Huge win. It was an ugly one, but the Irish took one step closer to a possible NCAA bid and, perhaps more importantly, eliminated the Huskies from Tournament contention. ND has moved into a tie for seventh in the Big East and holds the tie-breaker over Georgetown.
Both teams shot very poorly from the floor. Give the Notre Dame D some credit, but UCONN also missed a few open looks and airballed a bunch. Someone forgot to turn on the heat in the building.
However, you can't overlook the effort our guys put in tonight. This has been a huge improvement the past three games. In addition to moving their feet on defense, the Irish threw their bodies around inside to nearly break even in rebounding against a team with three guys at 6'10" or taller. Led by Tory Jackson and Ben Hansbrough, ND forced 15 turnovers, tying a season-high against Big East opponents. Out 10 steals for the night marked just the third time this year the Irish finished with double digits in that category.
The offensive output was the second worst of the year (to the Northwestern game) but that just underlined how effective the home team was in other areas tonight. If we can win with 37% shooting and ten missed foul shots, more success will follow with a good night shooting the ball.
What a fantastic Senior Night for Tory Jackson. The vocal leader of the team for the past four years, Tory led the way with 22 points. He was ruthlessly efficient at the rim with 8-14 shooting and added in a pair of assists and three rebounds even though the Irish put the brakes on the pace of the contest, frequently waiting until the shot clock read five before attacking the basket. When he was pulled from the game with a few seconds remaining, he received a much deserved standing ovation and gave a very nice postgame speech after putting the team on his back tonight. Thank you for four great years, Tory.
Ben Hansbrough had no shooting touch tonight, but tied Tory Jackson with 4 steals. Like any good shooter, he tried to get shot back with multiple trips to the free throw line. He was able to come away with 6 points even though he finished 0-8 from the field. He was also the second highest rebounder with 4.
Tim Abromaitis also struggled a bit with his shot, but had a little success inside the arc. 10 points and 4 rebounds for the Alumni Dawg. At the end, his teammates had some trouble getting him the ball in an opportunity to get fouled, which needs to change. Going 4-8 as a team from the foul line during a crucial minute-long stretch allowed UCONN to cut the lead by four.
Carleton Scott was excellent. 12 points, 14 boards, 2-4 from three-point range. His athleticism overcame the height disadvantage and allowed him to finish as the game's highest rebounder. Add in a pair of assists and 3 blocks for a great all-around effort. He combined all of his best attributes: solid wing defense, athleticism on the glass, and a bit of clutch shooting, for a fantastic performance.
Ty Nash had a bit of trouble putting the ball in the basket like a few of his other teammates. 5 points, just 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. When the Irish looked to kill the clock, he caught the ball far too away from the basket to be effective and we relied on some perimeter drives for points. That's not the kind of offense in which he can be effective.
Off the bench, Jack Cooley combined 3 points with 3 offensive rebounds in just 7 minutes on the floor. Jonathan Peoples' Senior Night was forgettable, just 2 minutes and a turnover, though he did get the token start in Abromaitis' place. Joey Brooks got in at the last second and so did Tim Andree, senior walk-on. Thanks to him for playing hard in practice all these years with so little reward in games.
So now we're looking at a very realistic NCAA bid all of a sudden. Who would have thought? With no Harangody tonight, you have to think we will be out against Marquette on Saturday. Keep playing like this and the Irish could enter the BET riding high on a four game winning streak.
Showing posts with label Connecticut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Connecticut. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Connecticut Preview
Connecticut-
Pomeroy Ranking- 40th
Record- 17-12 (7-9)
Best Win- West Virginia (ranked 7th)
Worst Loss- Providence (ranked 85th)
Pomeroy Prediction- ND 76-74
Key Players-
#11 Jerome Dyson- 18.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.5 APG, 30.3% 3PA- Double digits in every game this year, 20 and 10 against the Irish in the first contest. He really is not a great three point shooter, but keeps throwing them up. 5-30 in the past seven games.
#21 Stanley Robinson- 15.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 36.6% 3PA- Double-doubles in the past two games. He is another guy who is guaranteed at least ten points. Against the Irish in January, he dominated the glass with 16 rebounds.
#15 Kemba Walker- 14.8 PPG, 4.1 APG, 37.6% 3PA- His acoring average has shot up recently with his ability to get to the foul line. 23.5 PPG in the past four contests, with an average of 11.5 free throw attempts per.
Last Game- UCONN 82-70
-Led by Robinson and Alex Oriakhi, the Huskies held onto a ten rebound advantage.
-Irish pulled the game within three with five minutes remaining, but UCONN answered with seven straight points to put the game out of reach.
-Luke Harangody finished with 31 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Irish.
Pomeroy Ranking- 40th
Record- 17-12 (7-9)
Best Win- West Virginia (ranked 7th)
Worst Loss- Providence (ranked 85th)
Pomeroy Prediction- ND 76-74
Key Players-
#11 Jerome Dyson- 18.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.5 APG, 30.3% 3PA- Double digits in every game this year, 20 and 10 against the Irish in the first contest. He really is not a great three point shooter, but keeps throwing them up. 5-30 in the past seven games.
#21 Stanley Robinson- 15.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 36.6% 3PA- Double-doubles in the past two games. He is another guy who is guaranteed at least ten points. Against the Irish in January, he dominated the glass with 16 rebounds.
#15 Kemba Walker- 14.8 PPG, 4.1 APG, 37.6% 3PA- His acoring average has shot up recently with his ability to get to the foul line. 23.5 PPG in the past four contests, with an average of 11.5 free throw attempts per.
Last Game- UCONN 82-70
-Led by Robinson and Alex Oriakhi, the Huskies held onto a ten rebound advantage.
-Irish pulled the game within three with five minutes remaining, but UCONN answered with seven straight points to put the game out of reach.
-Luke Harangody finished with 31 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Irish.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Connecticut 82, Notre Dame 70
A great effort on the road goes to waste as the Irish attack wore down in the final minutes. As frustrating as it is to let a three point game get out of hand in the final five minutes, the whole contest seemed to follow Connecticut's season theme of playing down to lesser opponents. Ultimately, it's hard to win a lot of games when you allow 50% shooting from the floor on defense.
Once again, our bench was comically short. It has to be pretty frustrating for the freshmen to only get a minute of mopup time once we're out of contention in a Big East game. I guess it's best to hope we don't see them at all (unless in the unlikely event we have a few blowouts go our way the rest of the year). The minutes distribution amongst our veterans was also a bit perplexing. With Ty Nash only playing 21 minutes, we played a small lineup for half of the game. No wonder the rebounding numbers favored the Huskies. Even though Nash was ineffective in the second half, we can't rely on Jonathan Peoples and Tim Abromaitis to win the rebound battle over bigger and more athletic Big East forwards. That's where a few good minutes from a guy like Broghammer would be golden.
The preview focused on how Connecticut stops strong offenses with its shot blocking ability. Tonight was pretty close to the norm. The Huskies blocked eleven Notre Dame field goal attempts, two more than their season average. Partially as a result of that the Irish managed only 40% from the field, even though they made a pretty decent average of three-point attempts.
Tory Jackson played 40 minutes with 8 assists and only 2 turnovers. Unfortunately, he struggled to create baskets himself. His six points came on two three pointers, with nothing close to the basket. He's just a couple inches too small to get to the rim a la Jerome Dyson or even Kemba Walker. Sure he's an 1000-point scorer, but his four-year starting career will most likely end with only one season averaging double-digits.
Ben Hansbrough fouled out after 38 decent minutes. Like Jackson, his points came from the perimeter. Three of his layup attempts were blocked, and he finished 1-6 on two-pointers for the game. We just don't have a real Big East driving threat in the backcourt.
Abro struggled against Stanley Robinson's good defense and looked a bit spooked in his first game against really tough man defense. It was a good learning experience, but one that should have taken place a year or two ago. This game was a good example of why young players should get a taste of real playing time before they are thrust into the regular rotation. 8 points on 3-9 shooting, he'll get it back together.
Ty Nash had 11 and 8, but only one basket in the second half. His minutes were slashed and he really was not a factor when it mattered. Maybe he isn't the answer full-time, but we need someone in the same mold to help out Luke Harangody in the paint (especially as he continues to play like a wing). Tim Abromaitis and Carleton Scott are much better suited at the 3, so why not give one of the freshman bigs a shot?
Harangody was solid, but continues to feel too comfortable on the arc. He made one of four three point attempts, right on his season average. He has now exceeded the number of three-point attempts from last year. That's very bad. 31 points and 9 rebounds is a great bottom line, but our offense suffers when Luke takes twice as many shots as anyone else. On defense, his post D has really taken a hit this year. He struggles in the post against big guys.
No bench points. Peoples played 12 turnover-filled minutes. Scott passed out two assists and blocked one shot.
On to South Florida. A loss here and we're behind the eight-ball already.
Once again, our bench was comically short. It has to be pretty frustrating for the freshmen to only get a minute of mopup time once we're out of contention in a Big East game. I guess it's best to hope we don't see them at all (unless in the unlikely event we have a few blowouts go our way the rest of the year). The minutes distribution amongst our veterans was also a bit perplexing. With Ty Nash only playing 21 minutes, we played a small lineup for half of the game. No wonder the rebounding numbers favored the Huskies. Even though Nash was ineffective in the second half, we can't rely on Jonathan Peoples and Tim Abromaitis to win the rebound battle over bigger and more athletic Big East forwards. That's where a few good minutes from a guy like Broghammer would be golden.
The preview focused on how Connecticut stops strong offenses with its shot blocking ability. Tonight was pretty close to the norm. The Huskies blocked eleven Notre Dame field goal attempts, two more than their season average. Partially as a result of that the Irish managed only 40% from the field, even though they made a pretty decent average of three-point attempts.
Tory Jackson played 40 minutes with 8 assists and only 2 turnovers. Unfortunately, he struggled to create baskets himself. His six points came on two three pointers, with nothing close to the basket. He's just a couple inches too small to get to the rim a la Jerome Dyson or even Kemba Walker. Sure he's an 1000-point scorer, but his four-year starting career will most likely end with only one season averaging double-digits.
Ben Hansbrough fouled out after 38 decent minutes. Like Jackson, his points came from the perimeter. Three of his layup attempts were blocked, and he finished 1-6 on two-pointers for the game. We just don't have a real Big East driving threat in the backcourt.
Abro struggled against Stanley Robinson's good defense and looked a bit spooked in his first game against really tough man defense. It was a good learning experience, but one that should have taken place a year or two ago. This game was a good example of why young players should get a taste of real playing time before they are thrust into the regular rotation. 8 points on 3-9 shooting, he'll get it back together.
Ty Nash had 11 and 8, but only one basket in the second half. His minutes were slashed and he really was not a factor when it mattered. Maybe he isn't the answer full-time, but we need someone in the same mold to help out Luke Harangody in the paint (especially as he continues to play like a wing). Tim Abromaitis and Carleton Scott are much better suited at the 3, so why not give one of the freshman bigs a shot?
Harangody was solid, but continues to feel too comfortable on the arc. He made one of four three point attempts, right on his season average. He has now exceeded the number of three-point attempts from last year. That's very bad. 31 points and 9 rebounds is a great bottom line, but our offense suffers when Luke takes twice as many shots as anyone else. On defense, his post D has really taken a hit this year. He struggles in the post against big guys.
No bench points. Peoples played 12 turnover-filled minutes. Scott passed out two assists and blocked one shot.
On to South Florida. A loss here and we're behind the eight-ball already.
Friday, January 01, 2010
Connecticut Preview
We'll find out a lot about this Irish team tomorrow. The Huskies will be ready to go after dropping a road contest to Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Connecticut-
Pomeroy Ranking- 41st
Record- 9-3 (0-1)
Best Win- Harvard (ranked 74th)
Worst Loss- Cincinnari (ranked 61st)
Pomeroy Prediction- UCONN 83-74
Key Players-
#11 Jerome Dyson- 20.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.8 APG, 32.1% 3PA- The Huskies' MVP so far. He's stepped into a much bigger role this season and contributes all over the floor. To stop him, it's best to give him a little room to shoot on the wing. Don't let this guy beat you off the dribble. Also averages 3.3 turnovers a contest, one of the weaknesses for this team.
#21 Stanley Robinson- 17.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 57.1% 3PA- Another guy who has really improved this year. Doesn't shoot a lot from the perimeter, but he has been hitting them when open. 7-11 in his past three games.
#15 Kemba Walker- 12.9 PPG, 6.1 APG, 41.4% 3PA- The sophomore floor general has doubled his assist output with the graduation of A.J. Price. His scoring output has lessened a bit in the last couple of weeks, after a couple 20 point games in the beginning of the year.
Scouting Report-
Block the most shots in the country, even without the overrated 7'3" behemoth.
Along with that, they play great defense inside the arc, but allow a reasonable three-point percentage (93rd in the country).
Allow the fifth-fewest free throw attempts per shot, another result of their shot-blocking prowess.
Connecticut-
Pomeroy Ranking- 41st
Record- 9-3 (0-1)
Best Win- Harvard (ranked 74th)
Worst Loss- Cincinnari (ranked 61st)
Pomeroy Prediction- UCONN 83-74
Key Players-
#11 Jerome Dyson- 20.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.8 APG, 32.1% 3PA- The Huskies' MVP so far. He's stepped into a much bigger role this season and contributes all over the floor. To stop him, it's best to give him a little room to shoot on the wing. Don't let this guy beat you off the dribble. Also averages 3.3 turnovers a contest, one of the weaknesses for this team.
#21 Stanley Robinson- 17.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 57.1% 3PA- Another guy who has really improved this year. Doesn't shoot a lot from the perimeter, but he has been hitting them when open. 7-11 in his past three games.
#15 Kemba Walker- 12.9 PPG, 6.1 APG, 41.4% 3PA- The sophomore floor general has doubled his assist output with the graduation of A.J. Price. His scoring output has lessened a bit in the last couple of weeks, after a couple 20 point games in the beginning of the year.
Scouting Report-
Block the most shots in the country, even without the overrated 7'3" behemoth.
Along with that, they play great defense inside the arc, but allow a reasonable three-point percentage (93rd in the country).
Allow the fifth-fewest free throw attempts per shot, another result of their shot-blocking prowess.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Central Florida Almost Knocks off the Huskies
UCF gave Connecticut a scare yesterday in Hartford. The Knights built up a nine point lead and kept it close until the wheels fell off with six minutes to play. Marcus Jordan had a career high 13 points to lead the away team. That marked the third loss to a Big East opponent this season to Central Florida, the other two being a four point affair at South Florida and the 90-72 beating in the JACC a couple weeks ago.
We're almost into conference play and currently the Big East ranks third in Pomeroy's league standings. Just three schools (Syracuse, West Virginia, and Georgetown) have earned top 25 status so far. The Irish rank third to last.
We're almost into conference play and currently the Big East ranks third in Pomeroy's league standings. Just three schools (Syracuse, West Virginia, and Georgetown) have earned top 25 status so far. The Irish rank third to last.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Connecticut 72, Notre Dame 65
Hard fought game ends in disappointment as Harangody really struggled. For as much as I complain about Hasheem Thabeet, he did play very well today and took Luke out of the game.
Tory Jackson had his second really good game in a row after being benched at Providence. He attacked, but was not reckless. Only two turnovers on the day. McAlarney and Ayers were very cold from outside, but the shots they did make kept the game close until the end. Great to see Coach Brey give Ty Nash so much playing time with Zach Hillesland out and Nash earned it today.
Frustrating to lose a game like that, but no one can be upset with the quality of basketball we showed for 39 minutes. Need to bounce back with a big win on Monday.
Jackson finished with 17 points and 5 assists. He created with drives and made his fair share of jumpers as well. Add in 3 rebounds for a complete day.
K-Mac had 14 points and 4 assists. Overall, he shot pretty well with a good number of driving layups. From beyond the arc he was 2-8, surprising because he certainly didn't seem to be shooting that poorly. Can't be too upset with his overall performance.
Ryan Ayers did look cold and missed a few open looks. I liked his assertiveness, however, and definitely want to see him take a dozen shots a game when he gets the chance. On defense, he was unable to stop Adrien and was really overpowered on a few occasions.
Zach Hillesland went out early with a bruised sternum. It was a really physical game on both ends with Harangody and Thabeet both hitting the deck at times. Can't complain too much about the refs because we got away with a lot too, but it is frustrating to play a great shot blocking team also be the least penalized in the country.
Harangody was awful all game. 14 points, 5 rebounds. Thabeet really took him out and 'Gody relied too much on the jump hook without trying to make some 15 foot jumpers facing the basket (though shooting over Thabeet would be a feat in itself). At least it was nice to see the Irish play so well against the best team in the land without our best player.
20 minutes for Ty Nash and that's the way it should always be. 4 points, 9 rebounds. He is a terrible free throw shooter, a big problem for a power forward, but that is the only real disappointing part of his game. He's tough, hustles, and grabs rebounds. We need that. Peoples played well in 20 minutes also, with 5 points and 3 rebounds. Luke Zeller was cold in his 11 minutes of playing time and it is apparent that he has been passed by Nash on the depth chart. Good to see Coach Brey go with the youngster.
Good game by Thabeet, great game by Adrien. He is the Huskies' best player and really does not get enough credit. It's unfortunate that the moronic talk about Thabeet for player of the year has taken away from Adrien's press. I'd take him on my team any day.
Didn't go in expecting to win this game, so I still feel pretty good about our chances. If we play the same way against Villanova and St. John's, we can finish 9-9. 'Nova lost to Georgetown at home today so you know they will be ready come Monday. Let's beat them and make our way into the Tournament.
Tory Jackson had his second really good game in a row after being benched at Providence. He attacked, but was not reckless. Only two turnovers on the day. McAlarney and Ayers were very cold from outside, but the shots they did make kept the game close until the end. Great to see Coach Brey give Ty Nash so much playing time with Zach Hillesland out and Nash earned it today.
Frustrating to lose a game like that, but no one can be upset with the quality of basketball we showed for 39 minutes. Need to bounce back with a big win on Monday.
Jackson finished with 17 points and 5 assists. He created with drives and made his fair share of jumpers as well. Add in 3 rebounds for a complete day.
K-Mac had 14 points and 4 assists. Overall, he shot pretty well with a good number of driving layups. From beyond the arc he was 2-8, surprising because he certainly didn't seem to be shooting that poorly. Can't be too upset with his overall performance.
Ryan Ayers did look cold and missed a few open looks. I liked his assertiveness, however, and definitely want to see him take a dozen shots a game when he gets the chance. On defense, he was unable to stop Adrien and was really overpowered on a few occasions.
Zach Hillesland went out early with a bruised sternum. It was a really physical game on both ends with Harangody and Thabeet both hitting the deck at times. Can't complain too much about the refs because we got away with a lot too, but it is frustrating to play a great shot blocking team also be the least penalized in the country.
Harangody was awful all game. 14 points, 5 rebounds. Thabeet really took him out and 'Gody relied too much on the jump hook without trying to make some 15 foot jumpers facing the basket (though shooting over Thabeet would be a feat in itself). At least it was nice to see the Irish play so well against the best team in the land without our best player.
20 minutes for Ty Nash and that's the way it should always be. 4 points, 9 rebounds. He is a terrible free throw shooter, a big problem for a power forward, but that is the only real disappointing part of his game. He's tough, hustles, and grabs rebounds. We need that. Peoples played well in 20 minutes also, with 5 points and 3 rebounds. Luke Zeller was cold in his 11 minutes of playing time and it is apparent that he has been passed by Nash on the depth chart. Good to see Coach Brey go with the youngster.
Good game by Thabeet, great game by Adrien. He is the Huskies' best player and really does not get enough credit. It's unfortunate that the moronic talk about Thabeet for player of the year has taken away from Adrien's press. I'd take him on my team any day.
Didn't go in expecting to win this game, so I still feel pretty good about our chances. If we play the same way against Villanova and St. John's, we can finish 9-9. 'Nova lost to Georgetown at home today so you know they will be ready come Monday. Let's beat them and make our way into the Tournament.
Connecticut Preview
Wow, no post last night. Weak.
Pomeroy Ranking- 3rd
Record- 26-2 (14-2)
Quality Wins- @ West Virginia, @ Louisville, @ Marquette
Bad Losses- None
Pomeroy Prediction- UCONN 81-67
Key Players-
#4 Jeff Adrien- 6'7", 243 lbs.- 13.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG
#34 Hasheem Thabeet- 7'3", 263 lbs.- 13.5 PPG, 10.7 RPG
#12 A.J. Price- 6'2", 187 lbs.- 13.2 PPG, 4.6 APG, 42.3% 3PA
Scouting Report-
Don't force a lot of turnovers (328th), the only real weak part of their game.
Hold opponents to an insanely low amount of free throws per game while allowing one of the lowest field goal percentages in the country.
Don't shoot the lights out, but wear opponents down with offensive rebounding and trips to the free throw line.
Don't you bring that weak shhhh-shot in here!Connecticut-
-Len Elmore
Pomeroy Ranking- 3rd
Record- 26-2 (14-2)
Quality Wins- @ West Virginia, @ Louisville, @ Marquette
Bad Losses- None
Pomeroy Prediction- UCONN 81-67
Key Players-
#4 Jeff Adrien- 6'7", 243 lbs.- 13.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG
#34 Hasheem Thabeet- 7'3", 263 lbs.- 13.5 PPG, 10.7 RPG
#12 A.J. Price- 6'2", 187 lbs.- 13.2 PPG, 4.6 APG, 42.3% 3PA
Scouting Report-
Don't force a lot of turnovers (328th), the only real weak part of their game.
Hold opponents to an insanely low amount of free throws per game while allowing one of the lowest field goal percentages in the country.
Don't shoot the lights out, but wear opponents down with offensive rebounding and trips to the free throw line.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Connecticut Governor Calls Out Calhoun
Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell called Huskies coach Jim Calhoun's earlier argument with a reporter "embarrassing."
I very rarely defend Jim Calhoun, so this should be an interesting post. Mr. 800 was absolutely, positively, 100% right in what he said at that press conference. Could he have handled the situation with a little more tact? Absolutely, but anyone in his position would have been furious to answer such an asinine question at a press conference after a tough day at work.
Ken Krayeske is a hack of a political activist, a "reporter" in the loosest sense of the term. He attended Saturday's game on a photo press pass (you know, for professional photographers, not average guy with a Polaroid) and proceeded to ask the first question.
At a basketball game, talk about basketball. Sure Calhoun is making a whole hell of a lot more money than 99% of Americans in this economic crisis, but it's not your place to confront him on it. He does his job well, gets paid for it, and brings in money for the school. The governor should stand beside him instead of supporting some free lancer with a political beef.
I very rarely defend Jim Calhoun, so this should be an interesting post. Mr. 800 was absolutely, positively, 100% right in what he said at that press conference. Could he have handled the situation with a little more tact? Absolutely, but anyone in his position would have been furious to answer such an asinine question at a press conference after a tough day at work.
Ken Krayeske is a hack of a political activist, a "reporter" in the loosest sense of the term. He attended Saturday's game on a photo press pass (you know, for professional photographers, not average guy with a Polaroid) and proceeded to ask the first question.
At a basketball game, talk about basketball. Sure Calhoun is making a whole hell of a lot more money than 99% of Americans in this economic crisis, but it's not your place to confront him on it. He does his job well, gets paid for it, and brings in money for the school. The governor should stand beside him instead of supporting some free lancer with a political beef.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Greatest Rebound Ever
Sometimes you have to give props to an opponent, especially when he puts a 7'3" Tanzanian man in his place.
Thanks to Pitt Blather for the idea to embed this video.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Nice Matchup Tonight
Yes, it's #1 UCONN hosting #4 Pitt. Also Big East Player of the Year candidates DeJuan Blair and Hasheem Thabeet matching up. I'll be cheering for the guy in blue, because he scores two more points and grabs one and a half more rebounds per game with eight fewer inches to work with.
EDIT: Good game to watch. I really think both teams have a Final Four run in them. DeJuan Blair had a fantastic game, with 22 points and 23 rebounds. He doesn't have the soft touch of a Harangody, but he is just a brute force. Sam Young had a great game too for Pitt.
For the Huskies, A.J. Price was the only force from deep but he got some help from Kemba Walker and Adrien. Jeff Adrien (or any other Huskies player) really doesn't enough credit. He's the offensive post player on that team. Cover Boy? 5 and 4 in 23 foul shortened minutes.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
A Little More Objectivity
I wore my frustrations on my sleeve a little too much last night, so hopefully I can make some better points today.
1. We need to stop this losing streak on Monday.
The last time we lost three in a row was 2006. We had a losing streak as long as five that year. That is certainly possible with a loss to Marquette. Good teams don't let losses turn into losing streaks. Tournament teams keep losing streaks from derailing their entire seasons. We'll find out if this is a tournament team in less than 48 hours.
2. Time for Coach Brey to shakeup the rotation.
Ayers and Hillesland were decent last year as a rotation for the small forward slot. Unfortunately, Hillesland will never be a Big East power forward and Ayers is nothing but a (very) streaky shooter. They should spend as little time on the court together as possible.
Enter Ty Nash and Carleton Scott. While I half-heartedly called for more playing time for the two while we were winning, it has become apparent that one or both now need to be serious rotation guys. Not just to keep the starters from getting fatigued, but because our top seven players are not getting the job done. When your point guard is the second best rebounder on the team, a hard-nosed guy like Nash should be able to solve the current Hillesland/Zeller problem. Scott brings an added deminsion to the team, an athletic guy who doesn't just drive towards a turnover or wild shot in the paint (see Zach Hillesland). The perimeter offense we ran in the second half (a good idea to take Thabeet out of the game on defense) just does not work without players who can create their own shots.
3. Our defense was significantly better last night, a very good sign.
The Irish held Connecticut to an offensive rating 20 points below their season average. That's huge. It was hands down the best defense we have played against a topnotch team all year. 11 turnovers forced, 41% opponent shooting percentage, good pressure all around. If we played that kind of defense every game with our normal offense, we're a Final Four team. Obviously that's a pipe dream right now.
4. Why we lose.
In every loss except UNC, our offense has been terrible. Obviously, a higher emphasis on consistent defense would ameliorate some of problems with offense in big games. Still, you have to look at what went wrong last night as being consistent with out other losses. Poor shooting, little ability to create open looks, and pathetic rebounding from the 4 will make you lose more often than not.
5. We could have won against a very good team last night. The ability is there as it has been all year, the execution is not.
Connecticut is ranked 5th by Ken Pomeroy. Their statistics back up the high AP and Coaches rankings. 10th on offense, 16th on defense, strong rankings to demonstrate a good well-rounded team.
And we should have beaten them.
The Irish had plenty of open looks in the second half last night. Kyle McAlarney and Ryan Ayers, our dead-eye shooters, combined to go 4 for 25. Zeller was 2-6, Hillesland was 1-5. Only Harangody and Jackson shot above their season averages from beyond the arc. Though the Huskies took away a lot of shots under the basket, we had plenty of chances from the outside. Had we just made our open chances, this game was a win.
6. What lies ahead.
Should Win-
@ Cincy
South Florida
Rutgers
St. John's
Could Go Either Way-
Marquette
Louisville
@ Providence
Villanova
Probable Losses-
@ Pitt
@ UCLA
@ West Virginia
@ UCONN
3-4 in the conference right now. Best case scenario is probably 11-7, but we could finish poorly enough to invert that record.
Solidly in the Tournament- 11-7 Big East record or 10-8 with at win at UCLA
On the bubble, leaning in- 10-8 (I think every Big East team with a winning conference record will make it)
On the bubble, leaning out- 9-9
1. We need to stop this losing streak on Monday.
The last time we lost three in a row was 2006. We had a losing streak as long as five that year. That is certainly possible with a loss to Marquette. Good teams don't let losses turn into losing streaks. Tournament teams keep losing streaks from derailing their entire seasons. We'll find out if this is a tournament team in less than 48 hours.
2. Time for Coach Brey to shakeup the rotation.
Ayers and Hillesland were decent last year as a rotation for the small forward slot. Unfortunately, Hillesland will never be a Big East power forward and Ayers is nothing but a (very) streaky shooter. They should spend as little time on the court together as possible.
Enter Ty Nash and Carleton Scott. While I half-heartedly called for more playing time for the two while we were winning, it has become apparent that one or both now need to be serious rotation guys. Not just to keep the starters from getting fatigued, but because our top seven players are not getting the job done. When your point guard is the second best rebounder on the team, a hard-nosed guy like Nash should be able to solve the current Hillesland/Zeller problem. Scott brings an added deminsion to the team, an athletic guy who doesn't just drive towards a turnover or wild shot in the paint (see Zach Hillesland). The perimeter offense we ran in the second half (a good idea to take Thabeet out of the game on defense) just does not work without players who can create their own shots.
3. Our defense was significantly better last night, a very good sign.
The Irish held Connecticut to an offensive rating 20 points below their season average. That's huge. It was hands down the best defense we have played against a topnotch team all year. 11 turnovers forced, 41% opponent shooting percentage, good pressure all around. If we played that kind of defense every game with our normal offense, we're a Final Four team. Obviously that's a pipe dream right now.
4. Why we lose.
In every loss except UNC, our offense has been terrible. Obviously, a higher emphasis on consistent defense would ameliorate some of problems with offense in big games. Still, you have to look at what went wrong last night as being consistent with out other losses. Poor shooting, little ability to create open looks, and pathetic rebounding from the 4 will make you lose more often than not.
5. We could have won against a very good team last night. The ability is there as it has been all year, the execution is not.
Connecticut is ranked 5th by Ken Pomeroy. Their statistics back up the high AP and Coaches rankings. 10th on offense, 16th on defense, strong rankings to demonstrate a good well-rounded team.
And we should have beaten them.
The Irish had plenty of open looks in the second half last night. Kyle McAlarney and Ryan Ayers, our dead-eye shooters, combined to go 4 for 25. Zeller was 2-6, Hillesland was 1-5. Only Harangody and Jackson shot above their season averages from beyond the arc. Though the Huskies took away a lot of shots under the basket, we had plenty of chances from the outside. Had we just made our open chances, this game was a win.
6. What lies ahead.
Should Win-
@ Cincy
South Florida
Rutgers
St. John's
Could Go Either Way-
Marquette
Louisville
@ Providence
Villanova
Probable Losses-
@ Pitt
@ UCLA
@ West Virginia
@ UCONN
3-4 in the conference right now. Best case scenario is probably 11-7, but we could finish poorly enough to invert that record.
Solidly in the Tournament- 11-7 Big East record or 10-8 with at win at UCLA
On the bubble, leaning in- 10-8 (I think every Big East team with a winning conference record will make it)
On the bubble, leaning out- 9-9
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Connecticut 69, Notre Dame 61
Tough one to take. I'm not going to post a lot tonight, but a few quick thoughts.
Refs were absolutely brutal in the first half. The foul ratio was unbelievably tilted in U-Con's favor. Still, we played hard in a great atmosphere. Our shooting down the stretch was abysmal and killed us. Make a couple shots here and there and this is a win. Still, proud of our defense, proud of our players, and proud of our winning streak that sadly must come to an end.
That said, we need to bounce back in a big way Monday. If we lose to Marquette, that's four in a row and we're looking at the bubble. Need to make sure this loss doesn't become two or more.
One last thought, I'd take Luke Harangody over Thabeet or Adrien any day or night. At the risk of sounding crass and losing all journalistic integrity, I must say that Hasheem Thabeet sucks. ESPN cover boy looks terrible on offense and has very little agility. What makes this loss most frustrating is how both those players ran their mouths prior to the contest. Props to Adrien because he backed it up, but Thabeet wasn't even one of the best five players on the floor tonight*.
Ok, time to actually break down the game. We'll start with Harangody because he was the only one in double figures scoring tonight. 24 points, 15 rebounds. He wasn't as effective as he was in Storrs last year, but still a very solid game. Neutralized Thabeet with outside shooting and taking him away from the rest of the game. No complaints here.
Tory Jackson has a tendency to make frustrating decisions when you need him the most. Two turnovers at critical times, but you cannot be upset with the rest of his game. 7 rebounds, only 4 assists, but made a couple big threes.
McAlarney was awfully cold tonight, especially in the second half. He tried to take the ball inside the arc a bit more and the shots were not falling. 3-15 shooting overall is a terrible game. 3-8 beyond the arc. If he had made a few of those then this game would have turned out very differently. He did not, and we lost.
Ayers and Hillesland should not be starters together. Swapping the small forward and sixth man slots last year they were good, but this season it is clear that neither is good enough to start for a Sweet 16 caliber team. 4 points between them. 11 rebounds, but few of them were contested. Ayers is nothing when he has such a terrible night shooting and Hillesland makes plenty of errors driving to the basket. Bench one or both, please.
Off the bench, I liked Luke Zeller today (did I really just say that?). Not a lot of stats, but he played better D than Ayers and Hillesland and showed some tenacity on the boards. At least he looked like he cared out there. Peoples was nothing special and we didn't see enough minutes from Nash or Scott. Nash did score 8 points in 2 minutes (why doesn't he play more?).
Overall, as Coach Brey hinted post-game, I'd like to see more of Nash and Scott. At least give Nash the 10+ minutes he deserves on the floor. If Zeller can give us better minutes at the 4 (as I believe he can), he should be starting. Ayers and Hillesland are not big time starters and should split time at the 3 like last year.
Frustrating end to a very fun day. The school came through at GameDay and we played tough against a very good opponent, but a loss is a loss. Must bounce back against Marquette or this season may go down the drain. As it is, we should be unranked for the first time Monday.
Refs were absolutely brutal in the first half. The foul ratio was unbelievably tilted in U-Con's favor. Still, we played hard in a great atmosphere. Our shooting down the stretch was abysmal and killed us. Make a couple shots here and there and this is a win. Still, proud of our defense, proud of our players, and proud of our winning streak that sadly must come to an end.
That said, we need to bounce back in a big way Monday. If we lose to Marquette, that's four in a row and we're looking at the bubble. Need to make sure this loss doesn't become two or more.
One last thought, I'd take Luke Harangody over Thabeet or Adrien any day or night. At the risk of sounding crass and losing all journalistic integrity, I must say that Hasheem Thabeet sucks. ESPN cover boy looks terrible on offense and has very little agility. What makes this loss most frustrating is how both those players ran their mouths prior to the contest. Props to Adrien because he backed it up, but Thabeet wasn't even one of the best five players on the floor tonight*.
Ok, time to actually break down the game. We'll start with Harangody because he was the only one in double figures scoring tonight. 24 points, 15 rebounds. He wasn't as effective as he was in Storrs last year, but still a very solid game. Neutralized Thabeet with outside shooting and taking him away from the rest of the game. No complaints here.
Tory Jackson has a tendency to make frustrating decisions when you need him the most. Two turnovers at critical times, but you cannot be upset with the rest of his game. 7 rebounds, only 4 assists, but made a couple big threes.
McAlarney was awfully cold tonight, especially in the second half. He tried to take the ball inside the arc a bit more and the shots were not falling. 3-15 shooting overall is a terrible game. 3-8 beyond the arc. If he had made a few of those then this game would have turned out very differently. He did not, and we lost.
Ayers and Hillesland should not be starters together. Swapping the small forward and sixth man slots last year they were good, but this season it is clear that neither is good enough to start for a Sweet 16 caliber team. 4 points between them. 11 rebounds, but few of them were contested. Ayers is nothing when he has such a terrible night shooting and Hillesland makes plenty of errors driving to the basket. Bench one or both, please.
Off the bench, I liked Luke Zeller today (did I really just say that?). Not a lot of stats, but he played better D than Ayers and Hillesland and showed some tenacity on the boards. At least he looked like he cared out there. Peoples was nothing special and we didn't see enough minutes from Nash or Scott. Nash did score 8 points in 2 minutes (why doesn't he play more?).
Overall, as Coach Brey hinted post-game, I'd like to see more of Nash and Scott. At least give Nash the 10+ minutes he deserves on the floor. If Zeller can give us better minutes at the 4 (as I believe he can), he should be starting. Ayers and Hillesland are not big time starters and should split time at the 3 like last year.
Frustrating end to a very fun day. The school came through at GameDay and we played tough against a very good opponent, but a loss is a loss. Must bounce back against Marquette or this season may go down the drain. As it is, we should be unranked for the first time Monday.
College GameDay
Very proud of my school today. The students showed up about 4,000 strong with some small help from local fans. Great atmosphere with Digger playing emcee all morning. Just an excellent hour long infomercial for Notre Dame basketball.
Hopefully we can ride the energy from this morning to a win tonight.
Hopefully we can ride the energy from this morning to a win tonight.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
UCONN Preview- Part 2
*Before reading this most, make sure you have read the "Things to Know" section from earlier today. If you are coming into town Saturday, be sure to stop by for College GameDay in the morning or before the game Saturday night.*
I was going to spread out my preview over the next two days, but will probably now complete most of it today with some filler tomorrow. There are two reasons for this: one, I want to keep the information about College GameDay close to the top of the page for the casual reader, in case anyone needs to know before Saturday and two, I'd like to get this preview out there and let it sit an extra night. There should be a good deal of information so it may be easier to digest in portions.
Let's take a look at the Huskies.
Starting Lineup-
PG- A.J. Price- #12- 6'2", 181 lbs.- 11.9 PPG, 4.6 APG, 45% 3PA- A talented point guard who runs the show and can light it up from beyond the arc. He's the only guy we should really respect from downtown. Austrie and Walker can hit them, but don't take enough to kill you. What's scary about Price is that he has the moves to use his range to draw you in before driving to the hoop. However, when a guy's overall field goal percentage (43%) is less than from beyond the arc, I'd take that chance.
SG- Jerome Dyson- #11- 6'4", 190 lbs.- 13.4 PPG, 3.4 APG, 31% 3PA- Shoot it, baby. He can't hurt you from outside (knock on wood) and has the lowest offensive rating of the starters. Price is just a touch better, since he shoots well from outside. Neither of the two guards can beat you by themselves. It's the inside that I'm worried about.
SF- Stanley Robinson- #21- 6'9", 210 lbs.- 5.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG- He missed the beginning of the year and hasn't shown as much as Craig Austrie, but allows Connecticut to run more of a conventional offense while on the floor. His length and athleticism could create some problems, but is probably the last option in the starting lineup.
PF- Jeff Adrien- #4- 6'7", 243 lbs.- 14.4 PPG, 9.6 RPG- Here's the problem. As mentioned, Price and Dyson are probably not enough to beat the Irish. I have plenty of confidence that Luke Harangody can neutralize Thabeet by stepping out and hitting a few jumpers. At the very least, Luke provides a better overall game that the Connecticut center. Power forward is the postition that could tip dramatically in favor of the Huskies. Who's going to guard Adrien? Hillesland is most likely not up to the task, so I'm praying Luke Zeller will step up. He has the height advantage and has shown some ability to shut down big men in the past (see Greg Monroe). Give me eight rebounds for Zeller and enough pressure to keep Adrien near his season average scoring and I'm ecstatic. Villanova would have beaten the Huskies if they could have kept Adrien off the boards. We need to make sure that happens.
C- Hasheem Thabeet- #34- 7'3", 263 lbs.- 13.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG- If you read the blog enough, you know I can't stand this guy. ESPN cover boy decided to trash talk Harangody and Hansbrough before the season started and enjoys beating small point guards in his free time. Here's the thing, Hasheem: you're not that good. Hey, I'll give you your props. You are a physical specimen. Seven foot three with the ability to jump over small cars. I get it. Too bad you have the hand-eye coordination of a new puppy. If I was that massive, I'd be a pretty good basketball player too. There's not a whole lot of skill involved. I know Coach Brey and Luke Harangody are over your little trash-talking to an extent, but I'm not. LH dropped 32 and 16 on you in Storrs last year. Remember that next time you say he's not tough. If Harangody can give us the same kind of performance this time around (and the Irish don't shoot 29% from three), we win and you can eat crow all the way back to Connecticut. Oh, and you really want to challenge Tyler Hansbrough? I'd love to see him kick your sorry butt all across the court sometime in March.
Bench-
Craig Austrie- #24- 6'3", 176 lbs.- 8.2 PPG, 1.9 APG, 39.6% 3PG- The very small forward when Robinson is out, Austrie can make some shots beyond the arc, but doesn't do a whole lot more. Did shoot 89% from the stripe last year.
Kemba Walker- #15- 6'1", 172 lbs.- 10.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 39% 3PA- The talented freshman from the Bronx is their best penetrator. Let him take the outside looks, because he averages only one or two a game. Just don't let him drive on you. Expect some zone with him in the game. Expect zone all day if we can figure out a way to play good enough inside defense with it.
Gavin Edwards- #33- 6'9", 234 lbs.- 4.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG- The Ty Nash of their rotation. He's the eighth man in the rotation and probably won't merit double digit minutes unless Adrien or Thabeet get in foul trouble. So let's get them in foul trouble.
I don't know about you, but I am pumped for Saturday already. Just wish we had one or two more Big East wins before this game. A loss puts us out of the rankings for the first time all year. Not fun to think about. Oh, well. Can't change the past. Win Saturday and everyone feels better about the program.
Also, is there no limit to how far Jim Calhoun will go to find talent? Nigeria, Tanzania, and now the Sudan. The anti-Connecticut fan in me thinks there has to be something shady here, but it (like the Thabeet situation) probably just is what it is: a great human story about a guy getting a chance to overcome stuggles of those in his native land. Kudos to Calhoun for finding these guys. Coach Brey is too interested in liberating big men from the likes of Washington and Schererville, Indiana.
I was going to spread out my preview over the next two days, but will probably now complete most of it today with some filler tomorrow. There are two reasons for this: one, I want to keep the information about College GameDay close to the top of the page for the casual reader, in case anyone needs to know before Saturday and two, I'd like to get this preview out there and let it sit an extra night. There should be a good deal of information so it may be easier to digest in portions.
Let's take a look at the Huskies.
Starting Lineup-
PG- A.J. Price- #12- 6'2", 181 lbs.- 11.9 PPG, 4.6 APG, 45% 3PA- A talented point guard who runs the show and can light it up from beyond the arc. He's the only guy we should really respect from downtown. Austrie and Walker can hit them, but don't take enough to kill you. What's scary about Price is that he has the moves to use his range to draw you in before driving to the hoop. However, when a guy's overall field goal percentage (43%) is less than from beyond the arc, I'd take that chance.
SG- Jerome Dyson- #11- 6'4", 190 lbs.- 13.4 PPG, 3.4 APG, 31% 3PA- Shoot it, baby. He can't hurt you from outside (knock on wood) and has the lowest offensive rating of the starters. Price is just a touch better, since he shoots well from outside. Neither of the two guards can beat you by themselves. It's the inside that I'm worried about.
SF- Stanley Robinson- #21- 6'9", 210 lbs.- 5.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG- He missed the beginning of the year and hasn't shown as much as Craig Austrie, but allows Connecticut to run more of a conventional offense while on the floor. His length and athleticism could create some problems, but is probably the last option in the starting lineup.
PF- Jeff Adrien- #4- 6'7", 243 lbs.- 14.4 PPG, 9.6 RPG- Here's the problem. As mentioned, Price and Dyson are probably not enough to beat the Irish. I have plenty of confidence that Luke Harangody can neutralize Thabeet by stepping out and hitting a few jumpers. At the very least, Luke provides a better overall game that the Connecticut center. Power forward is the postition that could tip dramatically in favor of the Huskies. Who's going to guard Adrien? Hillesland is most likely not up to the task, so I'm praying Luke Zeller will step up. He has the height advantage and has shown some ability to shut down big men in the past (see Greg Monroe). Give me eight rebounds for Zeller and enough pressure to keep Adrien near his season average scoring and I'm ecstatic. Villanova would have beaten the Huskies if they could have kept Adrien off the boards. We need to make sure that happens.
C- Hasheem Thabeet- #34- 7'3", 263 lbs.- 13.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG- If you read the blog enough, you know I can't stand this guy. ESPN cover boy decided to trash talk Harangody and Hansbrough before the season started and enjoys beating small point guards in his free time. Here's the thing, Hasheem: you're not that good. Hey, I'll give you your props. You are a physical specimen. Seven foot three with the ability to jump over small cars. I get it. Too bad you have the hand-eye coordination of a new puppy. If I was that massive, I'd be a pretty good basketball player too. There's not a whole lot of skill involved. I know Coach Brey and Luke Harangody are over your little trash-talking to an extent, but I'm not. LH dropped 32 and 16 on you in Storrs last year. Remember that next time you say he's not tough. If Harangody can give us the same kind of performance this time around (and the Irish don't shoot 29% from three), we win and you can eat crow all the way back to Connecticut. Oh, and you really want to challenge Tyler Hansbrough? I'd love to see him kick your sorry butt all across the court sometime in March.
Bench-
Craig Austrie- #24- 6'3", 176 lbs.- 8.2 PPG, 1.9 APG, 39.6% 3PG- The very small forward when Robinson is out, Austrie can make some shots beyond the arc, but doesn't do a whole lot more. Did shoot 89% from the stripe last year.
Kemba Walker- #15- 6'1", 172 lbs.- 10.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 39% 3PA- The talented freshman from the Bronx is their best penetrator. Let him take the outside looks, because he averages only one or two a game. Just don't let him drive on you. Expect some zone with him in the game. Expect zone all day if we can figure out a way to play good enough inside defense with it.
Gavin Edwards- #33- 6'9", 234 lbs.- 4.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG- The Ty Nash of their rotation. He's the eighth man in the rotation and probably won't merit double digit minutes unless Adrien or Thabeet get in foul trouble. So let's get them in foul trouble.
I don't know about you, but I am pumped for Saturday already. Just wish we had one or two more Big East wins before this game. A loss puts us out of the rankings for the first time all year. Not fun to think about. Oh, well. Can't change the past. Win Saturday and everyone feels better about the program.
Also, is there no limit to how far Jim Calhoun will go to find talent? Nigeria, Tanzania, and now the Sudan. The anti-Connecticut fan in me thinks there has to be something shady here, but it (like the Thabeet situation) probably just is what it is: a great human story about a guy getting a chance to overcome stuggles of those in his native land. Kudos to Calhoun for finding these guys. Coach Brey is too interested in liberating big men from the likes of Washington and Schererville, Indiana.
Things to Know
I was contacted to do some liveblogging on Saturday for The Score, a Canadian sports network. Obviously, I will at the game and can't work then, but hopefully will get some time as the season rolls along into March Madness. Hey, I'm half-Canadian, so the least I can do is plug their site on the blog, right?
Also, a schedule of events for Saturday. Be sure to know this if you're coming to town for the game:
Also, a schedule of events for Saturday. Be sure to know this if you're coming to town for the game:
- College GameDay will be broadcast live from the Joyce Center at 11 am and 6 pm.
- Students are allowed to camp out overnight Friday to ensure admittance Saturday morning.
- Beginning at 9:15 am, all students are admitted to GameDay. There will be contests and other fun stuff before the show starts.
- At 10 am, the Joyce Center is opened to the general public.
- At noon, the JACC will be cleared out until doors open at 5 pm for students and 5:30 for the general public.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
UCONN Preview- Part 1
The third-ranked Huskies beat Villanova tonight, meaning they will come to South Bend with a 17-1 record. Not too shabby.
Connecticut-
Pomeroy Ranking- 7th
Offensive Rating- 118.3 (7th)
Defensive Rating- 88.3 (20th)
Team Three-Point Percentage- 38.2% (39th)
Strength of Schedule- 60th
OOC Strength of Schedule- 197th
Bench- 25.2% of minutes played (300th, 6 spots above the Irish)
Projected Record- 26-4 (14-4)
The Huskies are the second best team left on our schedule (Pitt is ranked 4th by Pomeroy) and we have to visit Storrs in late February. We have beaten Georgetown, the only team to knock off Connecticut, but this one will be tough.
Around the country, a couple huge upsets today. Northwestern dropped #7 Michigan State at home and Va. Tech beat #1 Wake Forest at home. Just like that, no more unbeatens. Ken Pomeroy gave Northwestern a 16% chance of winning and the Hokies with a 5% opportunity of success. Makes our 17% shot on Saturday look like nothing.
More tomorrow.
Connecticut-
Pomeroy Ranking- 7th
Offensive Rating- 118.3 (7th)
Defensive Rating- 88.3 (20th)
Team Three-Point Percentage- 38.2% (39th)
Strength of Schedule- 60th
OOC Strength of Schedule- 197th
Bench- 25.2% of minutes played (300th, 6 spots above the Irish)
Projected Record- 26-4 (14-4)
The Huskies are the second best team left on our schedule (Pitt is ranked 4th by Pomeroy) and we have to visit Storrs in late February. We have beaten Georgetown, the only team to knock off Connecticut, but this one will be tough.
Around the country, a couple huge upsets today. Northwestern dropped #7 Michigan State at home and Va. Tech beat #1 Wake Forest at home. Just like that, no more unbeatens. Ken Pomeroy gave Northwestern a 16% chance of winning and the Hokies with a 5% opportunity of success. Makes our 17% shot on Saturday look like nothing.
More tomorrow.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Extra News
A few things that got lost in the shuffle this week...
Ty Proffitt has decided to transfer. No huge surprise there. Proffitt joined the team as a two-star point guard recruit and had little hope of moving up in the rotation over the next couple years.
Also, College Gameday will be on campus for the Connecticut game on January 24th. Big news for the Irish and should be a lot of fun.
Ty Proffitt has decided to transfer. No huge surprise there. Proffitt joined the team as a two-star point guard recruit and had little hope of moving up in the rotation over the next couple years.
Also, College Gameday will be on campus for the Connecticut game on January 24th. Big news for the Irish and should be a lot of fun.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Brey to IU?; UCONN Falls
"A lot of names are going to be thrown out there. I'll throw one out. I think Mike Brey of Notre Dame will be a candidate."
Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated talking to Greg Gumbel on CBS at halftime of the Kentucky/Arkansas game. Talking, of course, about the Indiana coaching vacancy.
Brey and native son Steve Alford were the only two names Davis mentioned. Interesting... Of course, ESPN's Pat Forde came out with a list including the most obvious names and Brey was nowhere to be seen.
Villanova upset Connecticut at the Wachovia Center 67-65, snapping the Huskies' 10 game winning streak. The loss cuts the virtual tie at the top to three teams: Louisville, Georgetown, and ND. Both the Cardinals and Hoyas have more wins that Notre Dame, but each team has three losses.
Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated talking to Greg Gumbel on CBS at halftime of the Kentucky/Arkansas game. Talking, of course, about the Indiana coaching vacancy.
Brey and native son Steve Alford were the only two names Davis mentioned. Interesting... Of course, ESPN's Pat Forde came out with a list including the most obvious names and Brey was nowhere to be seen.
Villanova upset Connecticut at the Wachovia Center 67-65, snapping the Huskies' 10 game winning streak. The loss cuts the virtual tie at the top to three teams: Louisville, Georgetown, and ND. Both the Cardinals and Hoyas have more wins that Notre Dame, but each team has three losses.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Connecticut 84, Notre Dame 78
Notre Dame went five minutes without a field goal through a key period in the second half and it turned a four point lead into a six point loss at Connecticut. The inability of the Irish to knock down important shots in the final minute killed any chance of a comeback. No such thing as a good loss, but plenty positive to take out of the rematch as Luke Harangody looks poised to run away with the conference player of the year award.
The game went back and forth all night, with the Irish holding most of the advantage in the first half. In the second 20 minutes, Notre Dame missed 11 straight shots from the field and wasted three second chances off of offensive rebounds. From 7:44 to 2:33 left, Connecticut went on a 10-2 run and permanently took the advantage. Had missed three point attempts by Ryan Ayers, Kyle McAlarney, and Luke Zeller fallen in the final minute, this could have been a different outcome. Alas, it was not to be.
Tory Jackson was very good game scoring and rebounding, but was just average handling the ball. 13 points, 9 rebounds. 4 assists to 4 turnovers. Overall, a good performance as the sophomore keeps to develop as a scorer. Made two of his four three point attempts, the only Irish player to shoot well from beyond the arc. If he can continue to develop his outside game, he adds a great threat to the Irish attack.
When Kyle McAlarney is cold, the Irish invariably lose. K-Mac could not repeat his 32 point performance from the JACC, scoring only twelve on 4-14 shooting. 2 assists, 4 boards to go along. His 2 for 7 line from beyond the arc was not enough, as the Irish only shot 29% as a team. Knock a couple more of those down and its a tie game.
Zach Hillesland provided his normal night, 4 points/6 rebounds/4 assists. I would love to see Zach get more into the scoring (indeed, I trashed Ayers a lot for the same fact), but when 48 shots are taken by your three high scorers, there are not a lot of points to go around. Gave his normal effort over 21 minutes...
Which is more than one could say about Rob Kurz. The lone senior disappeared for long portions of the contest. Season lows for points and rebounds. In similarly important contests against Kansas St., Georgetown, and Marquette at home, Kurz has been extremely quiet. Need to see more from the big guy when the team is in a big game like that.
But Luke Harangody sure put on a show. Hasheem Thabeet embarrassed Bamm-Bamm in their last meeting, using his height to take away the sophomore's jump hook. Harangody scored in all sorts of ways tonight, completely outclassing the Connecticut big man all night. 32 points, 16 rebounds in what will undoubtedly gain him consideration for a third straight Power Poll Player of the Week award. Picked up four fouls, the last in the final minute, but was able to stay on the floor for nearly the entire game. Congrats to him for really proving himself against a seven footer tonight.
Off the bench, both Ryan Ayers and Luke Zeller failed to provide the outside shooting that they specialize in. 2-6 overall for Ayers, 2-8 for Zeller. When your games center around putting the ball in the basket from long range, we need a better output than that. With McAlarney pretty quiet, either one of the bench players could have really picked up the team tonight. Jonathan Peoples had another quiet night. Some see flashes of him playing and really think he could be a special talent in the future. Time will tell, but right now he looks like no more than a minute-eater for Jackson and McAlarney.
A very good game for both teams. It is encouraging to see both squads playing at a national-quality level. Six point wins at home for each in the two game series shows how close the two teams are in talent. Connecticut is one of the hottest teams in the nation right now, but Notre Dame was able to stay in contention all the way at Gampel Pavilion. No small feat.
Connecticut made two more shots than the Irish overall. ND held the rebounding edge by two. The Irish were unable to get to the line often, a stat that has really kept them afloat in close contests against Marquette and Providence. Not a lot of turnovers for either side, 8 for UCONN and 12 for ND. 3 point shooting really helped the Huskies with 40% compared to 7-24 for the Irish.
A.J. Price had a very nice night with 26. Austrie and Adrien provided 14 and 13. 10 off the bench for Wiggins. Would have been nice to see him still suspended. Wiggins grabbed 9 rebounds, same with Adrien. Hasheem Thabeet was not the same offensive beast as against Georgia Tech. 4 points, 10 rebounds. Six blocked shots as well, an average night of work for the big Tanzanian.
Notre Dame has a game at Rutgers on Sunday. A big win there would be great to get the team back on track. Still always tough to pull one out at the RAC. Home contests against Pittsburgh and Syracuse give the Irish the chance to all but lock up a top 4 finish next week.
Losses always sting a bit, this one no less than usual. Still a gutsy performance for Notre Dame and they will need to bounce back well to keep the good juices from out five game winning streak going.
The game went back and forth all night, with the Irish holding most of the advantage in the first half. In the second 20 minutes, Notre Dame missed 11 straight shots from the field and wasted three second chances off of offensive rebounds. From 7:44 to 2:33 left, Connecticut went on a 10-2 run and permanently took the advantage. Had missed three point attempts by Ryan Ayers, Kyle McAlarney, and Luke Zeller fallen in the final minute, this could have been a different outcome. Alas, it was not to be.
Tory Jackson was very good game scoring and rebounding, but was just average handling the ball. 13 points, 9 rebounds. 4 assists to 4 turnovers. Overall, a good performance as the sophomore keeps to develop as a scorer. Made two of his four three point attempts, the only Irish player to shoot well from beyond the arc. If he can continue to develop his outside game, he adds a great threat to the Irish attack.
When Kyle McAlarney is cold, the Irish invariably lose. K-Mac could not repeat his 32 point performance from the JACC, scoring only twelve on 4-14 shooting. 2 assists, 4 boards to go along. His 2 for 7 line from beyond the arc was not enough, as the Irish only shot 29% as a team. Knock a couple more of those down and its a tie game.
Zach Hillesland provided his normal night, 4 points/6 rebounds/4 assists. I would love to see Zach get more into the scoring (indeed, I trashed Ayers a lot for the same fact), but when 48 shots are taken by your three high scorers, there are not a lot of points to go around. Gave his normal effort over 21 minutes...
Which is more than one could say about Rob Kurz. The lone senior disappeared for long portions of the contest. Season lows for points and rebounds. In similarly important contests against Kansas St., Georgetown, and Marquette at home, Kurz has been extremely quiet. Need to see more from the big guy when the team is in a big game like that.
But Luke Harangody sure put on a show. Hasheem Thabeet embarrassed Bamm-Bamm in their last meeting, using his height to take away the sophomore's jump hook. Harangody scored in all sorts of ways tonight, completely outclassing the Connecticut big man all night. 32 points, 16 rebounds in what will undoubtedly gain him consideration for a third straight Power Poll Player of the Week award. Picked up four fouls, the last in the final minute, but was able to stay on the floor for nearly the entire game. Congrats to him for really proving himself against a seven footer tonight.
Off the bench, both Ryan Ayers and Luke Zeller failed to provide the outside shooting that they specialize in. 2-6 overall for Ayers, 2-8 for Zeller. When your games center around putting the ball in the basket from long range, we need a better output than that. With McAlarney pretty quiet, either one of the bench players could have really picked up the team tonight. Jonathan Peoples had another quiet night. Some see flashes of him playing and really think he could be a special talent in the future. Time will tell, but right now he looks like no more than a minute-eater for Jackson and McAlarney.
A very good game for both teams. It is encouraging to see both squads playing at a national-quality level. Six point wins at home for each in the two game series shows how close the two teams are in talent. Connecticut is one of the hottest teams in the nation right now, but Notre Dame was able to stay in contention all the way at Gampel Pavilion. No small feat.
Connecticut made two more shots than the Irish overall. ND held the rebounding edge by two. The Irish were unable to get to the line often, a stat that has really kept them afloat in close contests against Marquette and Providence. Not a lot of turnovers for either side, 8 for UCONN and 12 for ND. 3 point shooting really helped the Huskies with 40% compared to 7-24 for the Irish.
A.J. Price had a very nice night with 26. Austrie and Adrien provided 14 and 13. 10 off the bench for Wiggins. Would have been nice to see him still suspended. Wiggins grabbed 9 rebounds, same with Adrien. Hasheem Thabeet was not the same offensive beast as against Georgia Tech. 4 points, 10 rebounds. Six blocked shots as well, an average night of work for the big Tanzanian.
Notre Dame has a game at Rutgers on Sunday. A big win there would be great to get the team back on track. Still always tough to pull one out at the RAC. Home contests against Pittsburgh and Syracuse give the Irish the chance to all but lock up a top 4 finish next week.
Losses always sting a bit, this one no less than usual. Still a gutsy performance for Notre Dame and they will need to bounce back well to keep the good juices from out five game winning streak going.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Connecticut Preview
Updated From Earlier Preview:
Backcourt-
#11 Jerome Dyson- 14.3 PPG, 33% from three (Suspended)
#12 A.J. Price- 14.6 PPG, 6.0 APG, 38% beyond the arc
#24 Craig Austrie- 6.0 PPG, 27%, another guard
Frontcourt-
#4 Jeff Adrien- 14.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, not a deep threat
#21 Stanley Robinson- 9.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 34% long range
#34 Hasheem Thabeet- 11.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.0 BPG
Bench-
#3 Doug Wiggins- 6.2 PPG, 32% from three, 19.0 MPG
#14 Curtis Kelly- 2.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 8.6 MPG
#33 Gavin Edwards- 2.9 PPG, 1.7 RPG, like Kelly another 6'9" sophomore forward, 7.8 MPG
Even less deep than Notre Dame. Only went six deep against Georgia Tech until the final minutes. Just five with double figure minutes against Syracuse.
Thabeet showed more offensive ability against Georgia Tech (24 points, 15 rebounds). Losing Dyson's 14 points and 4 rebounds hurts a little, but obviously has not crippled them. Huskies have won last 7, five of which without the 6'4" sophomore guard.
On January 5th at the Joyce Center, the Irish pulled out a 73-67 win. Notre Dame led by 15 at the break, but sputtered in the second half as Luke Harangody shot 5-23 against Thabeet. It took a career-high 32 points from Kyle McAlarney and near perfect shooting night from the line for Coach Brey's team to log the victory.
Rob Kurz and Harangody both finished with 14 and 10 double-doubles. Kurz helped out a great three point shooting night by the team in making 2 of his 3 shots beyond the arc. Tory Jackson had a big number night distributing with 11 assists, but racked up 7 turnovers. Ryan Ayers was still starting at that point and neither he not Zach Hillesland logged great numbers.
For UCONN, the scoring was pretty spread out. Jeff Adrien had the sixth of his twelve double-doubles so far this year, 16 point/11 rebounds. 13 points for both Dyson and Price. Thabeet had 10 blocks, helped by few whistles from the refs. Indeed, Thabeet was the only player for Connecticut with 10 or more minutes who did not pick up a foul. No might remember this picture.
Harangody needs to have a better game because we cannot count on another career night from K-Mac. To do so, Bamm-Bamm needs to make sure he gets in on Thabeet's body on offense. Thabeet likes to create space between him and the offensive player and uses his great wingspan to block shots. This forced Harangody to try to shoot over the UCONN big man, coming up short on several jump hooks. In addition, it is important for Harangody to be able to knock down 15 foot jumpers and force Thabeet out of the key. This will open up the lane for other players and allow guys like Jackson and Hillesland to drive to the basket.
That's about it. Need a better than 37% overall shooting night for the team and must keep Thabeet from using his newfound offensive ability. If McAlarney can score 15-20 with consistent outside shooting and Harangody is able to get his points without too many missed shots over Thabeet, this could be a great road win. As it is, the Huskies are on a roll with seven straight and look like a much improved team from January. With only a 35% chance of winning according to Kenpom.com, the Irish find themselves the underdog for once, but have a good chance of pulling off the upset if they play their game.
Go Irish, beat Huskies.
Backcourt-
#11 Jerome Dyson- 14.3 PPG, 33% from three (Suspended)
#12 A.J. Price- 14.6 PPG, 6.0 APG, 38% beyond the arc
#24 Craig Austrie- 6.0 PPG, 27%, another guard
Frontcourt-
#4 Jeff Adrien- 14.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, not a deep threat
#21 Stanley Robinson- 9.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 34% long range
#34 Hasheem Thabeet- 11.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.0 BPG
Bench-
#3 Doug Wiggins- 6.2 PPG, 32% from three, 19.0 MPG
#14 Curtis Kelly- 2.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 8.6 MPG
#33 Gavin Edwards- 2.9 PPG, 1.7 RPG, like Kelly another 6'9" sophomore forward, 7.8 MPG
Even less deep than Notre Dame. Only went six deep against Georgia Tech until the final minutes. Just five with double figure minutes against Syracuse.
Thabeet showed more offensive ability against Georgia Tech (24 points, 15 rebounds). Losing Dyson's 14 points and 4 rebounds hurts a little, but obviously has not crippled them. Huskies have won last 7, five of which without the 6'4" sophomore guard.
On January 5th at the Joyce Center, the Irish pulled out a 73-67 win. Notre Dame led by 15 at the break, but sputtered in the second half as Luke Harangody shot 5-23 against Thabeet. It took a career-high 32 points from Kyle McAlarney and near perfect shooting night from the line for Coach Brey's team to log the victory.
Rob Kurz and Harangody both finished with 14 and 10 double-doubles. Kurz helped out a great three point shooting night by the team in making 2 of his 3 shots beyond the arc. Tory Jackson had a big number night distributing with 11 assists, but racked up 7 turnovers. Ryan Ayers was still starting at that point and neither he not Zach Hillesland logged great numbers.
For UCONN, the scoring was pretty spread out. Jeff Adrien had the sixth of his twelve double-doubles so far this year, 16 point/11 rebounds. 13 points for both Dyson and Price. Thabeet had 10 blocks, helped by few whistles from the refs. Indeed, Thabeet was the only player for Connecticut with 10 or more minutes who did not pick up a foul. No might remember this picture.
Harangody needs to have a better game because we cannot count on another career night from K-Mac. To do so, Bamm-Bamm needs to make sure he gets in on Thabeet's body on offense. Thabeet likes to create space between him and the offensive player and uses his great wingspan to block shots. This forced Harangody to try to shoot over the UCONN big man, coming up short on several jump hooks. In addition, it is important for Harangody to be able to knock down 15 foot jumpers and force Thabeet out of the key. This will open up the lane for other players and allow guys like Jackson and Hillesland to drive to the basket.
That's about it. Need a better than 37% overall shooting night for the team and must keep Thabeet from using his newfound offensive ability. If McAlarney can score 15-20 with consistent outside shooting and Harangody is able to get his points without too many missed shots over Thabeet, this could be a great road win. As it is, the Huskies are on a roll with seven straight and look like a much improved team from January. With only a 35% chance of winning according to Kenpom.com, the Irish find themselves the underdog for once, but have a good chance of pulling off the upset if they play their game.
Go Irish, beat Huskies.
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