UConn-Temple

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Temple was trashed in its first 3 games against top 25 teams this year, losing by 24 to UNC, and then to Butler and Utah on home court, before surprising Cincy by 7 on the road. So they are 1-3 vs. top 25. However they followed the Cincy win up by losing at home by 27 to Houston. This is clearly an up and down team which has been mostly down. A team UConn should handle in Hartford tomorrow night:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/218/temple-owls

 

[the Blades]

True it's tough to know what to expect from them and as David Borges says ‏@DaveBorges 18h18 hours ago
Temple is 7-7, but it's played North Carolina, Butler, Utah, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Houston, Minnesota ... tough slate.

So Uconn's gotta worry about their selves and the basics, play focused D and stay between their man and the basket, board, share the rock and take care of it like a baby !
( no running b4 you dribble allowed)

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

UConn needs Adams to start playing better. I want to see him push the ball with purpose, less TOs on his crossover dribble which is resulting in carrying calls and picks, and start making some 3s. Rodney and Gibbs can't be the only guys making 3s.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

The line on the game tonight is UConn -10.5. The reports I read on Temple indicate they shot 3-23 on 3s and allowed Houston to shoot 55% in their recent 27 point home loss. Hopefully Temple continues to jack jumpers and Facey will not have to face the onslaught of inside drives he faced vs Tulane. Kentan needs to stay on the floor!

 

[CaNOLEE]

It's starting to feel like last year.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Temple is a team UConn should be handling!

 

[CaNOLEE]

I buy the argument of taking this team time to gel the first 10 gams, but now it's getting old. Soft and dumb is not a good combo.

Hamilton single handedly may bring us under 50% for the year after this game.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Hamilton has not played his best ball the past couple games.

 

[CaNOLEE]

The next loose ball we get this year will be the fist.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Shots are not falling tonight. Has nothing to do with Temple's defense. UConn just isn't making shots.

 

[the Blades]

I buy the argument of taking this team time to gel the first 10 gams, but now it's getting old. Soft and dumb is not a good combo.
Hamilton single handedly may bring us under 50% for the year after this game.

Uconn lost the game.. Temple didn't win it......This ^ ^ ^...Rushed shots... bad shots....clueless one on one BS.... and a lot of negative lip....with certain guys thinking they can do things on their own.... and one guy still can't guard a chair and he's shaking his head after he's pulled and beat 2 times in a row because he doesn't like what the coach has to say....real bad energy in this game across the board and it look liked a leaderless team except for Miller..... and it pains me but that includes being outcoached......on to Memphis and this needs to be turned around quick because having a terrible BB IQ is getting real old... real fast..2 years in a row.

 

[dbaum_]

Very disappointing loss tonight. First home conference game and we lost to a team we should have beaten if it weren't for careless mistakes. No flow or continuity on offense and everyone just standing around waiting for someone to score. Temple had caused turnovers late in the game to give us a chance to take the lead but we could never capitalize. Hopefully they can address their mistakes and prepare for the next game against Memphis because it will not get any easier moving forward.

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

Temple was trashed in its first 3 games against top 25 teams this year, losing by 24 to UNC, and then to Butler and Utah on home court, before surprising Cincy by 7 on the road. So they are 1-3 vs. top 25. However they followed the Cincy win up by losing at home by 27 to Houston. This is clearly an up and down team which has been mostly down. A team UConn should handle in Hartford tomorrow night:

The Butler and Utah games were in a tournament in Puerto Rico. Can't figure out from game to game which Temple team will show up. If someone had told me we'd go 2-1 through the first three conference games, there's no way I'd have figured the loss would be a blowout to Houston in our own building.

 

[Ozzie3178]

SMH.... Still lack toughness. Last possession clearly shows how passive and weak we still are. Had a foul to give and didn't think of using it let alone even attempting to knuckle down and guard. Energy was lack luster from most and the crowd for the most part.

I can't stand the XL center btw

 

[Dominicfrank]

I love Ollie but if you cant get your guys to win at home against a lesser team that's on you coach.

NO emotion on this team.......Purvis when he dunks but ZZZZzzzzzz when that is not the case

Gibbs has been a BIG disappointment, no emotion either......snooze fest.

Nolan, Facey, Omar, Adams,........NO EMOTION.

 

[the Blades]

SMH.... Still lack toughness. Last possession clearly shows how passive and weak we still are. Had a foul to give and didn't think of using it let alone even attempting to knuckle down and guard. Energy was lack luster from most and the crowd for the most part.
I can't stand the XL center btw

Exactly.......2 other things on this besides not using the foul they had to waste b4 Brown got into the lane. First..... was why not go 2 for 1 when Uconn had the ball with 50 secs to go and Hamilton ended up at the foul line.....they stood around and wasted 20 secs doing nothing, guaranteeing Temple would be able to take the last shot with almost no time on the clock. Second.... Adams is a much better on ball defender than Gibbs, it's like KO forget he had him on the bench with 7 minutes to go.

Regarding the XL, the place is a cavern yes, with only 11,300 in a 16,000 seat building but the crowd tried numerous times to pick the team up with D chants, etc. but the team starting with Hamilton taking forced shots with his head down over and over,( it's like he's suddenly forgot what a pass is since Texas) showed no NRG or BB IQ..... and at one point Hamilton almost tossed a bonehead alley-op into the stands and he was yelling at Purvis for his own mistake........With the students away for break who knows what kind of crowd there will be at Gampel Saturday but Smart, Tough and Togetherness better be the theme. Oh and when you have Miller tied for the team lead with 2 assists, you better share the ball better too.


UConn Huskies 'Don't Show Up' In Setback To Temple
"If we're not going to play, not shoot, some of our best players don't show up," Ollie said, "It's just going to be hard for us to win. We have to do the dirty things, getting loose balls, getting offensive rebounds, playing tough. … Hopefully those guys look at themselves in the mirror, I know I am, and then hopefully we can bounce back from this like champions."

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

The strategy on playing UConn will be to take away the 3 point shot. Against teams like that it's vital that Hamilton play well, get into the lane and either score or pass to the low post. Hamilton had an extremely poor game last night. He has to make better decisions and develop some variety with his moves as he has pretty much one go-to move. He also doesn't finish well when there is contact. Last night the guards were terrible except for a brief burst by Adams. No fast break baskets at all. There really is no excuse for shooting 31% at home against a team that really didn't do anything special on D.

 

[owldunph]

lol you guys keep saying "Uconn lost this game, Temple did not win it." "We should have handled them easily"

Fact of the matter is Dunph is 3-0 against Ollie in the last 3 match ups dating back to last year. 3 times is not lucky...I think you are all honestly confused on who "the better team" actually is.

Great game losers

 

[CaNOLEE]

I'm with Blades and Dom. Love Ollie, but he has to get this turned around. We are looking like a one and done team if we even make the tourney. And with this roster, that's completely unacceptable.

And Blades is right about Adams defense late in the game, but I couldn't figure why he came out when he scored three straight trips in the second half, especially when we were struggling to find points.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

The team played fairly solid games offensively at Texas and Tulane. This 31% FG% clunker performance came as a surprise. I don't have an explanation for it but it definitely wasn't Temple. I will be the first one to admit when a team has really D'd UConn up but that is NOT what happened. UConn lost this game due to very bad offensive play by them, not on "great defense", which was not being played by Temple. I am perplexed by the very poor offensive play and I am also perplexed, as is Canolee, by some of the coaching decisions in regards to Adams in particular. His 3 straight scores in the second half was the only time UConn showed serious life in the game and then, nothing. I think Ollie is cautious about playing him in crunch time because Adams, despite that burst of brilliance, has shown a propensity for ridiculous turnovers that are on the high school level, and he has also shown problems finishing through contact like the other UConn guards. I think at this point he has to be unleashed a bit more and we have to live with his growing pains. There was a problem with the flow of the offense last night, which was mainly due to poor play by Gibbs and Hamilton and to a lesser extent Purvis.

 

[Ozzie3178]

Exactly.......2 other things on this besides not using the foul they had to waste b4 Brown got into the lane. First..... was why not go 2 for 1 when Uconn had the ball with 50 secs to go and Hamilton ended up at the foul line.....they stood around and wasted 20 secs doing nothing, guaranteeing Temple would be able to take the last shot with almost no time on the clock. Second.... Adams is a much better on ball defender than Gibbs, it's like KO forget he had him on the bench with 7 minutes to go.

Regarding the XL, the place is a cavern yes, with only 11,300 in a 16,000 seat building but the crowd tried numerous times to pick the team up with D chants, etc. but the team starting with Hamilton taking forced shots with his head down( it's like he's suddenly forgot what a pass is since Texas) over and over, showed no NRG or BB IQ..... and at one point Hamilton almost tossed a bonehead alley-op into the stands and he was yelling at Purvis for his own mistake........With the students away for break who knows what kind of crowd there will be at Gampel Saturday but Smart, Tough and Togetherness better be the theme. Oh and when you have Miller tied for the team lead with 2 assists, you better share the ball better too.


UConn Huskies 'Don't Show Up' In Setback To Temple
"If we're not going to play, not shoot, some of our best players don't show up," Ollie said, "It's just going to be hard for us to win. We have to do the dirty things, getting loose balls, getting offensive rebounds, playing tough. … Hopefully those guys look at themselves in the mirror, I know I am, and then hopefully we can bounce back from this like champions."

I agree with everything Blades. Adams I been screaming has to be the guy and everyone in this team knows he is the difference maker especially with his D.

Also in this game the only guy penetrating an actually scoring or gettin fouled. That is all on KO. He should have not sat out that long no doubt!
I know coach is beyond pissed off and I hope he had them guys running until they throw up and not use a basketball at practice all week!!

Crowd did try a few times to pick up the team no doubt but I just can't stand early January when school is out... games at XL... we should play more on campus... then XL in February and March.

I'm still upset at this loss... Temple has owned us the past 3 times but no business losing to them last night. Terrible effort!

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

The excellent shooting of Purvis has masked really poor shooting stats by the other perimeter players. Purvis is shooting over 50% on FGs and over 46% on 3s. For Gibbs the numbers are 38% and 35% on 3s - not what we had hoped for based on the shooter he was advertised to be at Seton Hall. He was 1-8 last night. Adams is a little better at 40% FGs but a dreadful 20% from 3 point land. Meanwhile, Hamilton is at 42% FGs and 32% from 3 point land, which is worse than what he shot last year.

What these stats suggest is that Purvis is the only reliable outside shooter on the team. This obviously must change. This is not going to be the 2014 team which had 3 starters shoot over 40% from 3 point land. You will not see that on this team or any other nor will you ever see 88% FT shooting ever again in 6 NCAA tournament games. While those things cannot happen we can expect Hamilton and Gibbs and Adams to be better than 32% and 35% and 20% on 3s.