Uconn vs. Boston U.

[the Blades]

* BU has lost their first 2 games of the season, both at home...... vs. Northeastern ( I think KO's heard of them) 65-59 and to Albany by a score of 88-74 in front of an excited home crowd of 444.

* They don't start a player under 6-5....They've shot 29.5 % on 3's ( Uconn's at 30.6%) and have been outrebounded by a total of 39 to 29 rpg.

*The last meeting for Uconn vs. BU was a "fabulously executed" 51-49 win (Box score) a little less than a year ago in front of 8,183 @ the XL Center as Uconn shot a blistering 32% on FG's & 52% on FT's. BU's graduated SR Eric Fanning put up 21 pts on the Huskies. Jalen & Rodney combined to shoot 5-25 in the game with Vance 0-5 off the bench. Vital led them in scoring as starter in the 3 guard line-up with 13 points on 4-7 shooting (3-6 on 3's).

Uconn holds an all time record of 43-12 and last lost to BU in 1986. Since then they've played 4 times up until 2013 beating them by an average score of 78-57 until last years "slugfest ".

Boston University..........(2 game totals)......PTS/REB/ASST
Starters-
Walter Whyte..........F.........6-6/210.... FR.........9.0/3.5/1.5
Tyler Scanlon.........F.........6-7/215.......SO........3.0/2.5/2.5
Nick Havener..........F........6-8/225.......SR.......13.5/3.5/1.0
Cedric Hankerson..G........6-5/225.......SR........9.0/3.0/0.5
Javante McCoy.......G........6-5/180.......FR.......11.0/1.5/3.0

Max Mahoney.........F..........6-8/235.......SO......11.0/5.0/0.0
Cheddi Mosely........G........6-3/195........SR.......7.5/2.2/1.7
Destin Barnes.........G........6-6/210........SO.......6.0/4.0/1.0
Sukhmai Mathon.....C.......6-10/225.........FR......1.0/3.0/0.0
Kamali Chambers....G .......5-11/180.......JR ......0.9/0.3/0.2

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

That’s a really really small lineup and if they can’t shoot 3s we could have a small ball clankest on our hands. I would play a bigger lineup and crush them on the boards, if they have no 3 point shooters to be defended.

Hard to believe they are worse than UConn shooting the 3. We gotta put out a help wanted sign for 3 ballers although I think Vital is better than what he has shown, so far.

Anyone remember when Shabazz, Daniels and Giffey all shot over .40% on 3s for a season? It’s a lot easier to win and play smaller when you have that kind of shooting which is how a team with Phil Nolan and Amida Brimah as primary bigs (neither of whom could rebound) went all the way.

 

[the Blades]

Yeah that NC squad shot 39% as a team with Giffey leading the way at 48%. It looks like the worst shooting team Uconn has had in recent years was back in 2009-10 (NIT team) at 31%. But that's because Dyson thought he was the man and led the team in 3pt attempts by far and shot 29%. Even Kemba who wasn't considered much of a shooter at that point hit on 34%.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

When you shoot 39% on 3s you can get away with having terrible rebounders because there is nothing to rebound. Now UConn has a gang of clanksters but in Cobb and Onuorah we can already see that there are guys up front to rebound the misses. Whaley has also shown great flashes of offensive rebounding. Onuorah had 3 offensive boards out of his 7 yesterday. Once DO has his legs back it looks like he could be a great rebounder and screen setter and a solid defender. This group of bigs also including Diarra if they are relentless on the O boards and get putbacks can offset some of the bad shooting. Rim attacks by Jalen and Alterique off Onuorah and Cobb screens will also produce high FT attempt games. All these things can possibly partially offset poor 3 point shooting but improving the shooting obviously would also help.

 

[the Blades]

I like where your going with this. Whaley has looked to have a little Dennis Rodman in him ( don't want to go overboard) and yes Cobb, DO, Josh and Mamadou. If you can't hit from outside.. go bigger...not smaller and rake up the boards. It also could make you better on the other end of the court to D-up on those drives to the lane and boards. But I guess it's a work in progress. Larrier is the one blazing right now (5-6 on 3's) for this team after an 0-8 pre-season, so hopefully they turn it around as a group. Even Jalen shot 35% last year (better than Rodney) and CV has gotta find his shot at some point, though the best shooter on the team Vance @ 40% is gone.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Blades I agree with the comp between Whaley and a young Dennis Rodman. Whaley is like a pogo stick on O-boards and I always thought Rodman was the ultimate human pogo stick on rebounds. But there is another guy UConn had who was like this. Can’t recall the kid’s name but it was Marcus something. 6’8” power forward a little bit bigger build than Whaley. Played in around mid 2000s for a couple years and then transferred to Purdue I think. That kid was also a pogo stick and an unbelievable rebounder but all he could do was board. He had some huge rebounding games. Had no real offensive game other than putbacks and was pretty much just a pure rebounder. So hopefully young Whaley will end up more like Rodman. He should pattern his game after Rodman who was the best 6’8” or under rebounding forward in NBA history and also one of the best defensive forwards in NBA history. I remember when he played defense on Larry Bird when he was with the Pistons. Rodman was a load. Just a marvelous athlete who played with tremendous energy and never seemed to tire.

 

[the Blades]

Marcus White...played more as a FR then had some back problems( was on the 2004 NC) later transferred.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

That’s the kid......Marcus White....he could board in a big way but there wasn’t much else to his game and that team had lots of guys ahead of him who could do more than he could and were bigger. I liked White though, because they would insert him and he could grab every rebound in sight and could jump over people without committing over the back fouls and would just rip rebounds away from opponents. Those teams absolutely killed people on the boards. Whaley doesn’t have quite as good a body (yet) but demonstrates pogo stick qualities which I like. He could be a really good offensive rebounder.

 

[the Blades]

 

[the Blades]

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

In addition to the hoops doubleheader, the UConn Field Hockey girls play for the national championship today vs. Maryland at 2 pm.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

The start of this game has been a clankfest for UConn.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

UConn has been getting mostly good shots against this zone and is not making them. They are getting the ball to Larrier in the middle of the zone wide open. He should have 20 points given how open he has been

 

[CaNOLEE]

The guy who's struggled the most this year carries us in the first half.

And Anderson shouldn't be playing at this level per some, but he doesn't believe it.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Anderson has been UConn's most consistent guard the first 3 games, but Vital had a really good half too. Jalen and Alterique are struggling to make any shots.

Anderson does not look smooth or fluid with his handle or his moves but he is one of these guys who just gets the job done. Seems like a pride and guts guy like Vital.

Would be nice if Ollie had recruited someone to stick 3s like Giffey. UConn could use a sweetshooting Euro glueguy on this team.

 

[CaNOLEE]

I love Anderson. This team needed his grit/brains.

Larrier is the most talented guy on the roster, but I see him as a guy who scores 20, but gives up 20 at the same time. And didn't love his comment to the super model/side line reporter about coming out with no energy. That should never be an issue.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Really nice to see Rique draining a 3. Hope he can hit a few more and the nets open up for his shot.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

KO looks very intense in huddles and on the sidelines. I think he means business and wants the team to be the best they can be.

 

[CaNOLEE]

Boston's team barber should be fired. Unless they bring him a pic of Christian Laetner or actor Stephen Dorf.

One thing about Ollie is he doesn't leave his seat enough for my taste. It must be really comfortable.

 

[CaNOLEE]

He must be reading this board in game.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Onuorah and UConn are showing BU who is boss

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Is 24 points Vital’s career high?

 

[andersonfro]

The guy who's struggled the most this year carries us in the first half.

And Anderson shouldn't be playing at this level per some, but he doesn't believe it.

I'd like to see him do it against teams who provide athletic scholarships and accept players who have a 3.8 GPA before I eat my hat.

 

[12rtackerman12]

3pt shooting, giving up easy 3s and communication with switches on defense big areas we need improvement in

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

UConn muscling BU on the boards 50-28 at the moment. But UConn 8-27 on 3s, a weak 29.6%

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

3 point defense on BU has been bad. UConn should be up 30 right now on this squad.

 

[12rtackerman12]

Adams doesn't even look interested in this game

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Adams didn’t look interested but 30 for a very active Vital

 

[CaNOLEE]

I'd like to see him do it against teams who provide athletic scholarships and accept players who have a 3.8 GPA before I eat my hat.

You do like/root for some uconn players? Because Duke could use a few more fans.

 

[andersonfro]

You do like/root for some uconn players? Because Duke could use a few more fans.

Do you like shitty teams, because Seaton Hall could definitely use your support

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

22 rebounds from the 4 guards tonight. Adams and Gilbert had 6 each, and Anderson and Vital had 5 each. These guys are not big, but they are crashing the glass.

 

[CaNOLEE]

They've added an A to their name this year, Cool.

Speaking of Seat, how about after 16 wins this year, you goto the bench?

 

[andersonfro]

Gtfo with 16 wins, way to set the bar.

Tell you what, if I'm so disturbing to you, when this team starts running a coherent offense vs top 25 teams I'll take a sit until they're eliminated from the tournament. Only cause I like you. Idk why youre mad at me though, im not the reason we don t have a coach.

 

[the Blades]

Larrier is the one blazing right now (5-6 on 3's) for this team after an 0-8 pre-season, so hopefully they turn it around as a group. Even Jalen shot 35% last year (better than Rodney) and CV has gotta find his shot at some point, though the best shooter on the team Vance @ 40% is gone.

30 points I guess he found his shot !.... KSTW, like you mentioned in this thread, good to see KO showing a little urgency on the bench( maybe he does have a pulse...) when certain guys were stinkin' up the place. Saw it a few times when he jumped and grabbed guys to go right in as replacements. Noticed it when Rique started handin' the rock over to BU on sloppy drives and TO's...then latter saw KO run down the bench like a rocket to grab Q. Williams to replace Larrier when his weak handle created another TO and then TL went back and played some weak D down the other end...gotta coach this weak play out of these guys now if he' has any chance to get wins vs. the better teams on the schedule ....starting this week.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Neither Alterique, nor Jalen nor Larrier played particularly well last night. Jalen has really only played one good half of basketball in 3 games, and even then much of it was screens from Dave Onuorah. Larrier was missing a lot of wide open shots. The team generally had lots of wide open shots for Larrier in middle of the zone and on 3s that didn’t go down. KO said he didn’t want the guys shooting a lot of 3s but when a team plays zone like that there are two options, 3s and Larrier in middle of zone. And they had open looks but more need to go down.

Alterique has lots of trouble finishing his drives. He seems to overpenetrate and gets stuck in traffic and has no good shots to take once that happens. As others have mentioned, Jalen doesn’t look like he is playing with a lot of energy. When DO set some big manscreens and he had wide open lanes to the hole to do his assorted Eurostep drives he looked good, but when he is on his own and doesn’t have a clear path he isn’t working to move the ball around and get shots for others. For UConn to beat Oregon, Larrier, Jalen and Alterique all need to play better.

 

[jeywalk]

Gtfo with 16 wins, way to set the bar.

Tell you what, if I'm so disturbing to you, when this team starts running a coherent offense vs top 25 teams I'll take a sit until they're eliminated from the tournament. Only cause I like you. Idk why youre mad at me though, im not the reason we don t have a coach.

Lol @ not understanding why someone might not like you, look at the energy you give off you miserable POS. I wouldn't even blame your parents if they hated your guts if you are anything like what you are online in real life.

 

[andersonfro]

Lol @ not understanding why someone might not like you, look at the energy you give off you miserable POS. I wouldn't even blame your parents if they hated your guts if you are anything like what you are online in real life.

You seem cool though.

 

[CaNOLEE]

K99, true Jalen has been superman for 20 min and Fartman the other 60. He did miss the opener. Agree the three perceived stars have to bring their A games(or B+) against better comp and I'm not just talking about shot making. They are going to have to defend and make hustle plays, which I've seen from Gilbert already and JA at times.

 

[the Blades]

 

[CaNOLEE]

I was thinking that of the three transfers, only Vance would see time this year. And probably limited to a zone buster. He wouldn't play over Larrier and I think Polley has a more well rounded game.