vs. West Virginia

[the Blades]

WED DEC 8th- @ Morgantown, WV - 7PM - TV -ESPN2
WVU has P-6 wins over Pitt, Clemson. Their one loss was to a P-6, Marquette 82-71 in the Charleston Classic. They play a 3 guard line-up.

by the numbers: ( click image)

 

[the Blades]

Updated Uconn by the numbers:

 

[TripleDribbleMan]

It's a small sample size but would really like to see Polley lift his 33% 3 point FG. He does a good job not taking contested 3s, and that's not the reason for his low .%. Over 40% like Gaffney is what's acceptable for him. He and UConn need to have some more shots go in. Especially in a game like this.

 

[the Blades]

It's a small sample size but would really like to see Polley lift his 33% 3 point FG. He does a good job not taking contested 3s, and that's not the reason for his low .%. Over 40% like Gaffney is what's acceptable for him. He and UConn need to have some more shots go in. Especially in a game like this.

True, when he shoots in rhythm, even with a ball fake to move the defender, his numbers seem to go way up. Need him to have a 15 + plus game with the other 2 guys out in the 1st hostile road environment in 2 years.

Especially since the more I watch AJ ( his shooting work didn't seem to help )and his lack of offensive skill and ability to create anything or a go to move with body control, he needs to be more like Lyman Depriest, defense and rebounding. AJ does have a speed dribble and decent vision. ( so good that he sees thing that aren't even open , SMH!) So Tyler and Hawk too, need to pick things up, with some efficient scoring.

Also, I don't know how Huggy is playing it this year, but with him having 5 guards in his rotation, Uconn speeding things up and playing with pressure, might be a bad strategy.

 

[TripleDribbleMan]

Tyler had a huge game at Marquette last year, no hostile crowd, but that is what is needed from him.

I had hoped both AJ and Akok would make strides in their offensive games but they are serious works in progress. Akok's offense is all 3s, dunks and putbacks off O-boards. He has no low post game of any kind. AJ can't shoot 3s, but it looked like he had developed a mid range floater earlier in the season. Recently, that shot has not been going down either. So his offensive game is all fast break dunks and putbacks on O-boards. Making him very limited in a half court game. With AJ out their in a half court offense, you are playing 4 on 5. With Akok you are playing 5 on 5 because he is at least the threat of making a 3, which AJ is not. In recent games AJ was left wide open to shoot 3s multiple times and I only saw him hoist one, which grazed the backboard and didn't touch rim. Those kinds of bricks hurt the confidence, and AJ is the kind of kid whose confidence seems to go up and down like the stock market.

 

[the Blades]

Not gonna help this week but....

 

[the Blades]

Game preview from the other side:

https://wvusports.com/news/2021/12/...e-on-tap-wednesday-night-at-the-coliseum.aspx

https://wvsportsnow.com/five-things-to-know-before-wvu-vs-uconn/

 

[TripleDribbleMan]

The tale of the tape is interesting as UConn is noticeably better statistically than WVU in defensive FG%, 3 point shooting, FT shooting and rebounding, in which West Virginia has a negative number. I am surprised by WVU's 30% 3 point shooting (which really sucks) and negative rebound margin. However those stats can change in a home game before a big crowd.

in their high major games they have beaten Pitt and Clemson and lost to Marquette. The only one of those 3 games at home was the 15 point win over Pitt, before a home sellout crowd. In that game WVU allowed 57% FGs and was outrebounded by 16, yet managed to win by 15. They did make 9 3s that game out of 22. The 3s sometimes fall a lot more easily at home.

 

[the Blades]

I listened to some of Huggy's pre game. The WVU reporters brought up WVU's pressure D and Uconn having problems with pressure in the BFA. Huggy tried to downplay his teams D, so I'm sure it will be a factor (AJ you listening ?.... take care of the rock )

also, Sean McNeil their starting SG is a game time decision with back issues that forced him to miss the last game.

 

[TripleDribbleMan]

The WVU press is savvy to ask those questions. The stats show WVU is forcing 19 TOs per game but also suggest that the press is being beat a lot for easy buckets, based on the defensive FG%. Whether UConn can beat it consistently is a valid question that will factor in the game tonight. WVU is listed as a 2.5 point favorite

 

[TripleDribbleMan]

BTW speaking of AJ he is your team leader in TOs and has a disappointing 2.7 to 2.6 assist to TO ratio. 1 to 1 assist to TO ratio is not what you really want. On the other hand Sanogo with 21 TOs is right behind AJ and this is not what you want either from your 5, against 7 assists. Share the ball and take care of the ball!!!!!

 

[CaNOLEE]

Hawkins looking like a deer in headlights so far. And we can’t let them get multiple chances.

Whaley playing well.

 

[CaNOLEE]

They definitely are getting a home whistle.

 

[CaNOLEE]

Now a no call on a blatant goal tend. Might as well not even come out of the locker room after the half.

 

[CaNOLEE]

Hawkins 0-6 with 4 turnovers. Have a night.

he might be the most valuable WVU player since Jerry west.

 

[the Blades]

REFS were f%ckin brutal with the beating they allowed WVU to get away with on the ballhandler, then decide to call touch fouls and guesses on Uconn late....Uconn's road shooting obviously sucked. 3-21 on 3's...SMH

BUT Typical DH choke job because his offense refuses to work the ball towards the hoops in crunch time and that's the mind set he has imposed on his players.... pick up your dribble 30 feet away from the basket (BB 101 lunacy) playing hot potato while guys are running around trying to set screens, hoping someone will get back to the trapped player to bail them out, while nobody is looking to beat their man towards the hoop..(especially when you can't shoot)..... This is the offense he created and it sucks, I thought there was hope in the 1st half because Uconn scored most of their points off of dribble penetration.... then crunch time and it's back to the DH hot potato suckfest.

 

[TripleDribbleMan]

Register report:

https://www.nhregister.com/uconn/ar...ls-at-West-Virginia-16686709.php?src=nhruconn

Watching the game I thought it was very similar at the end to the Michigan State loss, UConn had a lead and then there was a scoring drought caused by a combination of good opponent defense and poor UConn execution. AJ again had a critical TO playing too fast (his only TO of the game at the worst possible time), Akok failed to box out Osaboughein which was like the FT rebound mess against MSU, Polley and Cole missing 3s, Hawkins 0-7 FGs and 4 TOs. 3 of 21 on 3s usually is not going to win a game anywhere, but UConn was in a position to do it and just could not make winning type plays at the end. They are not that far from being 10-0, but some of the late game execution which is looking like a pattern is very concerning.

 

[the Blades]

a combination of good opponent defense and poor UConn execution. They are not that far from being 10-0, but some of the late game execution which is looking like a pattern is very concerning.

This....as I mentioned above, you have to attack pressure off the dribble, not play hot potato 30 feet from the hoop waiting for someone to get wide open off a screen.....Even former PC coach Tim Welsh said as much about Uconn late in the game, stop with this perimeter BS and take the ball to the hoop and force the officials to call a foul. Or crash the boards on a miss, something Uconn is actually good at. But DH's got this quick ball movement, pass it around off screens (which they work on in practice constantly) , etched in their minds, that doesn't work in crunch time. Especially If a team is overplaying them, while Uconn just keeps working backwards away from the hoop, alot of times to a big who can't even dribble. (who should never be touching the ball late game out there anyway) So It's DH's offense which is to passive off the dribble, when pressured in crunch time.

Also: I don't buy that RJ or Gaffney aren't fast enough and can't have the ball in a clear out and attack the rim. RJ's showed he's not fast but he's a strongh enough, almost like a left handed KEA to take it to the rim on his own and create or dish. Same with GAF but it's the mindest on offense DH has created so they hesitate and run the movement offense instead. I just think it's all about DH's stubbornness to keep running the same sets, while good coaches on the other side are adjusting to him and he won't change.

 

[TripleDribbleMan]

KEA had a much better, very low to the floor dribble than RJ and never backed up on pressure. I remember KEA frequently dribbling through pressure. Because of his compact, power dribble low to the floor, he was very hard to pick. I still can remember against Duke 1999 national championship game when he dribbled through the entire Duke team and scored on a teardrop over Elton Brand, which was awesome. Nobody on this team can handle like KEA could.

I agree though that RJ has the necessary strength to drive to the hole, absorb contact, and power up his shot and sometimes score and get fouled. What he needs to do more of (when he is not trapped) is that awesome "spin cycle" move he made in the first half, which left McNeil defending air. That move doesn't work when he is trapped though. My sense is that RJ is confused when trapped and looks for help that is never coming. When guards get trapped someone has to go to the ball, this is pretty fundamental. And they do need to start working on that. The execution in the last 3 minutes sucked donkey balls on offense and on defense. Just wasn't winning basketball and this was a very winnable game.

 

[the Blades]

KEA had a much better, very low to the floor dribble than RJ and never backed up on pressure. Nobody on this team can handle like KEA could.

I agree though that RJ has the necessary strength to drive to the hole, absorb contact, and power up his shot and sometimes score and get fouled. What he needs to do more of (when he is not trapped) is that awesome "spin cycle" move he made in the first half, which left McNeil defending air. That move doesn't work when he is trapped though. My sense is that RJ is confused when trapped and looks for help that is never coming. When guards get trapped someone has to go to the ball, this is pretty fundamental. And they do need to start working on that. The execution in the last 3 minutes sucked donkey balls on offense and on defense. Just wasn't winning basketball and this was a very winnable game.

Sometimes it's the scheme not the players. KEA never had to deal with the ball screen traps that New Britian's Tom Thibodeau perfected and everyone uses now. You either have to clear out, beat the trap b4 it get's there or stop bringing a screen so far away from the hoop that the D also uses the half court line as another defender. And stop with the stupid hand offs to bigs to kill the penetration/ guards momentum, that's exactly what these traps are designed to do.. It adjustments and recognition that DH isn't making IMHO.

PS ---If you look at most of Uconn's offense in the first half ( when they still couldn't shoot) it was because of dribbling by the traps before they set or not starting the offense so far out. Then in crunch time everything Uconn does starts backwards farther from the hoop.