U Conn Game Thread

[D Jay Fan]

A couple posters say they need to get out of the Big East conference due to the refs being out to get them and they are not getting the proper respect they deserve. They did get screwed on the 3 pointer at the end but I’m fairly sure that’s not due to an officiating conspiracy against them.

Am I the only one who could clearly see Ash’s left hand grab Diara’s right arm before any kind of shooting motion started? It looked clear to me. I like Benetti but I thought he was just trying to create unnecessary drama on that call. I thought if they had reviewed it the call would have stood.

Kinda depends on what they saw and actually called I think. It looks like he might have grabbed him a bit like you said, but it certainly wasn't blatant (and was far less than what UConn was doing to ball-handlers all game). The second contact was definitely a shooting foul though because Ashworth did reach with the right hand after Diarra or whoever it was jumped into him.

I always assume coaches are telling the officials we are going to foul. It makes Thomas' foul an early foul because we prefer not to grab and hurt someone. The officials therefore call it at first touch. Same for Ashworth's last foul. In the 1st half I believe Ashworth's fouled on purpose because Neal hadn't got off the floor when he thought he was fouled. U Conn had a 5 on 4. Neal got burned on that same issue the 2nd half. It was just Ashworth knowing we only had 1 foul at that time (under 8 minutes)
Then add in 1 foul by Thomas and 2 at the end of the game by Ashworth. 8 fouls for the game. And we did 4 of them on purpose.

[drbluejay]

Neal gets my standout player of the game edging out Traudt. My unsung hero goes to Miller for his defense and the play of the game when he took that charge from Karaban. Chalk this one up to the bench of Traudt and Miller.

[Realhoops]

Neal gets my standout player of the game edging out Traudt. My unsung hero goes to Miller for his defense and the play of the game when he took that charge from Karaban. Chalk this one up to the bench of Traudt and Miller.

“Edging out” Traudt …

[Chicagojayfan]

the boneyard is always a fun read after we beat them. The typical mix of blueblood entitlement, panic mode, and genuine respect for CU and Mac.

it's a really interesting place, but the knowledgeable posters there are very knowledgeable, but like every forum, they are often swamped by the guys who don't much

[SDJay]

the boneyard is always a fun read after we beat them. The typical mix of blueblood entitlement, panic mode, and genuine respect for CU and Mac.

it's a really interesting place, but the knowledgeable posters there are very knowledgeable, but like every forum, they are often swamped by the guys who don't much

That was my impression, too.
The premise that the BE is out to screw U Conn by the way games were officiated was a crazy rabbit hole, & generated a lot of interest, just to bolster your second point.

[Chicagojayfan]

This team is becoming one of my favorite Creighton teams. It's rare to see a team lose so much the previous season, then lose a key addition early on and somehow still manage to adjust and figure out how to play and win. Another team I liked, the '14-'15 team really had no business being in the BE, but they kept playing hard and getting better and while they didn't make the tourney, they were a team the rest of the BE just did not want to play by the end of the season -- fortunately this bunch has a lot more talent than them, which they showed yesterday!

Offense:
UConn's D hasn't been great this year. They miss Clingan a lot and they don't have the one-on-one athleticism they've mostly had recently. They did a really nice job on Kalkbrenner and Ashworth in the first half, but Neal was able to find space (I thought particularly when Miller was in the game) and he really bailed us out

I think it's important to note that both teams ran their offense pretty well. It doesn't look that way on the scoreboard because this was the slowest game we've played all year in terms of pace, and the 2nd slowest for UConn. A big part of that was the way the refs let the contact go during the game. I suspect that's part of why Hurley downplayed the last call as a non-shooting call -- he'd gotten most all he wanted from the refs yesterday. I don't think there was a single play where a foul couldn't have been called on the guys defending Kalk, for instance

Defense:
This was the 3rd worst offensive performance by UConn all year with 'only' a 107.2 offensive performance (pretty crazy - I wouldn't have thought that until I checked) and a lot of it had to do with Kalkbrenner letting us pressure their guards/wings
off the line. Karaban in particular was a guy we did a great job on. UConn loves to attack the rim, and Karaban has feasted on teams helping out.. with Kalk we were able to really make it hard for them to play the way they want offensively

Performances:
I was at the Nova game earlier in the season and saw Neal go crazy that night also, but this game looked a lot like that game and probably even better in the first half. If I have to pick someone Neal's player of the game, but this really was a team win in so many ways

Hurley/UConn set out to stop Kalkbrenner and Ashworth, and while the refs let them play very physical D, they were also able to help off of Green when he was on the floor in the first half. That also let them shut down some of the space for Neal. Miller coming in changed that quickly. Problem for UConn is that they don't really have someone who can play D on a guy like Neal, and in the paint, they have size, but they really had to sell out to try to stop Kalkbrenner

While Kalk and Ashworth were held in check the first half, the second half they played well and pulled things out in the end. I thought McAndrews had some trouble with how physical UConn was, but he'll have his days against other teams. Traudt was outstanding. Green/Miller played great D on Karaban. Traudt was outstanding (the little turnaround is a great weapon for a 6-10 guy!).

Tight bench yesterday, but I'm OK with that. In a low possession game you just can't afford to have someone miss an assignment or go under a screen at a critical moment. Fedor will be a star next year along side Pop, but he's still a work in progress for now and yesterday wasn't the day to go through growing pains on the court

Coaching
Just a masterful performance by Mac and the staff yesterday. The plan was outstanding and mostly took Karaban out of the game for the most part. He made quick moves when needed, and managed the game to perfection

This was a huge win for this team. To be where they were a month ago, and now to be looking to be on a path to be in the tourney is huge, and winning a game in a tough stadium like UConn's tells us a lot about just how good they can be this year. It's really a treat to watch this team develop

[WBR Tom]

Here’s the link to my recap on WBR with quotes from both coaches, highlights, analysis, key stats and more:

https://whiteandbluereview.com/morning- ... ver-uconn/

[SDJay]

Here’s the link to my recap on WBR with quotes from both coaches, highlights, analysis, key stats and more:

https://whiteandbluereview.com/morning- ... ver-uconn/

Great job, as always!
During highlight reels, I like to pick out some opposing fans and watch their reaction to the action. There's a couple of guys on the baseline (at the Jays end) that are pretty animated. At the 3 min mark in the 2nd half, Kalk goes hard to the basket with 2 defenders on him & scores, and one guy has had enough. He just gives him the finger.

[GoJays2020]

F YES!!!!!

Ash and Kalk were brilliant at the end to preserve the W and Neal's virtuoso first half and career HIGH.

Jamiya channelling his inner Rodzilla. What a game BLUEJAYS!!!!

Great photo! I fondly remember attending the game at the Civic when Rodney scored 40 pts. I think it was against Bradley