Anyone who read my particularly insightful blog about Thursday night's loss to Marquette and then watched today's workmanlike Husky win over Cincinnati would have to believe the rumors in today's issue of a well know Connectict newspaper. It was reported from an undisclosed source that when Calhoun returned to Campus to re-join the team he requested a copy of my blog from Thursday. I can't be sure myself but he certainly incorporated my main suggestions from the get-go.
As I implored, Calhoun had either Lamb or Napier at the point the entire game, with Walker on the wing;this allowed Walker to preserve energy and prevented him from over dribbling. Both Frosh were very effective; Lamb played 38 minutes and had 17 points on 7-10 from the field, including 3-4 from 3 point land. Napier played 26 minutes as opposed to 11 against Marquette and scored 11 points in addition to running the offense well. I also made a very strong case that Calhoun had to commit totally to incorporating his Freshman into the offense if this team did not want an early trip home to Storrs. In fact, Walker took a season low 11 shots but made 5; his shot selection was better, he did not force the action and as a result Lamb, Napier, and Smith ( who had his best offensive showing of the campaign) got more shots. This resulted in better point distribution with Walker plus Lamb, Napier and Smith in Double figures. JCM also got more time on the floor and had a fairly quiet scoring night but played his usual effective all court game. Since Smith was hot, hit 3 treys and scored 11 JCM did not have a lot of minutes.
The Huskies were in control from start to finish and went home with a 67-59 win.
tonights win gives the Huskies a 9-7 conference record and with two to play the worst case scenario is a .500 record which makes them a lock for a dance card because of the quality wins early in the year and their strength of schedule. Their remaining games are Wednesday at West Virginia and Saturday at home against Notre Dame. These games are very important since if the Huskies run the table they will get a one round bye in the Big East Tournament. Of note is that both years the Huskies won the National Championship, 1999 and 2003, they also won the Big East Tournament. One would think that winning the conference tournament might be draining but this points to one of Steve Eliot's truisms. Teams that are hot and playing well at the end of the season do well in the Big Dance;conversely teams that are playing badly down the stretch do not turn it around in the NCAA's. For all you bracketologists entering pools put your money on teams that are hot in the stretch.
I think a great dark horse for the final four this year is Louisville. they continued their hot play today when they upset Pitt.
One last observation. I would say that Alex Oriakhi has been inconsistent and disappointing this year. I have concluded that his upside is much more limited than most people had hoped. Here is the reason; He is a slow jumper. By that I mean he is slow to get off the floor and as a result has a lot of shots blocked or deflected and misses opportunities for put-backs. he reminds me a lot of Jeff Adrien who had the same problem and was not drafted( although he just got a 10 day trial with I forget who) Oriakhi's slow jumping was evident at 16:00 of the first half when he was far ahead of the field and took a full court pass from Lamb. By the time he got off the ground for what should have been an easy dunk the shot was blocked.
"You Heard it here First"
steve
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7 comments:
Yes a great win for the Huskies & yes a lock for the Big Dance. I sure hope your comment is correct about teams that are hot & playing well at the end of the year do well in the tourney. My Bucknell Bison have won 7 in a row & 20 of the last 22. Now that's hot, but unfortunately we have to win 3 more Patriot League tournament games just to get into the Dance. So go Huskies & Bison!!
Mike, I wish thte Bison luck. Right now brackologist Joe Lunardi has then as a 14th seed. Being hot does not necessarily apply to first round games involving 14th, 15th and 16th seeds. Upsets are very rare in those games.
Mike, 14th seeds have won first round games 15 times since 1986.
The Cincy game was a lot of fun to watch. It's clear at this point and has been all year - as Steve has pointed out many times - that the winning formula is an efficient Kemba and balanced scoring from a variety of players.
Okwandu had a few great points in the game too and I noticed that he was using the glass more, and more effectively. I don't know if this was a coached change, an adjustment, or just a one-night fluke, but it made him more dangerous. I'd be interested, Dad, in your thoughts on this.
I still think the elements are there for UCONN to get hot. There is talent here, just not consistency yet. ND will be a huge test.
On antoher note, I went to UCLA - Arizona this weekend at the last game at legendary Pauley Pavillion, the house that Wooden built. The crowd was great and UCLA beat #10 Arizona by 23 points. UCONN could face them in the tourney, so my scouting report is available if needed. One thing that jumped out is the huge disparity between the Big East and the Pac-10. UCONN is much more talented than UCLA.
Thanks Peter for the report. I think that Calhoun does a good job coaching big men so that what you saw was probably coached. Oakwando continues to improve in small increments. I do agree that 4 of the five Freshman ( Lamb, smith, Napier, and Giffey) plus JCM have all had some very good games, but not in concert. If they all start playing well together there is the potential for a hot streak. However, it has to start now; as I said a Steve Eliot truism teams that are playing poorly at the end of the season do not turn it around in the Big Dance.
Just got a chance to read your response to my comment. Need I remind you of 2005 when a #14 Bison beat the #3 Jayhawks??
Mike, I wasn't aware of that. It can happen.
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