Xavier vs. Uconn

[the Blades]

Friday Nov. 22, 9:00+ pm, Charleston, SC - TD Arena - ESPNU..

They play a high-major sized line-up, it's the biggest team Uconn has faced this year across all 5 positions. Including Tyrique Jones from Bloomfield, CT who was a Uconn target along with Bruce Brown (now in the NBA) when they were both at Vermont Academy.

 

[the Blades]

Vegas Insider opening - Xavier (-3½/ ) vs. Connecticut .. O/U- 133

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

ESPN matchup predictor is running 55.8% Xavier to 44.2% for UConn.

 

[the Blades]

UH Oh !....

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

The line has crept up to Xavier -5 as we approach game time.

 

[Calhoun_for_President]

The news of gilbert being available has clearly swayed the betting public

 

[Calhoun_for_President]

Outclassed in the first half
Hoping the depth takes over in 2nd

 

[Calhoun_for_President]

That set out of the 1 minute TO............cmon

 

[Calhoun_for_President]

So the play with the game on the line is an AG clear out
okey dokey DH..................

 

[12rtackerman12]

So the play with the game on the line is an AG clear out
okey dokey DH..................

I like the play as long as AG passes the dang ball. He beats his guy off the dribble every time just can’t finish for shit.

 

[Calhoun_for_President]

we need more bouknight

 

[Calhoun_for_President]

AG will officially now be known as ZT
Zero Tool

Free us from ZT PLEASE

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Why is Akok not in the game??

 

[12rtackerman12]

That one hurt but I’m feeling really good about where we’re going.

 

[CaNOLEE]

In the two losses Gilbert and Vitale are 14-65. 21% isn’t going to cut it from your senior guards, especially when they are each taking 16 shots a game.

I do think this team could be very good by years end. And definitely into the future.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Xavier is the best defensive team UConn has seen this year and that was one reason for the poor FG shooting by Gilbert and Vital, but they need to do better than that. This was a tremendous game and effort by both teams. UConn had numerous chances to win the game and did not get it done, but games like this will help the team. You want these kinds of hard fought games and hope that they become teaching points.

 

[the Blades]

Xavier is the best defensive team UConn has seen this year and that was one reason for the poor FG shooting by Gilbert and Vital, but they need to do better than that. This was a tremendous game and effort by both teams. UConn had numerous chances to win the game and did not get it done, but games like this will help the team. You want these kinds of hard fought games and hope that they become teaching points.

TRUE, especially for the coach...If the two 4 year guards haven't learned by now they never will. There's a reason the night before, a 3 point game with 4 minutes to go, became a double digit win for Uconn. Because AG couldn't F#CK it up, he's the cancer. . At some point this falls on Hurley for allowing Gilbert to pull the same BS drives that get blocked ( same as a TO) over and over..... SO enough of AL's a warrior....... what good is a warrior that gets struck with an arrow every time he runs on the battlefield because he left his shield in the bunker....DH has to understand as a coach that AG doesn't have the mental capacity/BB IQ to learn after the 100th+ time we've seen it. And I noticed a trend as soon as Gilbert gets out of control, so does Vital because he thinks it's his turn as a SR leader. ....DH proved he's loyal to the guys who were in the program when he got here, to loyal... ...so DH play your guys like Adams, Bouknight and even Gaffney, they're the future and the future is now.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

I was surprised that AG played as many minutes as he did, but Xavier’s defense was really tough and I am not sure Hurley trusted Gaffney/Vital/Adams to do the lion’s share of ball handling against that kind of defense. Going forward UConn coaches either have to address these issues or cut the playing time. But we all need to keep in mind UConn was playing against a top 20 team with a tremendous defense and still had a chance to win this game with 10 seconds to go. Honestly UConn should have won the game in regulation and would have except for a 30 foot 3 pointer hoisted by Marshall.

 

[the Blades]

Your right KSTW, maybe it's just me and he only sucks because it's a top 20 team......

from TOS- Time to bench AG

and another one- Gilbert and Vital

 

[the Blades]

In the two losses Gilbert and Vitale are 14-65. 21% isn’t going to cut it from your senior guards, especially when they are each taking 16 shots a game..

AMEN...

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

My point was this is probably not the team to bench him against. I don’t think he should be starting and I was the first person here to say that, but I kind of feel this wasn’t the team against which to make that move.

 

[12rtackerman12]

So.....who do you guys like moving forward as the Pg? Because whoever you move into the starting pg role now would probably be coles backup next year right?

 

[the Blades]

My point was this is probably not the team to bench him against. I don’t think he should be starting and I was the first person here to say that, but I kind of feel this wasn’t the team against which to make that move.

I hear ya, I'd like to see the youth movement get more TP during the cupcake portion, too, But with Xavier's backcourt in foul trouble and then fouled out, Gilbert brought the game down to their back-ups level of suck fest. AG lost what could of been a 6-8 point win in regulation with him on the bench. I stand by this fact, because their top 20 back court missed alot of the game.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

So.....who do you guys like moving forward as the Pg? Because whoever you move into the starting pg role now would probably be coles backup next year right?

Gaffney should get a good hard look against Miami tomorrow and then against the cupcake schedule leading up to conference play. Gaffney and Adams and Bouknight are Hurley’s guys. Vital and Gilbert are the residue of KO’s tenure. A coach should play his guys.

 

[the Blades]

So.....who do you guys like moving forward as the Pg? Because whoever you move into the starting pg role now would probably be coles backup next year right?

I'll go with ABA ......Anybody But AL.....( MR. 20.7 %)....funny thing is I talked about his bad shooting this summer and in the pre-season... who ever thought it could get worse ? And it's not just the % , it's the volume of misses, if DH wants to play a shoot first PG, is he really a PG ? , play Bouknight at the 1

( link) https://connecticut.forums.rivals.com/threads/this-years-roster.7188/page-2#post-44648
" Anything Uconn does this year will be determined by what AG himself does as a consistent floor leader. He's got to stop with those over penetration drives
( think Kemba and the pull-up game he developed) , make better decisions with the ball, stop the forced shots and shoot it at a much higher %.....Can't have the guy taking the most shots being one of the worst shooters on the team, like last year. (38.1 FG% ).."

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

A lot of you guys are focused on the poor play of AG and CV last night and rightly so, but another thing that bothered me was that Akok wasn’t in there for a long stretch at the end of the game. He only had 2 fouls and there was no explanation for this. Once Carlton fouled out I would have thought Whaley at the 5 and Akok at the 4, but Akok wasn’t in the game at all at the end and Xavier did outrebound UConn for the game, although not significantly. What was up with Double A?

 

[the Blades]

Thanks Mike for calling out in the media DH's stubbornness in allowing this AG circus to continue...Yes Dan.... "the (little) Emperor has no clothes" :

"With the final seconds ticking off the clock in regulation and the score tied, UConn guard Alterique Gilbert got the ball, kept the ball and took the ball to a place where nothing positive had been happening for him and where nothing would. His shot from the lane was stuffed by Xavier’s Tyrique Jones....
About a half-hour later, with Friday having turned to Saturday sometime during all the great athletic theater and tension at TD Arena, Gilbert was given another opportunity, the Huskies this time trailing by one. With a second overtime about to expire, he got the ball, kept the ball and took it back to the lane, into the teeth of a defense that ate him up a final time. "

 

[the Blades]

A lot of you guys are focused on the poor play of AG and CV last night and rightly so, but another thing that bothered me was that Akok wasn’t in there for a long stretch at the end of the game. He only had 2 fouls and there was no explanation for this. Once Carlton fouled out I would have thought Whaley at the 5 and Akok at the 4, but Akok wasn’t in the game at all at the end and Xavier did outrebound UConn for the game, although not significantly. What was up with Double A?

I had the same thought but read this right after the game and because he put Wilson on Jones with both Carlton and Whaley out:

 

[the Blades]

Here's another:

 

[the Blades]

Thanks Mike for calling out in the media DH's stubbornness in allowing this AG circus to continue...Yes Dan.... "the (little) Emperor has no clothes" :

More from Mike Anthony... yes Dan you've been called out so stop with the BS:
coach Dan Hurley said. “Al is the best option that we have currently on this team, in terms of a guy who can beat somebody off the dribble and make a play in a situation like that.”

"But Gilbert is not beating guys off the dribble right now. He’s not making plays. He’s not making shots. Unless and until Gilbert looks and feels like the player of such promise ( er um, BS too Mike) we’ve gotten to know, UConn has to consider making some kind of change in the way it operates, maybe in minutes distribution, certainly in what is asked or expected of him..........James Bouknight was brilliant Friday with 19 points and Hurley afterward mentioned him as someone UConn can eventually build game-deciding plays around. Maybe the time for that is now. Already."

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

I hope Akok is OK. The fact that he wasn’t in there at crunch time last night is concerning. The dude is a huge factor in discouraging rim attacks and in rebounding. UConn’s frontcourt depth is very thin and last night Whaley was underwhelming with his play off the bench. With no Richie Springs until next year there are no other front court options behind Carlton.

Carlton’s play was solid but he looks slower than last year in executing his moves and getting off the floor. The season total of 1 assist makes Johnnie Selvie look like Magic Johnson, but he actually did make a great pass at one point last night to a cutter which I don’t think was finished, meaning no second assist on the season. They have to get him to recognize double teams early and whip the ball to the open man, whoever it is, for a drive to the hole. They could potentially play a 2 man game with him and Bouknight. There are lots of options if he can open up his game and look at the passing lanes when he sees the double team coming.

 

[the Blades]

 

[the Blades]

 

[CaNOLEE]

The supporting cast on this team is really good.

If you traded Gilbert and Vitale for Bass and Boat we’d be serious contenders for #5. Like final 4 locks.

If we had Kemba, I’d already be ordering a ring. Might as well give Bouk the keys and tell the seniors to start doing the little things to win games or make way for The youth movement.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

The Xavier blog had a sense of humor about the game. They noted that in the second half, Bouknight "kept driving, ostensibly sober this time, and getting to the line."