This better not be the start of a SB Nation curse: Post game thoughts from UConn/G'Town
by Andrew Porter on Jan 9, 2010 4:50 PM EST
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PrintFor once, I am glad that I was unable to watch a majority of a UConn game. Not because I missed the painful aspects of watching a win slip away, but because I saw every second of that, but rather because I avoided UConn's early 19-point lead, which reduces the pain a bit.
Still, it is hard for a UConn fan to find much to be happy about right now. This team has some very fatal flaws -- four to be exact -- and they all reared their ugly head today. Hit the jump for my thoughts.
Two of the flaws are standard fare for UConn teams: free throw shooting and perimeter defense. I have made my peace with these issues -- no team is perfect and even the best UConn teams have had problems with this pair. The free throw shooting is maddening, especially in crunch time (though Alex Oriakhi does deserve credit for knocking down two big shots from the line down the stretch), but UConn's usual advantage in getting to the line helps ameliorate this a bit. Still, when you lose by three and miss eight free throws, it hurts.
As far back as I can remember UConn has been unable to consistently stop opponents on the perimeter, especially when someone gets hot. Today Austin Freeman just became one in a long list of players to start feeling it and subsequently put up career numbers against the Huskies. Like I said though, I'm used to these flaws, Calhoun has proven that his system works despite them and I'm willing to suck it up if it means a Final Four every five years.
The big problem comes with UConn's two other main flaws, which are unique to this squad. The first is rebounding, especially defensively. UConn gave up 12 offensive rebounds today, including a few down the stretch that allowed the Hoyas to both retake and ultimately retain the lead. Its no surprise that UConn is struggling on the boards compared to years past, losing Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien will do that to a team. To make up for some of that lost production on the boards the Huskies are trying to beat teams with speed and athleticism, which brings us to our fourth flaw: an incredibly inefficient offense, which means that instead of using their style of play to counter the rebounding problem, they wind up compounding it.
Since both starting guards seem to think putting their head down and charging at the hoop is a viable way to run an offense, and there isn't a 7'3" Tanzanian lurking to clean up the boards and balance out the entire squads bad shot selection, the team's efficiency goes down. Look at where UConn was ranked nationally for offensive efficiency in the last five years and where the team finished to see if you see a pattern:
2005 -- 2nd round -- 44th
2006 -- Elite 8 -- 6th
2007 -- Missed NIT -- 192nd
2008 -- 1st round -- 33rd
2009 -- Final Four -- 15th
2010 -- ????? -- 109th
So yeah, not good. But I don't think the team is irredeemable, if Kemba Walker can return to how he was playing at the start of the season and the defense plays as well as it has (which is very, very good, btw), I think the Huskies can still cause some (limited) damage in March. But that will be a lot easier to do if they can a) control the post better, b) play more efficiently or c) both.
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What in the name of meaningful statistical analysis
Well, that’s a bit of a telling number when it has a strong correlation like that. A bit discouraging.
From that, allow me to relax myself for a bit and take a purely statistical stance on the game. Let’s pretend I didn’t watch:
First, we lost to a top 15 team by three on the road. We’ve said all year that we’re overrated, so this shouldn’t be a huge shocker, and we were competitive. Not the ideal result, but nothing to be super bummed about.
We outshot the opponent. 48% – 41%. No team lit it up from three—we were 33%, GTown 35%. We also outrebounded them, if only by 4. Seems about right, seeing as they play a three guard lineup but have lottery pick center.
Looks like it came down to turnovers and free throws. Free throws especially. 53 percent and only 17 trips to the line? We usually take many more free throws than that, and make around 60-70% of them.
Bright spots include eleven off the bench from Tuff McJuice and a career-first double-double from Uruk Hai.
Anyway, Austin Freeman beat us. We have a history of getting beat by one player, but also a history of letting one player do what he wants and reminding him that it’s a team game and winning anyway.
And Ater continues to do little to nothing for us. We’re still a pre-Ater team, except for his literal presence.
Anyway,
That was an incredibly frustrating loss. Really? We blew a 19 point lead by failing to defend one guy? And we lob up a turnover on the final possession down only one? After getting 4 offensive rebounds? Cincinnati might have been worse, but this win would have felt a lot better.
history
you also now have a history of losing to georgetown
hoya have won four straight against the cons. havent done that since early 90’s.
time for calhoun to hang up the hat. yelling about players not executing during post-game press conferences is no excuse for not making in game adjustments.
Good talk.
"UConn's usual advantage in getting to the line"
I think that’s the very first time I’ve ever heard a fan admit their team is favored by officials. I commend your objectivity sir, your team is indeed the darling of Big East officiating crews.
Homer: Aw, twenty dollars! I wanted a peanut!
Homer's Brain: Twenty dollars can buy many peanuts!
Homer: Explain how!
Homer's Brain: Money can be exchanged for goods and services!
Homer: Woo-hoo!
by bigbluethruandthru on Jan 9, 2010 11:16 PM EST reply actions
I love this.
You do realize that style of play has something to do with FT’s? Like, that someone has to go at someone near the basket to even bring about a situation during which a foul COULD be called?
Some examples of offenses that don’t shoot a ton of FT’s: Pseudo-Princeton, motion offenses that rely on 3’s.
Some that do: Very athletic non-shooters who want to get out on the break, or generally attack the rim (in transition and the halfcourt).
This new site is going to make it so we have to answer to opposing team’s fans like this, huh?
Fold the football program, and deposit monies previously budgeted for said program into a savings account in Coach Calbertus Magnus's name.
As evidenced by his meh play in the NBA
If the refs hadn’t protected Thabeet all those years, his career blocks would be significantly lower. The man had more lower body contact on his blocks then anyone since Mourning. I understand your point about playing styles, a team like Notre Dame should almost never have more FT’s than the other team. But for two teams to have similar styles, and similar FG shooting stats, and for one team to then have significant advantages in FT attempts happens quite often for your team (for example http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=270360041)
Homer: Aw, twenty dollars! I wanted a peanut!
Homer's Brain: Twenty dollars can buy many peanuts!
Homer: Explain how!
Homer's Brain: Money can be exchanged for goods and services!
Homer: Woo-hoo!
by bigbluethruandthru on Jan 10, 2010 9:52 PM EST up reply actions
If you use one game, you can "prove" anything you want.
Does ‘Cuse really have an attacking style to the degree that UConn has had over the last few years? Not that many bangers at ’Cuse. Also, Calhoun teaches defense and funnels people toward shot blockers. He also recruits shot blockers. You might be mad that Thabeet blocked a lot of Syracuse shots, but it was a skill that he was good at, and he was put in a situation to get a lot of weak side blocks because of UConn’s defensive scheme.
Why would the refs favor UConn more than ’Cuse, or any other program with a well-known coach (Boeheim, Pitino, JT III, Dixon, Wright)? I mean, frankly, Calbertus Magnus is the most combative of all those coaches with the refs, as Meacham alludes to below.
Not a dime back.
Fold the football program, and deposit monies previously budgeted for said program into a savings account in Coach Calbertus Magnus's name.
When I first read that last line
I read it as, “This blog is going to make it, so we have to answer…”
That would have been so encouraging.
Also, if you want evidence of refs not favoring us, watch the end of the cincinnati game. Also, watch how Kemba and Dyson tend to sprint into moving groups of people. Players don’t have time to get set, arms flail, half the time the ball ends up over the backboard. I don’t even think they expect to score. But those aren’t difficult calls to make or dispute. Dyson has taken 116 free throws, Kemba 78. That’s well over half of the team’s total. It’s not like our forwards are getting friendly calls going up for the tip. If Dyson is on his back under the hoop, and he usually is, there was probably some legitimate contact.
Yeah, nobody's nicer to the refs than Jim Calhoun
I heard he WOULD give a dime back to the officials, just to make sure the calls are lopsided in his favor.
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