- Joined
- May 20, 2015
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction Score
- 50
Had a lot of family time sitting around talking about UConn bball this wknd. Started thinking about the shot clock next yr--KO REALLY slowed the game down to a crawl in the NC yr. Even the Kemba yr, Calhoun had the team pound the ball a lot on the perimeter, keeping other teams from running. Wasting clock is a good strategy in the college game because of the poor jump shooters. Limiting total possessions is also a good way to beat "more talented" teams with smarts/experience (not that UConn wasn't VERY talented in Shabazz's sr yr), much like our Huskies did to Arizona ('11), MSU ('14), and UK (both yrs).
In tournament games, KO has his guys gang rebound on the defensive end, leading to few leak-outs. UConn fast breaks over the last couple of yrs, I would argue, are mostly off live-ball turnovers, especially in close games. Furthermore, his offense is very deliberate--KO seems comfortable having the guys he trusts pound the ball. Plus, teams constantly zone up against us, and both Calhoun and KO have seemed to prepare guys to be patient with zones, running clock and playing carefully against teams packing the paint. This slow pace in tournament games also helps UConn's defense, which has just been monstrous during the previous two runs. I particularly remember in the last NC yr, when we were low on quality bigs, Deandre and Niels being forced to double the post and bang with bigger guys, with KO even shouting defensive instructions DURING those interminable possessions.
One might even say that the '14 team would not have gone on their magical run if KO and Shabazz hadn't slowed the game down to a crawl.
How do you guys feel about this? Will we be fine w the 30-sec clock? Am I totally wrong and could this actually be GOOD for us? Will KO change his recruiting to target more jumpshooting (Gibbs is a great start) to counteract this? Curious about other views. Hope I'm wrong--quite frankly I must admit I voted for "Bad."
In tournament games, KO has his guys gang rebound on the defensive end, leading to few leak-outs. UConn fast breaks over the last couple of yrs, I would argue, are mostly off live-ball turnovers, especially in close games. Furthermore, his offense is very deliberate--KO seems comfortable having the guys he trusts pound the ball. Plus, teams constantly zone up against us, and both Calhoun and KO have seemed to prepare guys to be patient with zones, running clock and playing carefully against teams packing the paint. This slow pace in tournament games also helps UConn's defense, which has just been monstrous during the previous two runs. I particularly remember in the last NC yr, when we were low on quality bigs, Deandre and Niels being forced to double the post and bang with bigger guys, with KO even shouting defensive instructions DURING those interminable possessions.
One might even say that the '14 team would not have gone on their magical run if KO and Shabazz hadn't slowed the game down to a crawl.
How do you guys feel about this? Will we be fine w the 30-sec clock? Am I totally wrong and could this actually be GOOD for us? Will KO change his recruiting to target more jumpshooting (Gibbs is a great start) to counteract this? Curious about other views. Hope I'm wrong--quite frankly I must admit I voted for "Bad."