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Uconn vs. Buffalo
- Thread starter the Blades
- Start date
Buffalo had a 26 game winning streak snapped by Dartmouth but they beat a legit Harvard team by 12. I don't like the idea of changing lineups until you see how the game develops. Against St. Joe's, there were bad matchups for UConn at guard positions going the other way, and UConn did not react until it was too late. Teams playing small ball should not dictate that style to UConn- UConn should dictate how they want to play and if it's not working, then you consider going smaller. What's nice is that UConn can adjust downward in size nicely if they have to, one advantage of being deep.
No line yet but ESPN matchup predictor is now at 71% UConn to 29% Buffalo, which is an overreaction. In my mind UConn is a very slight favorite over the MAC Champions.
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=401169980
UConn was quick to bench Carlton for a prolonged period against St. Joe's and although he did not handle double teams well (and has to get better at it), I felt that deflated the team a bit and subtracted a possible advantage, when the real problem was not Carlton but the guard matchups.
No line yet but ESPN matchup predictor is now at 71% UConn to 29% Buffalo, which is an overreaction. In my mind UConn is a very slight favorite over the MAC Champions.
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=401169980
UConn was quick to bench Carlton for a prolonged period against St. Joe's and although he did not handle double teams well (and has to get better at it), I felt that deflated the team a bit and subtracted a possible advantage, when the real problem was not Carlton but the guard matchups.
See my post in the other thread....we discussed this...same thoughts as you
UConn Men's Basketball Postgame (Florida) - 11/17/19
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Here's a copy:
The way Whaley has been playing D and ripping rebounds, Uconn has no problems with him at the 5. Big upgrade over Cobb , who couldn't guard a chair on high ball screens/pick and rolls......I don't know if you noticed but all of FLA's 5's he ( Whaley) played against were 6-10 or bigger and he was more efficient than Carlton in his 16 minutes off the bench. ( 7pts on 3/4 FG's/ 6 rebs / 1blk) ....he was rebounding like Rodman for his size.
But him (or Josh) is not the match-up I'm thinking about vs. Buffalo.... It's Akok and Polley trying to guard their small ball line-up( I posted above) off the dribble. ( they play 4 guards) And will Hurley bench Carlton and go small like he did vs. St joes to put in a smaller line-up to match them instead of trying to exploit his size advantage...which I thought was a big mistake.
The way Whaley has been playing D and ripping rebounds, Uconn has no problems with him at the 5. Big upgrade over Cobb , who couldn't guard a chair on high ball screens/pick and rolls......I don't know if you noticed but all of FLA's 5's he ( Whaley) played against were 6-10 or bigger and he was more efficient than Carlton in his 16 minutes off the bench. ( 7pts on 3/4 FG's/ 6 rebs / 1blk) ....he was rebounding like Rodman for his size.
But him (or Josh) is not the match-up I'm thinking about vs. Buffalo.... It's Akok and Polley trying to guard their small ball line-up( I posted above) off the dribble. ( they play 4 guards) And will Hurley bench Carlton and go small like he did vs. St joes to put in a smaller line-up to match them instead of trying to exploit his size advantage...which I thought was a big mistake.
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Hurley coached a little scared/overreacted, and although Carlton was terrible handling double teams early in the St. Joe's game, he was benched far too long and it took away a possible advantage.
Easy.........let's not get carried away here. He has not played sustained minutes against really large, physical big men who know how to push smaller dudes around and get away with it. And there will be teams on the schedule with bigs like that. We all thought the same thing about Kentan Facey when Brimah inevitably got into foul trouble, and that was a joke. Let's see Whaley play a few games with sustained minutes as a backup 5 before anointing him with Hall of Fame status. The matchups suggest UConn could play him at the 5 a lot, this game.
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Your the one getting carried away, I'm taking about one game vs. FLA and legit bigs, geeze will you guys calm down with the rants....
He's more than strong enough (now) and has a better lower base than either of those 2 you mentioned....It's more about playing within himself, not taking bad shots ( team leading .556% and 2nd on the team reb eff. ) and playing solid D, that's all you want from your back-up 5. You don't want him doing more or being Donyell Marshall or Emeka....all players need to stay in their rolls, that's how you win ball games, not having 2 guys miss 30 shots(St. Joe's) and then looking for other reasons why you lose, this isn't all that complicated.
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FT% and 3 Pt % both very good but it's only 3 games and a very small sample size. If Gilbert continues to shoot 24.4% UConn is in big trouble...........
Borges on Bouk....the question is will his O be as good and his D as bad as advertised ? Huge test tonight vs. a strong, veteran 4 guard line-up:
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The opening line is UConn -2 over Buffalo. No movement since then on the line. Per Vegas Insider
Hurley on the match-up: UConn men face Buffalo in Charleston Classic
Buffalo (2-1) became a perennial NCAA Tournament team under Hurley’s brother, Bob, who coached there from 2013-15.... and Nate Oats, who went 96-43 over four seasons and left for Alabama last spring. Jim Whitesell was elevated from associate head coach....
The Bulls usually play four guards and a small athletic frontcourt. Buffalo has taken 92 shots from 3-point range in three games, and made 39, or 42.4 percent. “That’s the real deal,” Hurley said. “I don’t want to cheapen them by calling them ‘the new model mid-major,’ because there is nothing mid-major about their team, their guards or the success they’ve had......The Bulls play tenacious defense, against which Hurley will pick his spots for Bouknight in his first game.”
Buffalo (2-1) became a perennial NCAA Tournament team under Hurley’s brother, Bob, who coached there from 2013-15.... and Nate Oats, who went 96-43 over four seasons and left for Alabama last spring. Jim Whitesell was elevated from associate head coach....
The Bulls usually play four guards and a small athletic frontcourt. Buffalo has taken 92 shots from 3-point range in three games, and made 39, or 42.4 percent. “That’s the real deal,” Hurley said. “I don’t want to cheapen them by calling them ‘the new model mid-major,’ because there is nothing mid-major about their team, their guards or the success they’ve had......The Bulls play tenacious defense, against which Hurley will pick his spots for Bouknight in his first game.”
That’s a team UConn should be able to match up with, but the closeouts on the shooters have to be good. UConn has at times been lazy keeping their hands up and Vital and Gilbert in particular have to do it or they can be shot over.
Bouknight being back is a much needed shot in the arm.
Bouknight being back is a much needed shot in the arm.
Is it me or does the team look better without AG?
The team looked much better without AG. Not sure if he was out due to injury or plain old benched (had some bad TOs in first half), but the combination of Vital, Gaffney and Adams playing point guard was much better than anything AG would do as far as running offense.
The team looks good, lots of positive contributions from all 3 freshmen, good game by Carlton, and great game by Adams. I knew Adams had this kind of game in him and the way he is playing is not surprising me. You could see last year he knew how to shoot and play, he just needed experience and to get stronger. You can see he is strong, aggressive and yet team-minded. Excellent win, but they have a tough matchup tomorrow night against a really good Xavier team.
The team looks good, lots of positive contributions from all 3 freshmen, good game by Carlton, and great game by Adams. I knew Adams had this kind of game in him and the way he is playing is not surprising me. You could see last year he knew how to shoot and play, he just needed experience and to get stronger. You can see he is strong, aggressive and yet team-minded. Excellent win, but they have a tough matchup tomorrow night against a really good Xavier team.
They don't win this game with Gilbert and his reckless low IQ play out there. I feel for the kids injuries but he's the worse PG Uconn's had in years. He started out where he left off with his 24% shooting, 0-4 and I don't know what happen on that terrible out of control drive that he hurt himself on...but if it forced Hurley to take him...hurrah for Uconn nation !
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What happened from what I could see is that being out of control through traffic is what got him hurt.......when you lower your head and go full speed into a bunch of bodies, collisions are going to happen and you will then lose your balance while at speed. Same thing happens with race cars making wild moves in traffic. The result is crashes. And that play if I recall correctly led to a fast break layup the other way..............
Amen....though CV is still better off the ball and gets a little spazed out at times....But none of them do what AG does constantly.....shoots them out of games and freezes out his team mates because he thinks he's the man...
+1000....that's EXACTLY what he did..and does constantly...but enough of poor AL...great comeback win and way to hold the lead Huskies !!!
Checking the #'s ...nice job despite the bad night at the FT line(57%) compared to BUF ( 85%)...But good job by the player of the game Adams (8-10 FT's) with 20 pts (5-6 FG's -2-2 on 3's) 2 asst and only 1 TO......also CV was 2-2 FT's but the 6 TO's was his bad stat .
Box score- 79 - 68
Box score- 79 - 68
With AG on the shelf, it will be interesting to see if there is a PG by Committee approach or whether Gaffney will get the lion's share of the minutes. I thought Gaffney had his first really good game as a Husky last night.
Me too, it's tough to really know what he has because he missed a month and still isn't 100% according to Hurley, but he has a good handle (much better than CV who did his best) and was a calming influence on offense, not trying to do to much but running the offense which isn't a bad thing for a PG. Adams played more like his cousin Troy Caupain from Cincy ( never really saw his brother Jalen play) than I thought he could as a combo and big PG..
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From the Uconndaily.com, ( sign up for their free newsletter) pretty much sums it up:
GILBERT VS. ADAMS: Gilbert left the game with 6:16 remaining after rolling an ankle — Dan Hurley said he would be "shocked" if Gilbert played in the other two games this weekend — and finished 0-for-4 with four rebounds, an assist, a turnover and a steal in 11 minutes. It was another mediocre-at-best performance from Gilbert, who's now shooting 10-for-45 (22.2 percent) and 4-for-21 (19 percent) from 3-point range this season and has just not looked the slightest bit comfortable on the court at any point.
Adams, who played 25 minutes, one shy of the career high he set against Sacred Heart, played much more within the offense. Though he's not likely to score 20 points again any time soon (eight were off free throws), his calming presence and reluctance to freewheel and force things spurred the Huskies' second-half comeback.
GILBERT VS. ADAMS: Gilbert left the game with 6:16 remaining after rolling an ankle — Dan Hurley said he would be "shocked" if Gilbert played in the other two games this weekend — and finished 0-for-4 with four rebounds, an assist, a turnover and a steal in 11 minutes. It was another mediocre-at-best performance from Gilbert, who's now shooting 10-for-45 (22.2 percent) and 4-for-21 (19 percent) from 3-point range this season and has just not looked the slightest bit comfortable on the court at any point.
Adams, who played 25 minutes, one shy of the career high he set against Sacred Heart, played much more within the offense. Though he's not likely to score 20 points again any time soon (eight were off free throws), his calming presence and reluctance to freewheel and force things spurred the Huskies' second-half comeback.
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One more with quotes from DH,
“When you start to feel like your program is in the right direction, there were tough choices to make in the second half about who to play,” said Hurley. “Even with Alterique out, Bouknight gave us really good minutes ... that dude is a serious talent, and he doesn’t even know what’s going on out there. You feel much better about your team as opposed to last year, because now you’re struggling over personnel.”
“When you start to feel like your program is in the right direction, there were tough choices to make in the second half about who to play,” said Hurley. “Even with Alterique out, Bouknight gave us really good minutes ... that dude is a serious talent, and he doesn’t even know what’s going on out there. You feel much better about your team as opposed to last year, because now you’re struggling over personnel.”
We saw a glimpse of the future last night and that future is bright. BTW, I disagree with the statement in the article above that Adams will not score 20 again “any time soon.” He has already had a 15 and a 20 point game and he isn’t even starting. He can shoot the 3, score on O-boards and hit driving shots. I don’t think it will be the last time he goes for 20+
I think expectations for Gilbert need to be reassessed. Although he was relentlessly hyped by the media and someone on this board (former member) who promoted him as the next PG who will lead UConn to “multiple national championships”, apart from his injury issues and poor shooting, his actual point guard instincts seem poor. His status as starting point guard has to be questioned in light of his stats and his decision making and it may be in his best interest and the team’s for him to come off the bench at this time and until such time as he shows he deserves to start.
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Here's a typical Alterique play that hasn't changed in 4 years and I don't know if it ever will, because he's just a low IQ player. I remember watching him doing the same thing in some HS tape and thought , well maybe he'll evolve. But he hasn't. His 1st or 2nd drive of the game was the same thing... out of control drive into traffic that led to BUF points. Then the play he got hurt on was a typical AG reckless drive. It doesn't stop, he's poison because of his mentality of thinking he's something he's not. He should be a Taliek Brown past first PG. And TB was way more of a pitbull on D than AG's ever been because he lets his guy around him way to much for someone who's supposed to have quickness. But here it is..lob to Akok for a sure dunk ? nope....kick out to Polley for a wide open 3 ? nope...AG would rather shoot w/ 3 guys around him and clank it off the rim....I'm convinced he has no vision except tunnel.....and Hurley needs to stop talking him up so maybe he'll pass more and shoot less...until he proves he can..... but plays like the one below (which happens 3-5 times pg) have to stop period.
PS even Taliek went from taking 30+.. 3pt's as a soph to only 5 as a SR and won a NC because he changed what wasn't workin and played to his strengths.
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Its not worth breaking down Alterique's game with videos.
Anyone that has ever seen him play knows he cant play
Anyone looking at his stats knows he cant play
out of the rotation please
Anyone that has ever seen him play knows he cant play
Anyone looking at his stats knows he cant play
out of the rotation please
Bouk is the goods. Good size, Athletic and poised.
I want to leave the light on for Gilbert, but him getting hurt last night was the turning point. We finished +18/19 once he left and missed way too many FTs. It should Have been +25.
The Future is bright. But the present might be ok too. We will know more in 3 hours.
I want to leave the light on for Gilbert, but him getting hurt last night was the turning point. We finished +18/19 once he left and missed way too many FTs. It should Have been +25.
The Future is bright. But the present might be ok too. We will know more in 3 hours.
Sorry guys but I was on the shelf for a few days and just now getting back to somewhat normal.
AG is a good kid but I think the ship has sailed. He is so quite that I can get distracted by CV's misplaced moxy but like I mentioned a month ago maybe AG is worse for this team than CV.
CV has his games where he plays in the flow of the game plan like against Florida and Buff but when we get in lull's I look RIGHT AT HIM and AG. AG just had a crappy hand handed to him physically and I feel bad for him. I honestly wouldn't mind if he never started again.
Now saying that, Adams still looks so green with the ball....his style is no fluid in anyway but DANG did he look good against Buffalo. I was so impressed and feel great for the kid.
As for Whaley, again.....I love the kids heart but offensively he is probably at best a D2 player. Good news is that we dont need a point from the guy......we need him to step up for Josh who I think hasnt gotten better from last year and maybe has slowed down a little. Josh isnt showing me he has next level stuff at all. Seems lost at times.
Nevertheless I look forward to a meeting with our new league foe in Xavier who I think has a chance to make noise this year in the tourney.
FYI: Bouk already looks like a lightening rod player that will be a STUD. VERY EXCITED
AG is a good kid but I think the ship has sailed. He is so quite that I can get distracted by CV's misplaced moxy but like I mentioned a month ago maybe AG is worse for this team than CV.
CV has his games where he plays in the flow of the game plan like against Florida and Buff but when we get in lull's I look RIGHT AT HIM and AG. AG just had a crappy hand handed to him physically and I feel bad for him. I honestly wouldn't mind if he never started again.
Now saying that, Adams still looks so green with the ball....his style is no fluid in anyway but DANG did he look good against Buffalo. I was so impressed and feel great for the kid.
As for Whaley, again.....I love the kids heart but offensively he is probably at best a D2 player. Good news is that we dont need a point from the guy......we need him to step up for Josh who I think hasnt gotten better from last year and maybe has slowed down a little. Josh isnt showing me he has next level stuff at all. Seems lost at times.
Nevertheless I look forward to a meeting with our new league foe in Xavier who I think has a chance to make noise this year in the tourney.
FYI: Bouk already looks like a lightening rod player that will be a STUD. VERY EXCITED
