense against zone defenses. They can play the way they have been playing and win if they continue playing good D and tighten up on the perimeter. I really do believe this.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Facey is your player of the game with 20 points and 9 boards UConn had 40 points in the paint

 

[andersonfro]

Gwynn is such an odd character from uconn history, I haven't looked up the stats but he averaged an absurd point to minute rate. I was a young man when he played so I don't remember the circumstances for his limited burn.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Gwynn was a small (5'10") explosive scorer off the bench. At the time he was called "Mini Microwave" in contrast to the "Microwave", Vinny Johnson of the Detroit Pistons. Gwynn was a very good mid to 3 range jumpshooter who was tough as nails.

 

[andersonfro]

I remember all of that & how the announcement every time he entered the game "instant offense", what I don't remember is what team dynamic led him to 12-15 mpg and I seriously want to say he averaged a point a minute.

 

[andersonfro]

Could you imagine a guy like that sticking it out with one team when he's getting yanked for Tate George? Never happen in today's game

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Well John Gwynn was 5'10" and pretty much an offensive player whereas Tate George was a big 6'5" point guard who could defend. I seem to recall Tate George shutting down Jay Burson in the NIT Championship in 1988. Tate was a good player for UConn partly due to his size at his position.

 

[USNA90]

I'm not sure how much to take away from a game against North Florida, but I really like the way UConn's offense has looked against the zone recently. They've had some missteps, but at least they have found a way to score - especially with Facey being able to turn and knock down that 12 - 14 foot jumper. That's something that has been sorely missing against zone defenses for the past several years making UConn almost unwatchable on offense against a zone.

 

[tcf_15]

Postgame interviews posted over on the Fieldhouse: https://connecticut.forums.rivals.c...entan-facey-christian-vital-jalen-adams.5873/

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

I remember all of that & how the announcement every time he entered the game "instant offense", what I don't remember is what team dynamic led him to 12-15 mpg and I seriously want to say he averaged a point a minute.

That team had Chris Smith and Tate George as the starting guards and those guys were better defenders than Gwynn and in fact UConn forced an absurd amount of TOs between those guys, Scott Burrell and Nadav Henefeld because they were a smallish team with athleticism. But they needed a guy off the bench to score. I think one huge factor was that the opposing teams were worn down by the pressing on defense and then when Gwynn came in they could not handle the aggressiveness with which he played. Gwynn played with extreme confidence and extreme aggression and was never afraid to hoist any time against anyone but he got good shots. And finally he used his legs and was an extraordinary rhythym mid range jumpshooter.

The mid range jumpshot and pull up jumpshot are shots not everyone is as good or as talented at. Take Sue Bird. She was the best ever pull up jumpshooter in the women's game, smooth as silk. When I saw Kia Nurse her freshman year I thought she could be the 6'0" ultra athletic version of Bird. However Kia, though a great defender and an extremely aggresive and effective driver, can't hit basic pull ups and mid range jumpers. It's missing from her game. She is solid from the 3 lines but against zone defenses she doesn't pull up and take a mid range shot and on the break her pull up jumpers are a disaster. Not sure why. If she could make those shots she would be first team All American.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

I'm not sure how much to take away from a game against North Florida, but I really like the way UConn's offense has looked against the zone recently. They've had some missteps, but at least they have found a way to score - especially with Facey being able to turn and knock down that 12 - 14 foot jumper. That's something that has been sorely missing against zone defenses for the past several years making UConn almost unwatchable on offense against a zone.

I agree and the play of Facey was so good that it might persuade teams to not play as much zone. In addition to Facey's assorted floaters and teardrops, Jalen threw Brimah a few lobs and that would have cotinued if Brimah did not get into foul trouble. But I noticed Enoch had 7 points and 7 boards which, while not exactly eye popping is the best stat line of the year for him and he should really be able to do that regularly.. And the other thing about the zone offense is the guys looked comfortable and looked like they knew how to attack it. It was a very good overall game by UConn.