UConnReport - UConn Basketball opens up as favorites to win 2024 NCAA Tournament
Could UConn Basketball repeat in 2024? They are already ranked a favorite to do so per BetMGM.
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Basketball UConn Basketball opens up as favorites to win 2024 NCAA Tournament
- Thread starter Richie O
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you have to think Hawk is gone. Likely a mid first round pick.
but Sanogo is a second round pick at best and not likely to make a team. So does he come back and expand his perimeter game even more?
I thought Jackson would come back. Newton as well.
starting lineup of
Newton
castle
jackson
karaban
Sanogo/Clingan
with Sanogo and Clingan together more at times.
but Sanogo is a second round pick at best and not likely to make a team. So does he come back and expand his perimeter game even more?
I thought Jackson would come back. Newton as well.
starting lineup of
Newton
castle
jackson
karaban
Sanogo/Clingan
with Sanogo and Clingan together more at times.
UConn #1 in ESPN preseason poll for 2023-24:
www.espn.com
UConn is No. 1 in the 2023-24 men's Way-Too-Early Top 25
The national champions are ESPN's early favorites to pull off in 2024 what hasn't happened since 2007: a back-to-back NCAA title.
Adama Sanogo unsure if he will return to the UConn men's basketball team
Sanogo of UConn dominated the NCAA Tournament and was named most outstanding player at...
UConn is also #1 in the CBS preseason poll, over Purdue and Marquette, which presumes Hawkins will leave and AJ and Sanogo will return:
Based on what I saw in the games I watched, I would put Marquette #2 and Purdue #3. Purdue was a group of total chokehounds vs. FDU. Nobody on the Purdue team was willing to shoot open 3s due to a fear of missing. It was so painful to watch that game. It was like watching a train derail in slow motion.
On another note, one could make the case that UConn should still be #1 even if Sanogo leaves as well as Hawkins. I would endorse a top 5 ranking if all the other rotational guys (except Hawkins, Sanogo, Joey C) return. Marquette and Purdue pretty much return all of their top 7 or 8 guys.
Based on what I saw in the games I watched, I would put Marquette #2 and Purdue #3. Purdue was a group of total chokehounds vs. FDU. Nobody on the Purdue team was willing to shoot open 3s due to a fear of missing. It was so painful to watch that game. It was like watching a train derail in slow motion.
On another note, one could make the case that UConn should still be #1 even if Sanogo leaves as well as Hawkins. I would endorse a top 5 ranking if all the other rotational guys (except Hawkins, Sanogo, Joey C) return. Marquette and Purdue pretty much return all of their top 7 or 8 guys.
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Regarding next season's roster construction: hard to complain about any aspect of the Huskies performance in the NCAA tourney, but a fellow UConn fan complained to me about his anxiety in the San Diego State game with watching Newton and AJ doing the ballhandling. He claimed to have won money predicting steals and TOs on certain plays. As I discussed with him and as Blades has mentioned in these threads, there are advantages in having big guards like Newtown and AJ which are defense, rebounding (Newton had 10 boards vs SDSU) and the ability to post up smaller guards, as Newton did Villanova-style, to Trammell.
However the negative with these 2 is that they are turnover prone and UConn is somewhat lucky that they didn't face a really good pressing defense like the UConn girls did against Ohio State (other than first half against Iona when UConn had a shitload of TOs against an inferior, mid major team that they ultimately blew out because they couldn't handle Sanogo and Clingan).
So is there any plan to have another ball handler or is the plan to just use Diarra in those situations when things get hairy against a good press? Diarra seemed to fall out of the rotation a bit and barely played against SDSU. Also, I don't think Diarra is the greatest ball handler. He isn't Khalid El Amin with the ball on a string.
Does anyone else see the TO issue as a possible weakness next year? In terms of ballhandling against teams that have smaller guards and can apply good pressure on the ball. Hurley was a bit cocky in talking about how the SDSU pressure would "disintegrate" as the game went on, and it mostly did, but can we count on that against teams like Marquette and maybe a rejuvenated St. John's team coached by Ricky P?
However the negative with these 2 is that they are turnover prone and UConn is somewhat lucky that they didn't face a really good pressing defense like the UConn girls did against Ohio State (other than first half against Iona when UConn had a shitload of TOs against an inferior, mid major team that they ultimately blew out because they couldn't handle Sanogo and Clingan).
So is there any plan to have another ball handler or is the plan to just use Diarra in those situations when things get hairy against a good press? Diarra seemed to fall out of the rotation a bit and barely played against SDSU. Also, I don't think Diarra is the greatest ball handler. He isn't Khalid El Amin with the ball on a string.
Does anyone else see the TO issue as a possible weakness next year? In terms of ballhandling against teams that have smaller guards and can apply good pressure on the ball. Hurley was a bit cocky in talking about how the SDSU pressure would "disintegrate" as the game went on, and it mostly did, but can we count on that against teams like Marquette and maybe a rejuvenated St. John's team coached by Ricky P?
Well if you know a fellow Uconn fan who has opinions, tell him to join the free board ( or even buy a membership) and I'll be more than happy to discuss it ( or next year) with him...but that's all I got....for now
He has lots of opinions and is a former baller (played for a State champion basketball team as a defensive guard specialist off the bench whose job was to apply ball pressure to weak ballhandlers and cause steals and TOs), but I think he is more of a casual UConn fan and would never post. He told me he would have made steals off AJ and Newton because of the way they were ballhandling. Anyway, he is a business contact of mine and we happened to discuss the game after around 45 minutes of talking business first........
On another note, I was thinking Sanogo might be lured to come back by NIL deals, but as of now, that is not the case. Due to being a foreign student on a student visa, he cannot cash in like the US born guys on the team:
NCAA's international athletes still facing NIL challenges
A number of the NCAA's international athletes will look to cut down the nets at the Final Four, but cashing in on their starring roles won't be easy.
I don't care about his opinion then and even less about who he claims to think he is, nothin' more than a straw man if you ask me. I do post on the Uconn Report and I'm sure I was better than him averaging 19 points a game for Windsor and all Hartford County...man up, join the board or STFU...the Blades has spoken..
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I should point out it came up as a complaint about his anxiety during the game and what was causing it, more than expressing an opinion for the sake of doing so.......I get your point but he brought all of this up as a way to explain his anxiety, which he said caused him to stand up at the end of the game as the lead was getting whittled down to 5.
If I can be honest, I was anxious at that same point in the game and tremendously relieved when they ran a play for Hawkins and he hit the 3. I took some marijuana sleep gummies at half time as I often do because of my insomnia issues, but they had not kicked in to sufficiently relax me. I would have probably been in worse shape if I had not taken them, but after the Hawkins 3 I was able to relax a bit, and then the cannabis kind of kicked in after that.
If I can be honest, I was anxious at that same point in the game and tremendously relieved when they ran a play for Hawkins and he hit the 3. I took some marijuana sleep gummies at half time as I often do because of my insomnia issues, but they had not kicked in to sufficiently relax me. I would have probably been in worse shape if I had not taken them, but after the Hawkins 3 I was able to relax a bit, and then the cannabis kind of kicked in after that.
You guys are going to like this video. Stephen A. Smith predicts a UConn repeat in 2024 because "they play Big Boy basketball":
Adama still undecided and told Fox 61 CT he is a "maybe" on coming back:
www.fox61.com
UConn's Adama Sanogo reacts to national championship parade | Full Interview
Sanogo says he still has not made a decision on whether or not he'll return to the Huskies or declare for the NBA Draft.
www.fox61.com
Some others-
"Word around the program is power forward Samson Johnson, who earned a starting spot heading into this past season but missed significant time with injury as Alex Karaban thrived, intends to return. Same goes for guard Nahiem Alleyne. Guard Tristen Newton said Saturday he is considering options, not ready to announce if he’ll return."
www.ctinsider.com
"Word around the program is power forward Samson Johnson, who earned a starting spot heading into this past season but missed significant time with injury as Alex Karaban thrived, intends to return. Same goes for guard Nahiem Alleyne. Guard Tristen Newton said Saturday he is considering options, not ready to announce if he’ll return."
UConn men's basketball already eying a national championship repeat: 'The mix for six'
The UConn men's basketball team celebrated its fifth national championship Saturday with...
I think if Samson Johnson comes back they will have two experienced 5s and the freshman 7 footer can be eased in to the rotation slowly. This gives UConn good foul protection. At this point I am assuming AJ and Tristen will be back. If so the team will again be very deep, with a good mix of experienced veterans and young, hungry players.
UConn remains #1 in CBS preseason poll after Sanogo departure to NBA:
www.cbssports.com
College basketball rankings: Why UConn remains No. 1 in Top 25 And 1 after Adama Sanogo declared for NBA Draft
UCLA and Arizona took big drops in CBS Sports' early preseason rankings
www.cbssports.com
ESPN' updated preseason top 25 now has UConn at #4, post Sanogo Departure:
www.espn.com
I like Duke having the pressure of being preseason #1. However the Big East has 3 teams in the top 5!!!!
#2 Marquette
#4 UConn
#5 Creighton
BTW- the rumor about Arthur Kaluma going to Arizona seems to have been unfounded.
WTE Top 25: Duke or Kansas at No. 1 for the final edition?
With less than a month to go 'til the season begins, we're calling it: Kansas remains No. 1. The rest of the field sees some swapping around, but no new faces.
#2 Marquette
#4 UConn
#5 Creighton
BTW- the rumor about Arthur Kaluma going to Arizona seems to have been unfounded.
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One more OOC game as Uconn is lining up a " Battle of the Blue Bloods" schedule next year.....( so far Kansas, UNC are set and Indiana and Uconn are both in the Empire classic )
Gonzaga will be itching for revenge after the complete beatdown UConn put on them in the Elite 8. Gonzaga got a little bit exposed that game as their offense was shutdown and created numerous runouts and transition baskets for UConn. The offensive efficiency and execution they are known for was nowhere to be seen in that game. I also think that game significantly damaged the NBA draft value of Drew Timme, who wasn't likely to be picked in the first round anyway. But scouts may have seen more of a snapshot of what awaits him in the NBA as far as replicating what he is doing in college.
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Here is ESPN's updated top 25. UConn is holding steady at #5; the main changes are that St. John's is now in the poll ranked 25, giving the Big East 5 preseason top 25 teams, and Houston has moved up to #6, right behind UConn:
www.espn.com
The team Pitino has assembled is very legit. They will be a dangerous opponent for Big East teams next year. And although Alleyne will come off the bench, again, we all know he is a solid bench player.
WTE Top 25: Duke or Kansas at No. 1 for the final edition?
With less than a month to go 'til the season begins, we're calling it: Kansas remains No. 1. The rest of the field sees some swapping around, but no new faces.
Well if he even makes it to the start of the year, since that slimeball Pitino has already run kids off the team, he just promised the world to 3-4 months ago..... And I can care less about anything that snake does.... just as long as he continues to know " who's your daddy ", LOL!
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