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I’m sorry for the delayed full recap of this game as last
night would have been way too tough to relive only a couple hours after.
Let me start by saying this.
UCONN got outplayed and most definitely got out-coached. I’m not going to make the excuse that this
was the Huskies’ first game back since finals or the game starting at 9 on a
Wednesday in Hartford. UCONN was up
43-30 with just over 16 minutes left in the second half and blew it. They played ugly basketball and I am not sure
if the word ugly does enough justice to what I witnessed. It was how we used to see UCONN play against
the zone but with even less penetration and virtually no cutting to the free
throw line. UCONN settled for 3 after 3
and refused to try to get to the hoop to score, get fouled, or dish for an open
shot. They shot 10 free throws the
entire game and with these new rules in college basketball, that is simply
inexcusable. Not to mention when
Shabazz, Boatright, and Calhoun combine to go 8-32, you’re not going to have a
good chance to win. The big men looked
awful as usual which certainly did not help.
Another thing I want to mention is that when UCONN was down 2, Stanford
came out in man for maybe the first time in the game. Shabazz got a high ball screen from Neils
Giffey but then proceeded to take a contested fadeaway long two with about 8
seconds left. Don’t get me wrong, I want
Shabazz shooting every shot, but I just feel like he could’ve gotten a way
better look.
Now to Ollie. I love
him to death and I am sure all of Husky nation does as well, but, man, that was
bad. Probably the worst coached game of
his young career. Now, I am just one
person, but I disagreed with his timeouts down the stretch and his rotation for
most of the game. When he called the
timeouts, he didn’t really draw anything up.
I mean I am sure he did, but nothing successful. Every time he called one, it would have just
had the same outcome if he didn't call a timeout in the first place. As far as the rotation goes, our best lineup
was definitely with Deandre and Neils as the 4 and the 5 since it gave the
opportunity for one of them to guard Powell.
Neils did not play enough in the second half in my opinion, I would have actually loved to see Kenton
Facey play a little tonight. He’s UCONN’s
best rated recruit this year and I think he would have actually matched up well
with Powell since he is a little more athletic and basketball-skilled than Nolan,
Olander, and Brimah. If I was Ollie, I
would have stressed more and more to get the ball into the free throw line and
into the lane. Maybe he was stressing this
and UCONN just wasn't listening or maybe he wasn't. We will never know that, but still, had to be
done.
But, look, I give credit where credit is due. Johnny Dawkins did one hell of a job coaching
Stanford tonight. He had his boys
believe that they could play with UCONN from the start and was showing unreal
passion on the sideline. He had the zone
extend more than UCONN has seen this year taking away the huskies’ chance of
3-pointers, something they were leading the nation in (Since the zone was
extended so much, I honestly cannot understand why UCONN didn’t flash free
throw line). As far as Dwight Powell
goes, he can definitely play and I actually do see the obscure Lamar Odom
comparison, not the Paul George one though.
He had 10 points and 15 rebounds and again lead the team in assists with
5. He provided matchup problems for
UCONN and allowed for the team’s leading scorer, guard Chasson Randle, to get
free and put the ball in the hoop.
Randle will boost his PPG average a little higher after dropping
22. Forward Josh Huestis impressed me a
lot too, not only with the hair, but putting in 13 and 10 rebounds going 6-8
from the field.
As a husky fan, I can only look at this is as a reality
check in the sense that we cannot rely on our 3 point shooting to win every
game and we need to find other ways to succeed.
Also, our big men need to step it up big time with conference play just
around the corner.
PS- If you don’t know who UCONN’s sideline reporter, Emily
Noonan, is, then you need to find out now.
Unreal.
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