Team Chemistry

[UConnDan97]

So here we are, near the end of the season, and the boys are really starting to come together. There is a realistic chance that we get into the dance and we are starting to play some great ball.

And I attribute it all to the team chemistry. The biggest change is in the team chemistry. And it shouldn't shock anyone that it had to take this long to happen. We lost 5 guys that would essentially be a favorite to win the national championship this year if they were a separate team (Napier, Daniels, Giffey, Kromah, and Olander). That's a lot of points to fill, but more importantly, that's a lot of roles to fill. And I think we've finally filled the roles. There's a much better understanding of who should have the ball, and when, and where. There's a better understanding on the defensive end around screens, switches, and box-outs. And most importantly, there's a lot more confidence at every position.

I'm looking forward to the rest of March and the possibility of playing in April...

 

[whaler11]

Today was great, but it really was the first team with a pulse they beat in a long time. It's one game at a time when you get to this point.

 

[UConnDan97]

Today was great, but it really was the first team with a pulse they beat in a long time. It's one game at a time when you get to this point.

Tulsa had more than a pulse when we ran them out of the gym. Cincy had a pulse. And at the time, Dayton had a pulse. This isn't the first time that we've beaten a team with a pulse by any stretch.

It's one game at a time because we were in a deep hole. But there is no denying that people are fitting much better into their roles. Their confidence is growing. We're not settling for crappy shots a lot of the time, and for the most part, we aren't dribbling confused at the top of the key for 20 seconds. One game at a time, but we look like a team that is ready to take it to the next level...

 

[AZHuskiePop]

This game is meaningless unless we run Memphis out of town.
Each next game will determine the worth of the last.

 

[OkaForPrez]

While I agree, let's say we shoot 6/20 instead of 9/20
From 3, those three misses lead to long rebounds and potentially SMU run outs, maybe we play great in a tough loss. The bottom line is when this team makes shots it can set up half court D and has a completely different dynamic. Brimah playing a foul free first half and (for the most part) staying on the floor on help defense with his hands straight up was the biggest improvement.

 

[whaler11]

Tulsa had more than a pulse when we ran them out of the gym. Cincy had a pulse. And at the time, Dayton had a pulse. This isn't the first time that we've beaten a team with a pulse by any stretch.

It's one game at a time because we were in a deep hole. But there is no denying that people are fitting much better into their roles. Their confidence is growing. We're not settling for crappy shots a lot of the time, and for the most part, we aren't dribbling confused at the top of the key for 20 seconds. One game at a time, but we look like a team that is ready to take it to the next level...

Dan it's March and I said it's been a while since they beat a team with a pulse and you brought up wins from November and January 10th.

If you'd like argue Tulsa has a pulse I guess that game could be on the table.

 

[UConnDan97]

This game is meaningless unless we run Memphis out of town.
Each next game will determine the worth of the last.

Of our 8-man rotation today, 4 are sophomores and 1 is a freshman (and only 1 will be gone next year, although he's our most important 1). Today was anything but meaningless. These kids are going to build a lot off of today's win.

Running Memphis out of town will help our long-shot chances of getting an at-large bid, but there is nothing that would make today meaningless...

 

[cohenzone]

Tulsa had more than a pulse when we ran them out of the gym. Cincy had a pulse. And at the time, Dayton had a pulse. This isn't the first time that we've beaten a team with a pulse by any stretch.

It's one game at a time because we were in a deep hole. But there is no denying that people are fitting much better into their roles. Their confidence is growing. We're not settling for crappy shots a lot of the time, and for the most part, we aren't dribbling confused at the top of the key for 20 seconds. One game at a time, but we look like a team that is ready to take it to the next level...

The Tulsa game and today are probably the two wins that stand out for the high level of play for almost the whole 40 minutes. It's been the extended bad minutes that have produced some of the losses and the need to expend a lot of energy in come backs, even in some of the Ws. There is clearly a lot of talent on this team, but consistency, good decision making and the ability to stop the inside game have been the negative issues, with consistency being, to me, the one that dictates a lot of how the other negatives are eliminated or minimized.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Dan it's March and I said it's been a while since they beat a team with a pulse and you brought up wins from November and January 10th.

I get that it sounds Debbie Downer-ish to make this observation, but the theme with this team all season is that what looks like a step forward is often followed by a resounding step back, so I'm with you - it'll be nice if they come out and thump an inferior Memphis squad. Until then, this is a great win but it doesn't necessarily portend some massive uptick in consistency. The tone of this board will revert right back to where it usually is if they have 17 points at halftime against Memphis.

 

[UConnDan97]

While I agree, let's say we shoot 6/20 instead of 9/20
From 3, those three misses lead to long rebounds and potentially SMU run outs, maybe we play great in a tough loss. The bottom line is when this team makes shots it can set up half court D and has a completely different dynamic. Brimah playing a foul free first half and (for the most part) staying on the floor on help defense with his hands straight up was the biggest improvement.

And let's say we didn't miss 7 free throws. And let's say we didn't get outrebounded by 3. And let's say we didn't have 1 more turnover. And if my aunt had senhor testiculos, she'd be my uncle.

We didn't win today because we had some miraculous shooting night. We won today because we dribbled-drived and dribble-drive-dished. We won because, as you already mentioned, Brimah didn't take himself off the court early. We won because we played a much more solid game on the glass against their bigs with Nolan at the 4. None of that was luck. Most of that was a good sign of things to come...

 

[UConnDan97]

Dan it's March and I said it's been a while since they beat a team with a pulse and you brought up wins from November and January 10th.

If you'd like argue Tulsa has a pulse I guess that game could be on the table.

???

I thought you were referring to the season in general. I didn't know you meant in the last month. But in the last month, we've beaten the top 2 teams in our conference. And yes, I will argue that Tulsa has a pulse, since they are still in the 1 slot in the AAC...

 

[Chief00]

Good shooting cures all woes

 

[CTBasketball]

Good shooting cures all woes

Yeah we shot 45% from 3 - you tend to have a good chance to win when you shoot that well.

 

[NEforceUConn]

When the shots drop you get high.

Lets hope they can remember for Memphis.

 

[Cheeky]

Good shooting cures all woes

So do nice boobies.

 

[OkaForPrez]

And let's say we didn't miss 7 free throws. And let's say we didn't get outrebounded by 3. And let's say we didn't have 1 more turnover. And if my aunt had senhor testiculos, she'd be my uncle.

We didn't win today because we had some miraculous shooting night. We won today because we dribbled-drived and dribble-drive-dished. We won because, as you already mentioned, Brimah didn't take himself off the court early. We won because we played a much more solid game on the glass against their bigs with Nolan at the 4. None of that was luck. Most of that was a good sign of things to come...

better looks today for sure, but we still caught a few breaks (boats three as the shot clock expired, d hams contested look down 2 with 7.5 to go).

All year long when we've shot in the 40%+ range from 3 we've won, in the 20% range in losses. A lot of that is because when we execute better we get better looks, but we've missed our share of wide open looks all year long. I do think we're moving in the right direction, but if the shots aren't falling against Memphis let's not act like the chemistry all of a sudden splintered. Make shots, get Ws.

 

[UConnDan97]

Yeah we shot 45% from 3 - you tend to have a good chance to win when you shoot that well.

It was a nice percentage from 3, don't get me wrong. But we're shooting 35% from 3 on the season. It's not like this is some sort of aberration...

 

[champs99and04]

I get that it sounds Debbie Downer-ish to make this observation, but the theme with this team all season is that what looks like a step forward is often followed by a resounding step back, so I'm with you - it'll be nice if they come out and thump an inferior Memphis squad. Until then, this is a great win but it doesn't necessarily portend some massive uptick in consistency. The tone of this board will revert right back to where it usually is if they have 17 points at halftime against Memphis.

I tend to agree, and it's also worth noting that the spread was essentially a pick'em, so it's not as if this can be viewed as a particularly surprising result even in a vacuum. Personally, I will be more impressed if they win @ Temple next weekend.

 

[CTBasketball]

It was a nice percentage from 3, don't get me wrong. But we're shooting 35% from 3 on the season. It's not like this is some sort of aberration...

What really allowed that percentage to go up though was the entry passes down low. We gave Facey and Brimah good looks from within 10 feet. Purvis also driving often helped a lot too. Instead of putting pressure towards the guards on the perimeter (making it harder to shoot from outside), the defense was a lot more balanced. We were able to find weaknesses and our shooting percentage went up as a result. Good things.

 

[joober jones]

I have a good feeling about the Memphis game, simply because there's no way they'll go into that one without a huge chip on their shoulders.

 

[UConnDan97]

This board cracks me up.

Everyone is hedging against the next loss. People saying that they won't be impressed about a top25 win as much as they will with a win against Temple, which we should have beaten in the first game anyways. I love the "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude. It's the same attitude that people took (and somehow continue to take) with Kevin Ollie as the coach...

 

[Scot-e]

I love a good W against a quality team anytime and really enjoyed that game- it was my favorite except for the ones in PR and that had everything to do with the beach.

Great D = chemistry for most UCONN teams and we had that is spades tonight.
Like everyone else loved seeing RP step up- we would have 20 wins already this season if RP played this well out of the gate.

Lots of fun to watch. We are Doomed!!!

 

[OkaForPrez]

It was a nice percentage from 3, don't get me wrong. But we're shooting 35% from 3 on the season. It's not like this is some sort of aberration...

Exactly, 35% on the season 43% in wins 26% in losses. It's not an aberration, its the trend of the entire year. When we shoot well from deep we win, when we don't we lose.

 

[UConnSwag11]

it wasn't so much the three ball falling as it was brimah staying on the floor until the last few minutes of the game... also purvis attacking the basket and the team hitting fts...purvis and hamilton exploited the mistmatch when moore was on them... back to the chemistry, they looked very happy and loose out there... giving high fives, smiling and smacking each other (tsam obviously)... i think that's just as important as the threes you guys are saying... i mean they were even doing the three sweep

 

[UConnDan97]

they looked very happy and loose out there... giving high fives, smiling and smacking each other (tsam obviously)... i think that's just as important as the threes you guys are saying... i mean they were even doing the three sweep

^^^ Bingo!!! We have a winner...