UConn Game Discussion

I was shocked at how few UCONN fans there were tonight.  They didn't make a peep until the double T with Karr and the Wolfman.  I expected more would have made the trip. 

Page 6 in this thread is funny. Hope none of you jumped off the ledge

I was shocked at how few UCONN fans there were tonight.  They didn't make a peep until the double T with Karr and the Wolfman.  I expected more would have made the trip. 

Middle of the week.
Team can't play in the postseason.
Not shocked.  Was actually surprised how many were actually there.

I don't know that I've ever seen a player improve his ball handling in one year as much as Dom has.
He couldn't dribble a lick last year, and he did a nice job tonight bringing the ball up and running the offense when asked to.

Literally every part of his game is noticeably improving.   His foul shooting is improved, he's picking up assists with regularity, and he's even started to pick his spots to hit the occasional trey.   


The guy is doing it all for us, and he's very efficient.   Doesn't take a lot of shots or turn the ball over.
Since January he's been a different guy.   Remarkable. 

I don't know that I've ever seen a player improve his ball handling in one year as much as Dom has.
He couldn't dribble a lick last year, and he did a nice job tonight bringing the ball up and running the offense when asked to.

Literally every part of his game is noticeably improving.   His foul shooting is improved, he's picking up assists with regularity, and he's even started to pick his spots to hit the occasional trey.   


The guy is doing it all for us, and he's very efficient.   Doesn't take a lot of shots or turn the ball over.
Since late December/January he's been a different guy.   Remarkable. 

Still to helter skelter with the ball at times.  When he picked up the dribble at half court?

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:24:43 PM

I don't know that I've ever seen a player improve his ball handling in one year as much as Dom has.
He couldn't dribble a lick last year, and he did a nice job tonight bringing the ball up and running the offense when asked to.

Literally every part of his game is noticeably improving.   His foul shooting is improved, he's picking up assists with regularity, and he's even started to pick his spots to hit the occasional trey.   


The guy is doing it all for us, and he's very efficient.   Doesn't take a lot of shots or turn the ball over.
Since late December/January he's been a different guy.   Remarkable. 

Still to helter skelter with the ball at times.  When he picked up the dribble at half court?

Yea that was bad - he's not Tim Hardaway yet I agree.   Nor should he really have to be bringing the ball up - but with branch out and Dlo on the bench for awhile ... I guess it falls to him to help Phil out.   
But comparatively, he is soo much better with the ball than he was last year.   He was a trap waiting to happen when he had the ball on the perimeter last year.   
I literally used to cringe when he had the ball at the top of the offense.  No more. 

Doms becoming my man. 

Quote from: Moose on February 06, 2013, 11:26:04 PM

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:24:43 PM

I don't know that I've ever seen a player improve his ball handling in one year as much as Dom has.
He couldn't dribble a lick last year, and he did a nice job tonight bringing the ball up and running the offense when asked to.

Literally every part of his game is noticeably improving.   His foul shooting is improved, he's picking up assists with regularity, and he's even started to pick his spots to hit the occasional trey.   


The guy is doing it all for us, and he's very efficient.   Doesn't take a lot of shots or turn the ball over.
Since late December/January he's been a different guy.   Remarkable. 

Still to helter skelter with the ball at times.  When he picked up the dribble at half court?

Yea that was bad - he's not Tim Hardaway yet I agree.   Nor should he really have to be bringing the ball up - but with branch out and Dlo on the bench for awhile ... I guess it falls to him to help Phil out.   
But comparatively, he is soo much better with the ball than he was last year.   He was a trap waiting to happen when he had the ball on the perimeter last year.   
I literally used to cringe when he had the ball at the top of the offense.  No more. 

Doms becoming my man. 

He is really improving by leaps and bounds.  I love it.
Was really surprised we used Marco to inbound to Dom and had Dee all the way up the court at the end.  I'd want the ball in the hands of my best FT shooter.  Not sure why he wasn't in the press break at all.

Dom also lost the ball on fast break. Retained possession out of bounds on UConn. Tighter handle and he scores a layup. It's an area of his game he needs to improve.

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:31:17 PM

Quote from: Moose on February 06, 2013, 11:26:04 PM

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:24:43 PM

I don't know that I've ever seen a player improve his ball handling in one year as much as Dom has.
He couldn't dribble a lick last year, and he did a nice job tonight bringing the ball up and running the offense when asked to.

Literally every part of his game is noticeably improving.   His foul shooting is improved, he's picking up assists with regularity, and he's even started to pick his spots to hit the occasional trey.   


The guy is doing it all for us, and he's very efficient.   Doesn't take a lot of shots or turn the ball over.
Since late December/January he's been a different guy.   Remarkable. 

Still to helter skelter with the ball at times.  When he picked up the dribble at half court?

Yea that was bad - he's not Tim Hardaway yet I agree.   Nor should he really have to be bringing the ball up - but with branch out and Dlo on the bench for awhile ... I guess it falls to him to help Phil out.   
But comparatively, he is soo much better with the ball than he was last year.   He was a trap waiting to happen when he had the ball on the perimeter last year.   
I literally used to cringe when he had the ball at the top of the offense.  No more. 

Doms becoming my man. 

He is really improving by leaps and bounds.  I love it.
Was really surprised we used Marco to inbound to Dom and had Dee all the way up the court at the end.  I'd want the ball in the hands of my best FT shooter.  Not sure why he wasn't in the press break at all.

That struck me as weird too.
Honestly, there were a number of moves tonight that I questioned, but I'm trying not to be the Debbie downer, and just enjoying the win.

But if we had lost somehow, a lot of people would be screaming right now about timeouts, Jakarr playing w/ 4 fouls, Dlo on the bench 1/2 the second half etc etc.   

Dom also lost the ball on fast break. Retained possession out of bounds on UConn. Tighter handle and he scores a layup. It's an area of his game he needs to improve.

Agree, it's plays like that one that we probably make next year, but fumble this year.   
We're like a hairline away from having a handful of easier baskets every game.   

Dom had his 3 turnovers today, so maybe it's not the night to compliment his ball handling; but it really is much better than last year.   

Quote from: Moose on February 06, 2013, 11:34:01 PM

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:31:17 PM

Quote from: Moose on February 06, 2013, 11:26:04 PM

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:24:43 PM

I don't know that I've ever seen a player improve his ball handling in one year as much as Dom has.
He couldn't dribble a lick last year, and he did a nice job tonight bringing the ball up and running the offense when asked to.

Literally every part of his game is noticeably improving.   His foul shooting is improved, he's picking up assists with regularity, and he's even started to pick his spots to hit the occasional trey.   


The guy is doing it all for us, and he's very efficient.   Doesn't take a lot of shots or turn the ball over.
Since late December/January he's been a different guy.   Remarkable. 

Still to helter skelter with the ball at times.  When he picked up the dribble at half court?

Yea that was bad - he's not Tim Hardaway yet I agree.   Nor should he really have to be bringing the ball up - but with branch out and Dlo on the bench for awhile ... I guess it falls to him to help Phil out.   
But comparatively, he is soo much better with the ball than he was last year.   He was a trap waiting to happen when he had the ball on the perimeter last year.   
I literally used to cringe when he had the ball at the top of the offense.  No more. 

Doms becoming my man. 

He is really improving by leaps and bounds.  I love it.
Was really surprised we used Marco to inbound to Dom and had Dee all the way up the court at the end.  I'd want the ball in the hands of my best FT shooter.  Not sure why he wasn't in the press break at all.

That struck me as weird too.
Honestly, there were a number of moves tonight that I questioned, but I'm trying not to be the Debbie downer, and just enjoying the win.

But if we had lost somehow, a lot of people would be screaming right now about timeouts, Jakarr playing w/ 4 fouls, Dlo on the bench 1/2 the second half etc etc.   

Coach was really pissed at DLo. When he took him out early in the 2nd half Coach ripped into DLo on the bench.  I didn't think DLo would play again.

Quote from: Dave on February 06, 2013, 11:37:17 PM

Dom also lost the ball on fast break. Retained possession out of bounds on UConn. Tighter handle and he scores a layup. It's an area of his game he needs to improve.

Agree, it's plays like that one that we probably make next year, but fumble this year.   
We're like a hairline away from having a handful of easier baskets every game.   

Dom had his 3 turnovers today, so maybe it's not the night to compliment his ball handling; but it really is much better than last year.   

In my opinion his ball handling hasn't improved since last year but his confidence handling the ball has. Last year he would pick up his dribble so often and look to pass off where this year he is picking his spots wisely.

Quote from: Dave on February 06, 2013, 11:37:17 PM

Dom also lost the ball on fast break. Retained possession out of bounds on UConn. Tighter handle and he scores a layup. It's an area of his game he needs to improve.

Agree, it's plays like that one that we probably make next year, but fumble this year.   
We're like a hairline away from having a handful of easier baskets every game.   

Dom had his 3 turnovers today, so maybe it's not the night to compliment his ball handling; but it really is much better than last year.   

Don't forget that we played w out a point guard tonight. Dom brought it up regularly and while he may have had 3 turnovers just imagine how many Garrett and Sampson would have had if that were their job?

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:37:42 PM

Quote from: Moose on February 06, 2013, 11:34:01 PM

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:31:17 PM

Quote from: Moose on February 06, 2013, 11:26:04 PM

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:24:43 PM

I don't know that I've ever seen a player improve his ball handling in one year as much as Dom has.
He couldn't dribble a lick last year, and he did a nice job tonight bringing the ball up and running the offense when asked to.

Literally every part of his game is noticeably improving.   His foul shooting is improved, he's picking up assists with regularity, and he's even started to pick his spots to hit the occasional trey.   


The guy is doing it all for us, and he's very efficient.   Doesn't take a lot of shots or turn the ball over.
Since late December/January he's been a different guy.   Remarkable. 

Still to helter skelter with the ball at times.  When he picked up the dribble at half court?

Yea that was bad - he's not Tim Hardaway yet I agree.   Nor should he really have to be bringing the ball up - but with branch out and Dlo on the bench for awhile ... I guess it falls to him to help Phil out.   
But comparatively, he is soo much better with the ball than he was last year.   He was a trap waiting to happen when he had the ball on the perimeter last year.   
I literally used to cringe when he had the ball at the top of the offense.  No more. 

Doms becoming my man. 

He is really improving by leaps and bounds.  I love it.
Was really surprised we used Marco to inbound to Dom and had Dee all the way up the court at the end.  I'd want the ball in the hands of my best FT shooter.  Not sure why he wasn't in the press break at all.

That struck me as weird too.
Honestly, there were a number of moves tonight that I questioned, but I'm trying not to be the Debbie downer, and just enjoying the win.

But if we had lost somehow, a lot of people would be screaming right now about timeouts, Jakarr playing w/ 4 fouls, Dlo on the bench 1/2 the second half etc etc.   

Coach was really pissed at DLo. When he took him out early in the 2nd half Coach ripped into DLo on the bench.  I didn't think DLo would play again.

Ironically when our lead shrank?

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:41:47 PM

Quote from: Dave on February 06, 2013, 11:37:17 PM

Dom also lost the ball on fast break. Retained possession out of bounds on UConn. Tighter handle and he scores a layup. It's an area of his game he needs to improve.

Agree, it's plays like that one that we probably make next year, but fumble this year.   
We're like a hairline away from having a handful of easier baskets every game.   

Dom had his 3 turnovers today, so maybe it's not the night to compliment his ball handling; but it really is much better than last year.   

In my opinion his ball handling hasn't improved since last year but his confidence handling the ball has. Last year he would pick up his dribble so often and look to pass off where this year he is picking his spots wisely.

Our guys get pickpocketed from behind so much.

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:41:47 PM

Quote from: Dave on February 06, 2013, 11:37:17 PM

Dom also lost the ball on fast break. Retained possession out of bounds on UConn. Tighter handle and he scores a layup. It's an area of his game he needs to improve.

Agree, it's plays like that one that we probably make next year, but fumble this year.   
We're like a hairline away from having a handful of easier baskets every game.   

Dom had his 3 turnovers today, so maybe it's not the night to compliment his ball handling; but it really is much better than last year.   

In my opinion his ball handling hasn't improved since last year but his confidence handling the ball has. Last year he would pick up his dribble so often and look to pass off where this year he is picking his spots wisely.

Po-tay-to/Po-tah-to, Dave.   That IS "improving his ball handling".   

IMO, big misstep by LAvin keeping D'Lo on the bench for waaaaaay to long.  This game should have been a blowout, but we let them back in the the no-Branch/D'Lo lineup.  Thnk the lord we executed down the stretch and hit our free throws, but this wasn't the game for Lavin to make a point with D'Lo.  We barely won when it should have been a huge win.  Balsy to say the least. 

I the end though, a win is still a win.  Go to the uconn board and they are upset how they lost to a "bad" team.  Fwiw, uconn was the worst big east team we played all year.  It was only close because we made it so.  We should have won by 20-30.

Love the fact that uconn fans don't show up any more.  Cross them off the schedule.  They do nothing for us at MSG any more.

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:37:42 PM

Quote from: Moose on February 06, 2013, 11:34:01 PM

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:31:17 PM

Quote from: Moose on February 06, 2013, 11:26:04 PM

Quote from: desco80 on February 06, 2013, 11:24:43 PM

I don't know that I've ever seen a player improve his ball handling in one year as much as Dom has.
He couldn't dribble a lick last year, and he did a nice job tonight bringing the ball up and running the offense when asked to.

Literally every part of his game is noticeably improving.   His foul shooting is improved, he's picking up assists with regularity, and he's even started to pick his spots to hit the occasional trey.   


The guy is doing it all for us, and he's very efficient.   Doesn't take a lot of shots or turn the ball over.
Since late December/January he's been a different guy.   Remarkable. 

Still to helter skelter with the ball at times.  When he picked up the dribble at half court?

Yea that was bad - he's not Tim Hardaway yet I agree.   Nor should he really have to be bringing the ball up - but with branch out and Dlo on the bench for awhile ... I guess it falls to him to help Phil out.   
But comparatively, he is soo much better with the ball than he was last year.   He was a trap waiting to happen when he had the ball on the perimeter last year.   
I literally used to cringe when he had the ball at the top of the offense.  No more. 

Doms becoming my man. 

He is really improving by leaps and bounds.  I love it.
Was really surprised we used Marco to inbound to Dom and had Dee all the way up the court at the end.  I'd want the ball in the hands of my best FT shooter.  Not sure why he wasn't in the press break at all.

That struck me as weird too.
Honestly, there were a number of moves tonight that I questioned, but I'm trying not to be the Debbie downer, and just enjoying the win.

But if we had lost somehow, a lot of people would be screaming right now about timeouts, Jakarr playing w/ 4 fouls, Dlo on the bench 1/2 the second half etc etc.   

Coach was really pissed at DLo. When he took him out early in the 2nd half Coach ripped into DLo on the bench.  I didn't think DLo would play again.

Yea, I missed that - why did coach pull him in the first place?    Besides for being cold shooting up to that point. 
He looked like he was sulking in the 1st half, was that why he ripped into him?

I heard that the team realistically thinks there is a chance that Branch plays against Cuse which is good to hear.

Coach could not have been pissed at Dlo because Dlo can do no wrong. Probably were just having a heated discussion on where to have post game meal and coach wouldn't put him back in until Dlo agreed with him. When the young man returned to the game to his credit he was instrumental in helping us secure the victory.