What's up with Louisville's ability to make UConn give up?

[Hans Sprungfeld]

We don't have a bench to rest Bazz/Boat. Omar shot well but struggled with turnovers, so we couldn't have him at the 2 for very long, and RJ is a bit out of his league.

With no depth, you sometimes have to try to settle down and get the game back under control when the other team is turning everything up a notch and has you on the ropes. We needed a couple patient possessions. But those didn't work either. The Bazz 3 in the corner that missed was big - Siva came down and made one to push it to 8, and we were swimming upstream from there.

That was the killer. For those who single out individual players and complain that the team gave up . . .

News Flash: UConn beaten by a better team, number 1 ranked Louisville.

I never stopped watching, and I like this team much more than last year's.

 

[gibhunter]

Right, since UConn beat #7 UL at UL 68-51 in 2009 final four year with Thabeet doing to them what Dieng did to us this year, these are the results:

2/1/10 UL 82 - UConn 69, blowout at the end of first half at UL.

Our championship year:
1/29/11 UL 79 - UConn 78 OT at UConn
2/18/11 UL 71 - UConn 58, blowout loss at UL where UL lead by 16 with 3 to go and stepped off the gas.
3/12/11 UConn 69 - UL 66. UConn gets their revenge and BET championship in a win over UL.

2/6/12 UL 80 - UConn 59, a 2nd half blowout at UL.

Today, UL 73 - UConn 58, another 2nd half blowout at the hands of Siva and Dieng.

By my count, that's four blowout losses in just under three years. Granted I'll give them the 5-1 record against UConn as long as that 1 is for all the marbles. But the blowouts with UConn seemingly giving up are troubling.

 

[ctchamps]

That was the killer. For those who single out individual players and complain that the team gave up . . .

News Flash: UConn beaten by a better team, number 1 ranked Louisville.

I never stopped watching, and I like this team much more than last year's.

I'm with you. I wanted a victory or closer game same as everyone. But realistically this UConn team has limitations and I'm surprised they are where they are. I'm hoping they don't get down after this game and bounce back against Pitt.

 

[NEforceUConn]

It was a downward spiral tonight.

We got absolutely nothing from our bigs on either end for all 40 minutes, which was a problem. Our guards played very well for a half, but Louisville extended pressure in the second half and made us work harder. Our guards tried to stay in attack mode and go to the rim, but a couple times we didn't get the calls to get to the line, which led to empty possessions. Then, any time they tried to penetrate, Louisville bigs met them 5-10 feet from the basket (since they didn't have to worry about their men) and we had nowhere to go.

With attacking the basket not working, UConn went back to the outside again, but they were admittedly worn down, and their jump shots - mostly contested - missed.

By then, we lost our confidence, UL looked fresher and faster,and just buried us.

We needed Bazz to make a 3 in there just to stop the bleeding, but he had two good looks come out. Those are what I would consider "clutch" shots with 10 minutes left. The game was spiraling away from us and we needed the bucket badly.

Great points! UConn could have used a few foul calls when our guards went inside. The no call on Bazz's attenpted layup was bad. I was kind of hoping for the ghost of Calhoun to get Ted up to protest the non-calls. Oh well. Last point and maybe it was because they were tired but all game long UConn players were getting knocked to the floor, and the game played on.

Maybe Sio Moore can suit up and contribute a few hard fouls to keep the other team honest.

If UL was playing Duke this evening i got to think the refs would have called 8 more fouls on UL.

 

[jorge34]

They never rest in any game.

Why did they become so passive?

it's a fair question

Siva, Smith and the guards were in their damn jocks. Are you serious with this nonsense? They didn't give up, they got beat. Is it really that hard to realize just how good Louisville is?

UConn will get better, and if they got something out of the bigs tonight , would have kept the game closer. Can't play 3 on 5...or more like 3 on 7 with the way Louisville plays.

 

[UC990411]

This has to be a joke right?

No, it happened last year and this year, and in 2011 were we're being annihilated at halftime. We came back in 11 to make it respectable but still lost

 

[Gurleyman]

They never rest in any game.

Why did they become so passive?

it's a fair question

Because we were the ones on the ropes, and we had to make the adjustment to stay in the game.

Not every game is played at this speed. As we know from our hard-pressing teams of yore, it wears you out having to constantly exert yourself end to end just to get open on offense or to get back on defense.

As the game was becoming more frenetic and playing into UL's hands, we made the conscious effort a few times to try to slow it down. There was one time we had a semi-break (3-on-2 maybe with another defender closing), down by 8 or 10, but it didn't look promising - maybe it was RJ on one side and Tyler on the other and Dieng waiting in the paint, and Bazz pulled it back out. In real time I thought "smart, let's get settled back down here". I think we ended up with a good look from five feet from DD, but he missed it.

A couple other times we tried to drive early in the clock, but the help defense met us 10 feet from the basket and there was nowhere to go.

In a perfect world, we kill 30 seconds on one of those slow down possessions and score, letting us calmly get back and set up our defense. Get a stop, maybe draw a foul and go to the line to catch our breath, and maybe we can stay within striking distance, keep the crowd in it and find ourselves down five coming out of the last media timeout, when it's anybody's game.

It didn't work out that way, but we likely weren't going to hang with them playing end to end either - they were fresher, and infinitely more effective in the open floor attacking us than we were attacking them. Post presence matters in the halfcourt, but it makes a big difference in the open floor too.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

We had no answer for Louisville, and they knew it. Couldn't break down the zone in the 2nd half, and didn't try opening it up with threes until it was too late in the 2nd half, after shooting well from deep in the 1st.

Smith and Siva were getting by our guys at will, and we had no Okafor or Thabeet down there. As soon as our bigs went straight up and immobile, Smith and Siva merely maneuvered around them or dropped it off with a bounce pass to one of their bigs who was
always in position baseline.

Not even an Oriaki or Roscoe? Still wondering why they folded up their mental toughness and ran away.

 

[TheChamps990411]

We lost to the #1 team in the country folks! We have no post scorers,post defenders or backcourt depth. i know we are excited about beating notre dame but louisville is a legit elite top 5 team this year and just for us to be able to hang with them for 25 minutes is an accomplishment itself. they are far more talented and deep then we are. we were beat down by a superior team and i know this because this is what we`ve been doing for the last 20 years.
remember those games when uconn had a loaded squad and we were ranked high and we would go on the road against teams that had a good record and decent talent and fans were smelling upset and we`d go in there and let them hang around for awhile then jc would say enough is enough and we`d pull away with a big second half run to ice the game and pretty much blow out the other team? well the shoe was on the other foot tonight.

 

[Ts5034]

I think people sometimes forget that its really not about this year and wins and losses dont mean the same thing as they would in a normal season. Its about building the bridge to 2013-2014. Everyhing that happens this season could be a good experience for this team as long as they can learn something from it. That goes for KO as well. As hard as it is, you have to look at it that way because when they play the final regular season game March 9 the season is over. Sometimes i forget about that. The good news right now is everyones coming back next year and we have a solid recruiting class coming in with post players so help is on the way. The Big East will lose a little bit of an edge with the defections of Pitt and Syracuse so i expect this team to be a legitimate contender and a top 5 team in the conference.

 

[freescooter]

I thought the most telling thing happened with about 3 minutes left. UConn was down by a bunch, but a couple of quick scores could have made it interesting over the final minutes, and hey, you never know. Tehy basically needed to make some 3s. But rather than shoot, they took almost 30 seconds setting up a play. Might as well have waved a white flag. Game was over. They pretty much stopped thinking they could win by that point. it was just a case of trying to keep the score from getting out of hand.

 

[kyle]

At least we're not Indiana. Eleven straight losses to Wisconsin.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I thought the most telling thing happened with about 3 minutes left. UConn was down by a bunch, but a couple of quick scores could have made it interesting over the final minutes, and hey, you never know. Tehy basically needed to make some 3s. But rather than shoot, they took almost 30 seconds setting up a play. Might as well have waved a white flag. Game was over. They pretty much stopped thinking they could win by that point. it was just a case of trying to keep the score from getting out of hand.

With three minutes left they were down by 18. You're right, a nine-pointer would have cut it to single digits. In any event, they took three threes in the next 40 seconds. Hard to say that not taking the first horrible shot available (in favor of a likely equally terrible three seconds later) is the sign of surrender.

The most telling thing that happened was the second half started.

 

[uconnfan68]

It's actually a fair question.

UConn completely lost confidence. They played below their abilities

Why?

Just to piss you off.

 

[zls44]

It's actually a fair question.

UConn completely lost confidence. They played below their abilities

Why?

Your passive-aggressive critique of Kevin Ollie is wearing thin. At least freescooter comes out with his reasons, and defends them, which is totally fair. You clearly have a big problem with Ollie, its obvious in all of your posts. They're backhanded compliments, except without the compliments.

I'd love to know why. What's your beef?

 

[mauconnfan]

Once a team breaks you a few times they get in your head. This is a great UL team. UConn is better than expected and KO is doing a great job. Next.

UConn and KO are doing a wonderful job I agree. As far as Louisville being "great" I can not agree. They are very good, tough and deep. If they shoot the ball good they can be real good but they don't too often. While they could potentially be a FF team I doubt they win it all. Smith is inconsistent and Siva can't shoot it straight. Someone with bigger somewhat quick guards will be a match up problem. I felt UConn coaches and guards did an awful job keeping these 2 in front of them and forcing them to take jump shots, which they prefer not to. Some other tourney teams will and eventually their inability to score will hurt. But again, they are very good and tough!!

 

[gibhunter]

Fact is UConn had four blowout losses to UL in three years. One OT loss and one win. No other team has had such success against UConn with the exception of maybe Syracuse with the same 5-1 record against UConn in three years and 2 blowout wins. Hopefully Ollie can reverse the trend and quick.

Frontcourt is the Key. Thabeet singlehandedly made Louisville give up in Feb 2009. They looked just like this year's version of UConn, absolutely terrified of the rim. We need post presence or this will keep on repeating.

Ps. That blowout win at UL UConn was ranked #1. Maybe there is something to that ranking after all.

 

[freescooter]

The most telling thing that happened was the second half started.

Good point.

 

[Senore]

Fact is UConn had four blowout losses to UL in three years. One OT loss and one win. No other team has had such success against UConn with the exception of maybe Syracuse with the same 5-1 record against UConn in three years and 2 blowout wins. Hopefully Ollie can reverse the trend and quick.

Frontcourt is the Key. Thabeet singlehandedly made Louisville give up in Feb 2009. They looked just like this year's version of UConn, absolutely terrified of the rim. We need post presence or this will keep on repeating.

Ps. That blowout win at UL UConn was ranked #1. Maybe there is something to that ranking after all.

I remember that like a book.

Louisville's elevated respect for you guys is your own worst enemy in this rivalry. Nor is it like you haven't actually earned it. Both programs play a no prisoner's style - it just is what it is. We had a 17 point lead against the wankers at UK and coasted and let them back in the game. Know that "finishing" has become a needed lesson for this UofL team. There's actually more respect implicit in playing all 40 minutes than it must appear. UConn looms in our windshields as large as ever - and it probably will never change.

 

[UConn990411]

I thought the most telling thing happened with about 3 minutes left. UConn was down by a bunch, but a couple of quick scores could have made it interesting over the final minutes, and hey, you never know. Tehy basically needed to make some 3s. But rather than shoot, they took almost 30 seconds setting up a play. Might as well have waved a white flag. Game was over. They pretty much stopped thinking they could win by that point. it was just a case of trying to keep the score from getting out of hand.

You know what else is telling? You were nowhere to be found after UConn's big road win at Notre Dame, but you've been extremely active since the Louisville loss.

Troll.

 

[caw]

Right, since UConn beat #7 UL at UL 68-51 in 2009 final four year with Thabeet doing to them what Dieng did to us this year, these are the results:

2/1/10 UL 82 - UConn 69, blowout at the end of first half at UL.
2/28/10 UL 78 - UConn 76, close game.

Our championship year:
1/29/11 UL 79 - UConn 78 OT at UConn
2/18/11 UL 71 - UConn 58, blowout loss at UL where UL lead by 16 with 3 to go and stepped off the gas.
3/12/11 UConn 69 - UL 66. UConn gets their revenge and BET championship in a win over UL.

2/6/12 UL 80 - UConn 59, a 2nd half blowout at UL.

Today, UL 73 - UConn 58, another 2nd half blowout at the hands of Siva and Dieng.

By my count, that's four blowout losses in just under three years. Granted I'll give them the 5-1 record against UConn as long as that 1 is for all the marbles. But the blowouts with UConn seemingly giving up are troubling.

Missed one.

Really it's not that hard to see why it's happened.

UL plays a very aggressive defense with a lot of bumping and grinding, and though less this year, a lot of grabbing also. It wears lots of teams out.

UConn has been hurt by the past 4 years with scholarship reductions. Depth has been an issue every year since 2009.

2009 - Price, Dyson, Austrie, Walker, Beverly
2010 - Dyson, Walker, Beverly
2011 - Walker, Lamb, Napier, Beverly
2012 - Lamb, Napier, Boatright
2013 - Boatright, Napier, Calhoun, Evans

In 2010, UConn played with basically two guards. They played one close game because Kemba was Kemba. Beverly was there, but a junior Beverly was not very good and didn't play much at all.

In 2011 UConn had Napier off the bench, which is one of the reasons they won a game. A lot had to do with Kemba being Kemba.

In 2012, UConn started the three guards, also Blaney was coaching.

In 2013, UConn started the three guards. I love Evans, but there is huge difference bringing a guard like Walker or Austrie off the bench and Evans.

Sometimes you can get away with having fewer guards if they are big guards and can take the punishment, or break the press by passing over it, then attack the rim.