That old familiar feeling: Louisville 78, UConn 76
by Kevin Meacham on Feb 28, 2010 4:58 PM EST
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UConn blew a 13 point lead to Louisville in a game they needed to win (AT HOME!). UConn had the ball in a tie game with 60 seconds to go, and Jerome Dyson failed to come up with a play in the clutch (driving into four defenders underneath the basket, and somehow thinking he could complete a pass). UConn's opponent had the ball in a tie game in the final seconds, and they came through (Edgar Sosa blowing by Kemba Walker, who was otherwise spectacular).
If all that seems familiar, it's because it is. This was UConn's seventh loss of five points or fewer this season, and I'm inclined to believe it's not luck. It's because UConn's senior leader, Dyson, still plays like a freshman. It's because UConn's frontcourt is unbelievably terrible on offense. It's because the many flaws of this team are magnified at winning time.
UConn is what it is at this point, 29 games into a 31-game regular season. Talented, but ridiculously flawed. Capable of outrebounding Louisville by 25, and capable of turning the ball over 22 times. Capable of going up 39-26 after 18 minutes, and capable of giving up 29 points over the next six minutes of game time.
Maddening.
The good news: Even at 17-12, UConn still very much controls their Tournament destiny. Three more wins (at Notre Dame, at South Florida, BET preliminary game) put them in. Two more and I'd wager that UConn is on the very edge of the bubble, but SOS and RPI put them in.
The bad news: Do we have any reason to suspect that this schizophrenic team won't melt down on the road in one of their two remaining regular season games? That they won't fold in MSG, as these players have done in each of the last three seasons?
I think we've been burnt too many times to think otherwise.
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This year it's hard being a fan of UConn athletics..
With the football team having 5 losses of under 4 points and now basketball being 0-7 in games decided by 5 or less points..
At least the women’s basketball team is kicking ass.
I wish I was tall and black
Cardinal Laws
Beat your ass again. Viva Sosa, viva originality.
Viva I've still never heard of your blog, even though you've now brought it up twice.
Also, viva la banhammer, jackass.
Orange Bowl/dual Final Fours or bust in 2011. We're going all-in.
by Kevin Meacham on Feb 28, 2010 5:39 PM EST up reply actions
Sosa is the biggest scrub nyc pg
since sebastian telfair
by kemba walker is my hero... on Mar 1, 2010 9:06 AM EST up reply actions
christ
I finally got to a game. Besides the usual analysis I have of this team, which usually consists of “I hate these fuckers so much it’s killing me”, I have noticed that there is a strange dynamic between the Big 3. Kemba should be seeing the most of the ball, but Dyson is like a giant galactic hole; when the ball goes in, it doesn’t come out. Sticks, in turn, doesn’t even bother because he knows that he’s not getting the ball. And Kemba feels like he has to do something everytime he gets the ball because he may not see it again. You can see the bigs come down the floor looking for the ball and Dyson ignoring them, so they stop looking for it. And Dyson stops looking for them. I just think the bright side of the end of this season is that this dysfunctional triangle of terror will finally be broken, and it can be Kemba’s team and the rest of the pieces can have a chance to succeed or fail on their own merits. We may not be better next year, but we will go up and down as a team more.
Oh, and to the fan who, sick of the Louisville fan coughing weakly during UConn free throws, offered him a cough drop, you are the fan of the season. I was going to offer him a band-aid, then kick the fuck out of him. I’m a sore loser.
Agreed.
I was set to write a post Thursday/Friday saying how Dyson had restored his legacy at UConn by giving the alpha dog position to Kemba over the last few weeks. Glad I got too busy for that post.
I really think the team will be better off without Dyson next year. Jerome’s a good player – not great, good – but he simply can’t be the #1 option on a winning team. He turns the ball over too much, and he’s not that good of a shooter.
Orange Bowl/dual Final Fours or bust in 2011. We're going all-in.
by Kevin Meacham on Feb 28, 2010 7:18 PM EST up reply actions
Been banging that drum all year
Dyson’s a good player; but if I was starting a team — NBA or college or pickup — I’m not going with him, because he doesn’t play well with others. Plus, I’m worried his ballhogness is rubbing off on Kemba.
by UConnBlog Justin on Feb 28, 2010 8:20 PM EST up reply actions
well
One thing feeds another. Kemba does it because he knows that if he gives it to Dyson, he’s not getting it back. Really, the last three games, Dyson was great because he was driving from positions on the floor where he’d have an advantage, not from places that he was getting himself into a position where he had no angle either to the hoop or to pass the ball to anyone. At least Kemba has gotten so he’ll drive at the right time, pass at the right time, and pull up at the right time.
BTW I just read Calhoun’s answer to why he didn’t call a TO with 8 seconds left, and it made sense. Let Kemba get to the rack before the defense got set. Don’t know if I agree, but for a team as half-court challenges as we are, he was probably right. He’d been getting there all day, just didn’t get there the last time.
I like Calhoun's thinking.
Teams practice end of game scenarios a ton, so I’d rather see a talented ball handler try to get something done rather than allow the opposition to reset itself on defense.
by Andrew Porter on Feb 28, 2010 11:21 PM EST up reply actions
Does anyone know where I can find a replay of the game?
I was at work, and I mistakenly assumed this was an ESPN/360 game (which doesn’t make much sense in retrospect, because it’s Sunday).
by UConnBlog Justin on Feb 28, 2010 8:24 PM EST reply actions
I don't think CBS puts their games up anywhere.
So you may be stuck with highlights on this one.
Also, there are apparently a couple water polo fans out there. Good to see. For the record, I’m so far the only one who thinks UConn will beat ND and lose at South Florida. Please tell me I’m the only one who doesn’t see that gut-punch coming from a mile away?
Orange Bowl/dual Final Fours or bust in 2011. We're going all-in.
by Kevin Meacham on Feb 28, 2010 9:22 PM EST up reply actions
I think I'm a logical guy
It’s been 10 hours since the game ended. I’m a normal person, It’s just a game.
So why do I still have the overwhelming desire to go to the roof of my house and scream expletives?
If you figure out an answer
let me know. I’m 20 hours in and still want to light my head on fire.
by Andrew Porter on Mar 1, 2010 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
Why'd you ban Mr. Red?
Fold the football program, and deposit monies previously budgeted for said program into a savings account in Coach Calbertus Magnus's name.
Last time he was here...
We let those crazy accusations and trolling slide. He decided to be a repeat offender.
He’s so far the only one to fall beneath the dreaded banhammer. I’d like to keep it that way.
Orange Bowl/dual Final Fours or bust in 2011. We're going all-in.
by Kevin Meacham on Mar 2, 2010 12:03 AM EST up reply actions
It's funny, because it sounds like you're threatening me,
when I’m almost positive you’re not. If you are, that’s your right, you friggin’ pinko (I understand you’ve got to shave off the fat in the politburo periodically).
But re: Mr. Red, I think he’s a genius and philosopher-king for non-ironically posting the ID4 clip (a bunch of times!), and I kind of hoped he’d still be in my life. Oh well.
Fold the football program, and deposit monies previously budgeted for said program into a savings account in Coach Calbertus Magnus's name.
The importance of philosopher kings
is way overvalued compared the importance of the kottonmouth kings.
Also, in completely unrelated news that I want to share with other people because I think it’s important,
Chris Chelios just signed with the Atlanta Thrashers (They’re a team in the National Hockey League. Commonly referred to as the NHL. You may have heard of it, but that’s not likely.) Chris Chelios is 48 YEARS OLD. And he’s a paid professional hockey player.
Proving once again that hockey is somehow the sanest sport we have, re: destroying people’s lives. Let me tell you how many torn ACLs I’ve heard about coming from hockey. None. Dementia by age 50? Not likely. Destroyed elbows? Nope. Getting stitches during intermission and finishing the game? All the time.
however
Bear in mind that the central figure in the article didn’t wear a helmet.
and that the other people in the article played in an era with looser helmet regulations. Dunno if anyone remembers Gretzky’s famous Jofa, but it was banned for every player except him at one point.
How could I threaten a commenter who founded the Jim Calhoun School Of Being Kind Of Ornery But Also A Basketball Genius?
That was more of a hopeful last pair of sentences than threatening.
Also, you can pretend to visit Mr. Red’s imaginary blog, where I’m sure he’ll post that video again. (Or we can do it, since apparently we just steal stuff like that.)
Orange Bowl/dual Final Fours or bust in 2011. We're going all-in.
by Kevin Meacham on Mar 2, 2010 5:20 PM EST up reply actions
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