So watched the SCSU game again and figured I'd post a few things most of which have probably been covered in one form or another but hopefully there is also some new stuff. To wit:
Give SCSU and Scott Burrell some credit -- they looked good
There's been a lot of criticism of SU (and there will be more to follow here) but it's worth noting that Burrell has built a really solid team there. McLeod didn't just make shots, he made plays. That little move to the free throw line, then spin back and fade away over Marek was a case of good defense but also a guy making a tough shot. Additionally all those kids could handle and had a bit of quickness. Defensively it's not shocking that Burrell is a UConn guy b/c they played that tough, hard-core m2m and it gave SU fits. The Orange have plenty to look in the mirror and ponder after that loss, but I thought SCSU presented much more of a challenge than we got against directional new hampshire and hopefully that's a good thing.
Half-court offense is ... there is probably really no adjective to describe it.
The press got the Orange going and we made some shots which got us the final margin. That said, I'm not sure I can remember more than two or three good looks coming from any sort of set in the half-court. I have literally watched the game twice all I could come up with was brissett's baseline move in the post, a three on the wing from Battle to brissett, and the Sidibe move into the lane where he stumbled but finished anyway. There were probably a couple others, to be fair, and a bunch of fouls that we converted into points, but any way you slice it this team is going to have to run. I have no idea what that play is where we have two bigs standing on opposite blocks and then two wings running around those screens and Frank dribbling idly near midcourt, but it may make my eyes bleed. The high double-screen at least encourages movement and slides defensively and we got a few more looks off that.
It was nice to see this team run
I'm not sure last year's group was great on the fast break but they played fast and it led to a lot of offense (and some terrible defense at times). This team needs to turn these games into scrambles. They just have to. Sidibe can run and both he and Chukwu will probably be better defensively in space than they will be grinding with big bodies down low. Battle is a handfull in transition and Moyer's offense is going to come from unsettled situations, IMO. There simply isn't enough offense here to sit content in the halfcourt and slow down the game. We'll average 40 a game if we do that.
I think Marek has a role
I'm not sure what it is yet, but I think he has one. In past seasons he'd play a bunch in blowouts then ride the pine for the most part during the meat of the schedule. But as slight as he is and as little as he has contributed offensively, he can run and scramble on defense. He also plays really hard and brings energy. I would imagine JB will be juggling lineups quite a bit but unless he's getting more out of Moyer, we're going to see Marek, maybe for shorter stretches, but I'd say in that 10-12 mpg type role.
Brissett was really impressive and I like Howard Washington as well
Not much to say that hasn't been said on Brissett but just wanted to point out that he played well and looks really confident and comfortable offensively, which is HUGE for us. Washington is pretty clearly the fourth guard and probably won't play a ton. He's not overly athletic, obviously, and we could have used Isaiah Washington or Quade, obviously. But having said all that, he should be a steady player. Shoots decently and appears to play with nice feel. I like him.
I remain not sold on Moyer
It's super early and there's no reason to panic, but this guy is important and I really am not certain what he brings to the table yet. I imagine he will make his living with effort and rebounding and looked OK there. I also haven't seen enough to rule out a bigger role this year (or going forward) but I didn't think he looked particularly good on either end of the floor.
Sidibe has really nice instincts
Dude does a nice job at the back of the press and I think he's going to block a ton of shots. Also did a great job getting to the offensive glass and tipped a couple in. Also had two nice post moves (one fell, one didn't) and didn't looked panicked with the ball in his hands. Actually looked more comfortable offensively than a lot of our bigs as frosh the past several years (obviously Thompson is an exception).
Howard can shoot
I don't think people are going to finish the year thinking Howard is a great point guard but his shooting looks legit. I think he's actually going to be an OK scoring option this year. He had some nice moments defensively but still needs to get those hands up. Had a couple passes wiz right by his ear.
Give SCSU and Scott Burrell some credit -- they looked good
There's been a lot of criticism of SU (and there will be more to follow here) but it's worth noting that Burrell has built a really solid team there. McLeod didn't just make shots, he made plays. That little move to the free throw line, then spin back and fade away over Marek was a case of good defense but also a guy making a tough shot. Additionally all those kids could handle and had a bit of quickness. Defensively it's not shocking that Burrell is a UConn guy b/c they played that tough, hard-core m2m and it gave SU fits. The Orange have plenty to look in the mirror and ponder after that loss, but I thought SCSU presented much more of a challenge than we got against directional new hampshire and hopefully that's a good thing.
Half-court offense is ... there is probably really no adjective to describe it.
The press got the Orange going and we made some shots which got us the final margin. That said, I'm not sure I can remember more than two or three good looks coming from any sort of set in the half-court. I have literally watched the game twice all I could come up with was brissett's baseline move in the post, a three on the wing from Battle to brissett, and the Sidibe move into the lane where he stumbled but finished anyway. There were probably a couple others, to be fair, and a bunch of fouls that we converted into points, but any way you slice it this team is going to have to run. I have no idea what that play is where we have two bigs standing on opposite blocks and then two wings running around those screens and Frank dribbling idly near midcourt, but it may make my eyes bleed. The high double-screen at least encourages movement and slides defensively and we got a few more looks off that.
It was nice to see this team run
I'm not sure last year's group was great on the fast break but they played fast and it led to a lot of offense (and some terrible defense at times). This team needs to turn these games into scrambles. They just have to. Sidibe can run and both he and Chukwu will probably be better defensively in space than they will be grinding with big bodies down low. Battle is a handfull in transition and Moyer's offense is going to come from unsettled situations, IMO. There simply isn't enough offense here to sit content in the halfcourt and slow down the game. We'll average 40 a game if we do that.
I think Marek has a role
I'm not sure what it is yet, but I think he has one. In past seasons he'd play a bunch in blowouts then ride the pine for the most part during the meat of the schedule. But as slight as he is and as little as he has contributed offensively, he can run and scramble on defense. He also plays really hard and brings energy. I would imagine JB will be juggling lineups quite a bit but unless he's getting more out of Moyer, we're going to see Marek, maybe for shorter stretches, but I'd say in that 10-12 mpg type role.
Brissett was really impressive and I like Howard Washington as well
Not much to say that hasn't been said on Brissett but just wanted to point out that he played well and looks really confident and comfortable offensively, which is HUGE for us. Washington is pretty clearly the fourth guard and probably won't play a ton. He's not overly athletic, obviously, and we could have used Isaiah Washington or Quade, obviously. But having said all that, he should be a steady player. Shoots decently and appears to play with nice feel. I like him.
I remain not sold on Moyer
It's super early and there's no reason to panic, but this guy is important and I really am not certain what he brings to the table yet. I imagine he will make his living with effort and rebounding and looked OK there. I also haven't seen enough to rule out a bigger role this year (or going forward) but I didn't think he looked particularly good on either end of the floor.
Sidibe has really nice instincts
Dude does a nice job at the back of the press and I think he's going to block a ton of shots. Also did a great job getting to the offensive glass and tipped a couple in. Also had two nice post moves (one fell, one didn't) and didn't looked panicked with the ball in his hands. Actually looked more comfortable offensively than a lot of our bigs as frosh the past several years (obviously Thompson is an exception).
Howard can shoot
I don't think people are going to finish the year thinking Howard is a great point guard but his shooting looks legit. I think he's actually going to be an OK scoring option this year. He had some nice moments defensively but still needs to get those hands up. Had a couple passes wiz right by his ear.
FWIW, I think the streak ends this season, and Lucy will finally not pull the ball away. New regime or not, I'm not sure when the NFL will see this level of parity again. The NCAA may not look that way, but then again The Patriots were more favored to repeat than any team in NFL history, and that's why they play the games.
