SB Nation - Craig Austrie

Jennings, Evans Headline Monday Workout

Seth — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:20:28 -0000

Via Alan Hahn, we get the lineup for today's Knicks workout. Pray for a press conference. Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans will join Gonzaga's Austin Daye, UConn's Craig Austrie, and Louisville's Earl Clark for an audition in Westchester. I fully expect the NY press focus to turn decidedly towards Jennings following a workout and some words from the point guard prospect. For better or worse, he's the type to thrive in the New York spotlight. Jennings has oodles of swag and certainly doesn't mince words.

Tyreke Evans won't make headlines at the podium, but expect the buzz to build up for him as well. He's big and athletic, and can already finish like an NBA player. I take him for a weirder Jrue Holiday. Meanwhile, I didn't see much of Earl Clark in college, but he's the type that might catch on with a team in the mid-lottery. Given that he plays the only position at which New York is stocked and stable, I'd expect Walsh to look elsewhere on draft night. But you never know.

As soon as the guys in attendance start filing their reports, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I should probably mention that I've been convinced to do this Twitter thing for real. I've had an account for months, but had previously just set it up to update whenever I posted at P&T. No more. Now you can follow my every thought and bowel movement throughout my waking hours (I'm still a little embarassed about the ones that come after my waking hours). If you're so inclined, this is me.

UConn: Know (Some More About) the Team Standing Between Mizzou and the Final Four...also, Links!

Bill C. — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:57:33 -0000

As we wait for the mid-afternoon tip-off, let's take a look at how UConn has done thus far in the NCAA Tournament. Consider this the companion piece to this week's earlier UConn preview.

But first...some Saturday morning Mizzou-UConn links!

(And just so you know, this post got much longer than I intended. Get comfortable.)

TheUConnBlog.com: Everybody cross your fingers and pray: #1 UConn vs #3 Missouri Preview
Hartford Courant: UConn-Missouri: Who will set the pace?
The Trib: Underdog is here

Calipari said Thursday that Missouri should take the same approach into today’s game against the even more heavily favored Huskies.

“You have to go in with the mind-set they went in with today, which is, ‘We can beat these guys,’ ” Calipari said. “I think what they did to us today in the first half, every 50-50 ball they got, every rough play, hands-on bumps, they just made those plays. … You are going to have to go in against a tough Connecticut team and do the same.”
The Trib: Avoid the long arm of Thabeet
The Trib: Game a study in contrasts
The Missourian: Missouri players keep mood light at NCAA Tournament
The Missourian: Connecticut's Thabeet big obstacle for Missouri
KC Star: This is a magical moment for Missouri
KC Star (Posnanski): This Missouri team is hard to hate
You probably know that Bill James, baseball writer extraordinaire, is an intense Kansas basketball fan. It is one of the obsessions of his life. He grew up in Kansas, went to school at Kansas, lives in Kansas, and he will refer to the Jayhawks as “we.” And as a Kansas fan, he takes very seriously all of his Jayhawk responsibilities.
“I hate Missouri basketball with a bottomless passion,” he says.

So, OK, Kansas fan hates Missouri? Great. News flash. What’s the point?

Only this: “I love this Missouri team,” Bill James says.
The Maneater: Missouri ready to outrun UConn's Thabeet
PowerMizzou: Thabeet presents big challenge to Tigers
PowerMizzou: Lawrence is just one step away
StatSheet.com: AP preview
Post-Dispatch: Missouri sizes up UConn's big man in NCAA Tournament
Post-Dispatch (Burwell): Young Tigers go old school
Post-Dispatch (Burwell): A little luck, Denmon says
Post-Dispatch (Bernie): MU team carries hopes of so many old Tigers
Upon Further Review: Thoughts from a Mizzou afterglow

Oh yeah, and...

The Trib: 'Bama hires VCU's Grant

Okay, NOW to UConn/Purdue...stats after the jump...

UConn vs Purdue

NCAA Basketball Stats

	UConn	Purdue
Points Per Minute	1.80	1.50
Points Per Possession (PPP)	1.04	0.86
Points Per Shot (PPS)	1.29	0.91
2-PT FG%	45.8%	41.9%
3-PT FG%	37.5%	26.1%
FT%	63.3%	54.5%
True Shooting %	52.0%	42.3%

	UConn	Purdue
Assists	19	12
Steals	6	7
Turnovers	13	9
Ball Control Index (Assists + Steals) / TO	1.92	2.11

	UConn	Purdue
Expected Offensive Rebounds	13	16
Offensive Rebounds	14	9
Difference	+1	-7

This game was basically played at UConn's favorite pace, and while the UConn offense was alright--52.0% true shooting, 1.92 BCI--it really wasn't much better than alright.
What made this game for the Huskies was complete and utter dominance on the boards. If you've been paying attention to my "Expected Offensive Rebounds" number, you've seen that anything over about +3 or +4 is a pretty big rebound margin. UConn was +8. Somehow Mizzou needs to figure out how to stay within +3 or +4 to have a chance. Good luck with that.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Player	AdjGS*	GmSc/Min	Line
Hasheem Thabeet (7'3, 263, Jr.)	18.87	0.52	15 Pts (on 7 shots), 15 Reb (4 Off), 4 Blk, 4 TO
Craig Austrie (6'3, 176, Sr.)	17.97	0.56	17 Pts (on 6 shots), 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 TO
A.J. Price (6'2, 181, Sr.)	11.91	0.35	15 Pts, 4 Reb, 7 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO
Stanley Robinson (6'9, 210, Jr.)	11.01	0.30	10 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Ast
Kemba Walker (6'1, 172, Fr.)	9.21	0.46	5 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl
Jim Veronick (6'8, 200, Sr.)	0.79	0.79	1 minute
Jeff Adrien (6'7, 243, Sr.)	0.67	0.02	8 Pts (on 13 shots), 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 TO
Gavin Edwards (6'9, 234, Jr.)	-0.22	-0.02	2 Pts
Donnell Beverly (6'4, 190, So.)	-0.79	-0.39	2 minutes
Scottie Haralson (6'4, 215, Fr.)	-0.79	-0.79	1 minute

* AdjGS = a take-off of the Game Score metric (definition here) accepted by a lot of basketball stat nerds. It does the same thing my previous measure of choice did (it takes points, assists, rebounds (offensive & defensive), steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls into account to determine an individual's "score" for a given game), only the formula is more used and accepted. The "adjustment" in Adjusted Game Score is simply matching the total game scores to the total points scored in the game, thereby redistributing the game's points scored to those who had the biggest impact on the game itself, instead of just how many balls a player put through a basket.

Craig Austrie was insanely good against the Boilers. If UConn wins this game, I have the feeling we'll remember Austrie's or AJ Price's performance as much as we remember Hasheem Thabeet's, even if Thabeet is getting all the headlines (seriously, how many of those links above were about Thabeet and only Thabeet?).
Offensively, Thabeet was about as good as he can be--he averaged over 2 points per FG attempt and grabbed 4 offensive rebounds. Thabeet's major big-man counterpart, Jeff Adrien, was highly ineffective against the Boilers, but he's still been quite good overall in the tourney. One thing to notice, however, is that Thabeet and Adrien combined for 7 turnovers. I like that number. I like 8 or 9 even more.

UConn vs the NCAA Tournament

	UConn	Opp
Points Per Minute	2.23	1.44
Points Per Possession (PPP)	1.24	0.80
Points Per Shot (PPS)	1.45	0.89
2-PT FG%	57.0%	40.2%
3-PT FG%	33.3%	22.2%
FT%	65.6%	65.8%
True Shooting %	59.0%	40.9%

	UConn	Opp
Assists/Gm	22.3	13.3
Steals/Gm	7.0	5.0
Turnovers/Gm	10.7	11.7
Ball Control Index (Assists + Steals) / TO	2.75	1.57

	UConn	Opp
Expected Offensive Rebounds/Gm	12.3	15.7
Offensive Rebounds/Gm	14.3	10.0
Difference	+2.0	-5.7

Clearly these numbers are somewhat skewed by the first round game against Chattanooga, but you can still see what UConn's modus operandi is: ball control and rebounding. If Mizzou's jumper is cold, they're probably screwed.

Player	AdjGS/Gm	GmSc/Min	Line
A.J. Price	15.89	0.51	20.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.7 SPG, 3.0 TOPG
Hasheem Thabeet	15.27	0.60	13.7 PPG, 10.7 RPG (3.0 Off), 2.7 BPG, 1.0 SPG, 2.3 TOPG
Stanley Robinson	13.91	0.41	15.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG (2.7 Off), 1.0 APG
Jeff Adrien	11.06	0.36	14.7 PPG, 10.0 RPG (3.7 Off), 2.3 APG, 1.0 BPG, 2.7 TOPG
Craig Austrie	10.16	0.35	7.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.7 SPG
Kemba Walker	9.98	0.44	7.7 PPG, 2.7 PPG, 4.7 APG, 1.3 SPG
Gavin Edwards	6.33	0.40	5.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG (1.7 Off), 1.0 APG
Donnell Beverly	3.76	0.94	3.0 PPG, 1.7 APG
Jim Veronick	1.18	1.18	3 minutes
Scottie Haralson	0.31	0.10	9 minutes
John Lindner	-0.05	-0.03	3 minutes
Jonathan Mandeldove	-0.21	-0.10	4 minutes
Johnnie Bird	-0.21	-0.14	3 minutes

With Beverly only playing a few minutes a game, UConn's been playing with a 7.5-man rotation in the tournament. If the game is played at UConn's pace, and there are a lot of whistles, Missouri will be facing a majorly up-and-down battle. But I have the feeling they'll be sprinting the ball down court after every UConn basket (and miss) and trying to beat UConn's bigs to the basket and wear UConn's guards out. It's not a guaranteed success, clearly, but if they can do that a few times, and if there aren't a ton of stoppages, UConn will be clutching their shorts just like Memphis was.
Austrie, Thabeet and Price have been combining for eight turnovers a game in the tourney. Make that 10-12, and Mizzou is in serious business.

Keys to the Game

Pace. Consider the number of possessions the same way you consider the speed limit--70 could be a major benchmark. If Mizzou sucks UConn into speeding, Mizzou is in control--over 70 is a Mizzou advantage, way over 70 a major Mizzou advantage. Under 70, and UConn is probably going to win. Missouri is capable of winning slower games--their three Big 12 Tourney wins only averaged in the mid-60s. But with UConn's halfcourt prowess, the speed and transition game will be huge, not only because UConn is a thin team, but because UConn is a BIG team that has a length and size advantage in the halfcourt.
DeMarre & Leo's Points Per Shot. A high points-per-shot figure means one of two things: 1) either you're shooting a very high % from the field, or 2) you're drawing fouls and making free throws. DeMarre and Leo (and the team as a whole, clearly) will have to either shoot very efficiently or draw some fouls for Mizzou to score enough points today. That 17-foot jumper has to be going through the net. If it's not--if either or both of them start out pretty cold (because you know they'll both take a couple mid- to long-range jumpers pretty quickly--they always do), and if Mizzou isn't drawing fouls off of Thabeet and/or Adrien, then Mizzou might find themselves in trouble because, well, they will get outrebounded in this game.
The last five minutes of the first half. The rules for Missouri games have somewhat changed in the NCAA Tourney--until a week ago, the goal for Missouri was not to find themselves down big at half, then watch the opponent melt down in the second half. Now, it's been "kill 'em in the first half, hold on for dear life in the second." Whichever of the two trends emerges against UConn, the last five minutes of the first half (or, roughly speaking, Round 5 of the 10-round fight) will determine the way the second half unfolds.

In Mizzou losses, opponents have sprinted to the finish and turned an 8-12 point Mizzou deficit into a 15-19 point deficit. In the NCAA Tourney, it's been the exact opposite. If Mizzou's bench comes ready to play, they can take advantage of a UConn lineup that's breathing pretty heavily, so I guess you could say that a big first-half performance from Kim English, or Marcus Denmon, or Justin Safford, or Laurence Bowers, or more than one, could make the game for Mizzou.

Prediction

As I've mentioned before, I tend to try to project a pace and a Points Per Possession figure for each team, then figure out what that score projects. (Possessions x Points Per Possession = Points.) I'm at a complete loss to project Mizzou's points per possession in this one. It's been so high all year, and it was through the roof against a very good Memphis team. But as high as Mizzou's PPP has been, UConn's opponents' PPP has been equally low. I'll more or less split the difference and say that Mizzou will end up around the 1.05 PPP mark. They really could end up anywhere between about 0.95 and 1.15.

Meanwhile, I think UConn has a bit more margin for error (just like I said Memphis did). They'll most likely fall between about 1.03 and 1.13). So we'll say 1.08 for UConn. At a pace of 72 possessions, that's UConn 78, Mizzou 76, a prediction quite similar to mine for the Memphis game. And the Memphis game worked out just fine, wouldn't you say? So 78-76 UConn it is.

Like most Mizzou games, a comfortable margin of victory is likely no matter who wins--Mizzou pressing the pace means larger momentum swings both ways, and when you think about it, Mizzou just hasn't played that many truly close games this year (Marquette, KU, @Texas, @OSU, @Nebraska, Xavier...and that's about it?). They've come through big-time in the clutch, and I like their chances here, but if they play 10 times, UConn probably wins 6-7, and I'm playing the odds here. Prove me wrong, boys.

(Oh yeah, and be sure to confess your sins.)

Crossfire: UConn Q&A

RPT — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:45:08 -0000

As a blogger, you can't afford to bring your B-game when your basketball team is deemed "Elite." So, we're stepping up our game for the West Regional Final by turning to Justin from the rather excellent TheUConnBlog.com for a closer look at what to expect from the Huskies on Saturday.

RMN: Give us a couple of the primary storylines for UConn so far this tournament.

Justin: Aside from the alleged major recruiting violations?

There have been a few, but the major one has been how UConn would fare without Jerome Dyson. Ater Majok, Charles Okwandu and some guy named Nate Miles were ruled ineligible, for various reasons. And then Dyson went down and it seemed like the title hopes were over, especially after losing the last two games heading into the tournament.

But Stanley Robinson has finally begun to realize his potential the past month or so. Robinson, who spent the first semester working in a factory in Willimantic, was the most consistently inconsistent player his first two-plus seasons and caused all sorts of headaches for us. But he's scored in double digits the past four games and given back some of the scoring we lost when Dyson went out.

And some smaller lines include Craig Austrie actually doing something productive, A.J. Price dominating like he did last year and the team looking better than it ever has the first two games (won by a combined 82-point margin).

RMN: How is UConn's depth? Is UConn well-conditioned enough to run with the Tigers for 40 minutes?

Justin: UConn's bench is pretty shallow, especially after Austrie was inserted into the starting lineup to replace Dyson. They use basically a seven-man rotation, with Gavin Edwards and Kemba Walker in reserve, and you could probably categorize it as a weakness.

But it seems to be one of those things that you would think would hurt them more than it does. Of the game's they've lost, I wouldn't say any were because of depth, and you could always point to the six-overtime game as evidence that they can keep up with Missouri.

Then again, no team has pushed the tempo like I expect the Tigers to. So it just may prove problematic Saturday.

More questions with Justin after the jump.

RMN: Is UConn's starting five good enough for the bench not to matter? And, in watching UConn, Price seems to be the X-factor. If Price goes off, does Missouri have any shot?

Justin: The starting five is probably one of the best in the country, even without Dyson. Like I said in the previous answer, the short bench hasn't been an issue so far, and the starters' talent is probably why.

As far as Price, he is what makes the team go. Without him, I don't think they would have made it this far. Last season, he pretty much carried the team to most of its victories, and he's starting to do some of the same the past few games.

But Missouri can certainly win if he goes off. Price is basically their only 3-point shooter and probably the only one that can create off the dribble. So you would think if they shut everyone else out, they could easily take UConn down. It's tough for everyone to do much unless Price puts them in the right positions.

RMN: How exactly do you attack UConn's defense? Does Thabeet's presence essentially relegate teams to outside shots?

Justin: Well, there's basically two ways to take down Thabeet.

The first would be through outside shooting. Dyson was UConn's best on-ball defender, and even with him, their perimeter defense was pretty poor. So you could feasibly render him useless by spreading the floor and by either shooting or driving the lane from the outside. Which is why we were so afraid of Memphis. Although Mizzou is almost like Memphis on steroids on offense, so we didn't really dodge any bullets there.

The other is by going right at him. Missouri might not have the size or the post presence to do so, but DeJuan Blair was able to have great success against UConn because he went right at Thabeet in the post. Thabeet still can't handle when opponents get in close and drive up into his body. The move also could get him into foul trouble, which is what happened in Pitt v. UConn 1.

RMN: Finish the following statements:

Justin:

- UConn will win if: A.J. Price continues to carry the load on offense and if Thabeet is able to continue to dominate defensively. The whole defense is built on filtering everything into Thabeet, so if he can't get going, Missouri could have great success.

- Mizzou will win if: If its offense can take Thabeet out of the game and if their short bench ultimately proves to be a problem against the Tigers' fast pace.

RMN: Feel free to retort to and/or effusively praise the "Better Know an Opponent: Connecticut" post written by one of our members.

Justin: The post was quite accurate, and I actually learned some stuff. (Who knew there were things bigger than towns? Next you're going to tell me that you have more people than cows at your college.)

As a retort, I would like to quickly point out that Missouri's school color looks like a mixture between poo and Grey Poupon (ed. - True), Harry Truman probably wouldn't be pleased that you've chosen to embody his legacy in Tony the Tiger (ed. - it beats his legacy in Japan), and although I know very little about Chase Daniel, he looks like schmuck (ed. - argument sustained).

However, I must applaud the fact that you take your 1970s TV mini-series so seriously and that you think so highly of your journalism program you send color analysts to fire head coaches.

RMN: Bonus Question! Nate Miles: Great Husky, or the greatest Husky?

Justin: Well, Coach Cal would probably want me to remind you that Miles never actually played for the team. Because it's an air-tight argument to dispute recruiting violations.

But had he played, he probably would have been a high-character guy. A Latrell Sprewell-type team player, I think.

Proud to be a Boilermaker

BoilerTMill — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:39:50 -0000

I am proud to be a Boilermaker today.

I never thought eight words would mean so much to me. When I was born, I came home from the hospital in a Purdue outfit. I can't even remember a time when I haven't watched Purdue sports. Standing in my living room last night though, with tears beginning to flow as I heard the Paint Crew members that went all the way to Arizona give us one final Bobby Buckets chant, those words gained an even more poignant meaning to me. My eyes are even getting a little misty this morning thinking about it again.

J Money gets it. There are normal people, then there are sports fans. For people like us our teams become an extension of ourselves. We live by them. We feel like we know the guys. I know that is true about this group of young men. Because of this blog I feel like I know them better than any other team. I have written almost daily about them since November. They have been what sports need to be: a pleasant distraction at times when we need them the most. They have allowed me to vent so many personal frustrations and re-direct so much pent up energy that I literally do not know what I would do without them. Dammit I am proud of these guys today.

Remember this moment, fellas. We will be back to avenge it.

Last night that Buckets chant said so much about who we are as Purdue fans. Over the course of the open thread here and the Liveblog that the UConn Blog was doing, the Husky fans continued to comment how we simply refused to go away. Even in the final minutes, with the game well decided, we did not give up. Instead of an arena filled with UConn fans cheering their team's advancement to the elite 8 what did we hear on the broadcast?

BOBBY BUCKETS!!!

Clap clap clapclapclap

BOBBY BUCKETS!!!

Clap clap clapclapclap

How can you not be moved by that? I admit we got our asses handed to us by a bigger, stronger, better team. UConn hit the shots they needed to hit. Thabeet thoroughly disrupted our offense. Price hit some very tough shots and Austrie hit some absolute back-breaking threes. Still, in face of everything, here are some select comments from UConn fans during the liveblog in the final minutes.

gxpanos: You guys play GREAT D, though, T-Mill. You'll be around in the Big 10 next year.

GoHuskiesGo: I think Purdue can dominate the Big Ten because they play BASKETBALL

GoHuskiesGo: Hey T-Mill- your kids wont die. its irritating.

Jesus Shuttlesworth: man, purdue just does not go away.

GoHuskiesGo: I'm very impressed by Purdue

Jesus Shuttlesworth: yeah, and considering they're all coming back, you have to think this team can do some damage.

Those statements just mean so much to me as does the Paint Crew last night. I will always remember that. Even in defeat we were still there, and we made my original prediction came true. At 9:25 last night, UConn did respect us.

BOBBY BUCKETS!!!

Clap clap clapclapclap

BOBBY BUCKETS!!!

Clap clap clapclapclap

Positives from the UConn game:

All of the above - Well, obviously. Last night was the first time this season where I really felt the general youth of our team. Maybe it is because the Big Ten in general was so youthful this year. Connecticut's experience made as much of a difference as Xavier's did in last season's tournament. They had that little extra push from it. They knew when to get in a passing lane, when to change tempo. They understood all the little nuances of the game that only experience can bring. A prime example was the fast break we had when down four and LewJack was looking for the open layup. Price knew exactly where to be, intercepted the freshman's pass, and it ended up being a dunk the other way. It was a four point shift and psychologically was a killing blow. The ability to get the lead under three almost became a mental barrier, and that (other than Keaton's second half layup that rimmed out, failing to cut it to one) was our best chance.

Robbie Hummel (first half edition) - Robbie kept us alive last night. Nothing was falling early on except for Robbie's shot. I don't know if it was the atmosphere of essentially shooting in a warehouse or what, but that was about the worst possible start we could have had last night. UConn basically won that game in the first six minutes by grabbing a 14-3 lead. Honestly, it could have been a whole lot more too. UConn did a great job of taking Robbie out of the second half.

Bobby, Nemanja, Marcus, and Chris - Although the circumstances were obviously not the best, all four got to play last night in the final games of their careers. Marcus had a very nice layup by collecting a tough pass on a fast break. Buckets gave us one more three to remember him. Chally had a bad night offensively, but I was very proud of the way he worked against Thabeet and got some tough offensive rebounds. Chris only got in in the final minute, but I know his contributions in practice will be missed. I know I speak for all Purdue fans when I say I love these guys, and I will miss them. Thank you.

The Paint Crew - Thank you guys for traveling last night. I am so envious of you right now it is not even funny. I remember watching the first Penn State game back in January and you guys took over their arena with a group not even 100 strong. You took over Glendale last night. I am proud to have you guys representing our University.

Negatives from the UConn game.

That one little bounce - I feel that is all we needed last night to turn the game around. The biggest moment, to me, was the open drive Keaton Grant had to the basket. We were down three at the time and we had actually pulled Thabeet away from the rim. Keaton had an easy layup, but it just barely rimmed out. We had been unable to get it under three despite several chances at that point, and if that shot drops it cuts it to one. That came with 15:35 left, and UConn went on an 8-0 run after the miss. We never got it to three again.

Hasheem Thabeet - He was the difference last night. He completely disrupted our offensive flow. We were afraid to attack him, and when we did attack he showed how smart he was by not fouling on a block. This was honestly a very poor matchup for us because of his size. He is a true 7'3". Many guys that are that tall aren't nearly as athletic as Thabeet is. I know I was impressed. I think without his disruptions we have a real shot because every time he was away from the basket or on the bench we looked good offensively. Yes Austrie hit three daggers threes. Yes Robinson was tough down low. Yes Price hit some tough drives, but it was Thabeet's physical presence that made the biggest difference. He played 36 minutes last night when he normally only averages 32. UConn needed him that badly. I have a feeling that facing a super-sized player like Thabeet will be our weakness, but fortunately not many teams have him.

36.4% - That was our shooting percentage last night. We shot 6 of 23 from the three point line, and one of those makes was from Buckets in the last 20 seconds. It was the one night we could not afford to have a poor shooting night. Thabeet played a large role with blocks or "influences", as I like to call them. Defensively we did everything we needed to do. If the game is close I think we keep them around 60 points because free throws in the last five minutes pushed it out. UConn didn't have a made field goal in the last six minutes, but they hit 15 of 18 free throws in that time.

Up next:

I know the future is very bright for us. Next year can easily be a Final Four year, with 2011 being a year in which I think we will have our best chance ever at a National Championship. There are many factors in thinking that. I think the talent we have coming in is better than the talent we have leaving. I think another year of experience will greatly help us, especially if we can bulk up in the weight room. It will help LewJack running the point especially. I also think that the Big Ten, with all its young sophomore talent, will only get tougher, and that will make us even better come tournament time.

I know a lot has been made about the Big East being a mega-conference, but they have delivered in this tournament. They won all three games they were a part of last night, making an all-Big East Final Four a real possibility. There is something to be said about conference toughness, and that could be the Big Ten next year. UConn was clearly the better team last night. I was very impressed with their defense, but I think that can be us in a year or two because most of the time JaJuan is going to be as big of a matchup problem for other teams as Thabeet was for us.

We will learn from this game. Depending on the outcome of tonight's game we might be able to say that we have played five of this year's Elite 8 at some point in the past two seasons. Had Duke and Xavier won last night that number could have been seven. As it is, we have now played seven of this year's sweet 16 in the past two years, and only one of those teams was in our own conference. We have taken our lumps, going 3-7 against the likes of Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri, Duke, Oklahoma, UConn, and Xavier, but we will learn from these games. I am very proud of where we are, and very excited about the future, but it still doesn't mean I am not upset over losing a game we very easily could have won if a few things are different.

As for the blog, I'll still do some basketball stuff as long as the women are still playing. I am leaving for Miami on Wednesday, and I may be doing some stuff for SBNation's Miami blog the Seventh floor in that time since I am going to a baseball series down there, but I don't know yet. Through the spring I'll be talking about Purdue baseball, as well as Spring practice. I have another series idea as well that is similar to last year's Best Wins of the Tiller Era. Over the summer it will be team and unit previews as we gear up for football as well.

I do want to thank everyone for stopping by and making the midseason transition over here to SBNation so successful. I wouldn't be here if not for two groups of people: you the readers and the teams themselves. I thank you both.

What the Enemy Thinks: Sitting Down with the UConn Bloggers

BoilerTMill — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:11:35 -0000

My regular readers know that the Big Ten group here takes great pride in its roundtables. While I and Boiled Sports carry the Purdue banner, we are almost literally overrun with representatives from Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan. Today we step outside our small circle of friend to talk with three bloggers who are dedicated to following tomorrow night's opponent: Connecticut.

David Gillett publishes the Blog UConn Huskies basketball and was kind enough to give me a small space on his blog this morning.

Justin Verrier is the publisher of the UConn blog and posted my answers to his questions yesterday (as scooped by the handsome devils at Boiled Sports).

Matt Stout is a writer for the Norwich Bulletin out in Connecticut, so he is much like me in that he is a real journalist on the side fighting undercover as a blogger. He publishes Matt's UConn blog.

These three gentlemen were kind enough to sit down and talk about UConn with me this week. I presented the same questions to each one and here are their answers in roundtable form. I also did a very quick paragraph for Searching for Billy Edelin on why Purdue will win the West Region.

T-Mill: UConn is another team battling injuries, but that appeared to have little effect in the early rounds. Was this a case of true recovery, or just playing two poor opponents?

Matt: Truthfully, I don't think UConn can really be characterized as a team "battling injuries." The Huskies have essentially had one (Jerome's Dyson knee injury), though it was as significant a blow that the program has faced entering the postseason in Jim Calhoun's tenure. I think what we've seen over the two first-round wins was a recovery of that. A.J. Price's emergence as a bigger offensive force in place of Dyson was apparent in the weeks before the NCAA tournament, but he's taken that to a different level. Stanley Robinson, for the first time this season, has seemingly found a nice offensive groove, and his growing assertiveness is just a big a factor as Price's. Then of course, there's Jeff Adrien and Hasheem Thabeet, who have provided points when needed and provided the expected balance inside to Price's outside game.

Most importantly, however, with UConn's offensive improvement, the Huskies have found that swagger they needed. Dogged by questions of postseason failure for weeks, they have looked like the most impressive team in the tournament through two rounds. You can argue that others have faced tougher competition, but I wouldn't call Chattanooga or Texas A&M "poor teams." They're NCAA tournament teams and two of the best in their respective conferences. Chattanooga never really had a chance, even on paper, but UConn's ability to dominate Texas A&M speaks more to what the Huskies did than what the Aggies couldn't.

David: While UConn did lose a key part of their backcourt, they are playing some of their best ball at the right time. While Chattanooga and Texas A&M had a great year, they had no one to match-up with UConn's strong frontcourt. It didn't hurt that Price was draining shots from the perimeter, which makes this team even more deadly and both their opponents had poor shooting nights.

Justin: I think it was a little bit of both.

Chattanooga probably should have been in the play-in game, and although Texas A&M took down Mizzou in the regular season, they are a pretty bad offensive team that finished just 9-7 playing within a Big 12 that was pretty bad this year.

It was certainly a good way for the Huskies to set the tone in the tourney, and it really made everyone forget about Jerome Dyson and some of the losses recently.

But "recovery" also may be a bit much. Although they'd dropped two games to Pitt, and lost that whole soul-crushing six-overtime game to Syracuse, I don't think they've had two really poor performances in a row all season. Their toughest games just happened to coincide with the loss of Dyson.

At the same, though, I don't think anyone expected UConn to beat either team the way they did. The Huskies hadn't looked that impressive probably since blowing out Louisville in early February

T-Mill: This is a matchup of very versatile teams. It looks like you can run if you want to, but so can we. We can stop and play defense, but so can you. Which pace do you think favors which team?

Justin: I would have to say a fast one. Without Dyson, UConn doesn't have the outside shooters or anyone that can really create his own shot off the dribble in a halfcourt set.

Sure, A.J. Price can make some things happen, but after blowing out his ACL in last year's tourney, he's not the same; he just can't take over a game the way he used to. And you would think someone 7-foot-3 would be able to dominate in the post, but sadly, Hasheem Thabeet is plagued with what we call "Flubber hands" and he feels the need to put it on the floor every time even though he could just go on his tippy toes to dunk it. (Ed Note: this must be a cousin of Crisco hands, where the task of simply grabbing the basketball in open space becomes exceedingly difficult.)

But Coach Cal (what we call Jim Calhoun at The UConnBlog) talks every preseason about getting out and running. This season, I think they've done that. All seven rotation players, especially backup guard Kemba Walker, can run, and the team is at its best when they're running the floor and turning Thabeet blocks into easy transition points.

Matt: A fast-paced game favors UConn, not because Purdue can't run - and the Boilermakers can - but if the Huskies are running, that means they're rebounding and using the outlets. And if they're rebounding, then they're winning a battle that Purdue desperately needs in this game. (That also means another big game from JaJuan Johnson and a gritty effort from Robbie Hummel.)

UConn's halfcourt sets have looked 10 times more fluid and dangerous than they did even the week before in the Big East tournament, but if Purdue can force the Huskies to score the majority of their points in the halfcourt and late in the shot clock, it favors the Boilermakers. It will naturally create a lower scoring game, the same kind of contest Purdue has proven it can win in its late-season surge, and perhaps disrupt a UConn offense that has outscored tournament opponents by a combined 82 points.

Purdue is at its best when it is grinding things out. That's usually not the case in a track meet.

David: UConn wants a quick pace. The more chances they have at the basket, the better their chances of winning are. They'll use full court pressure to quicken the pace of the game. They've been really good at the half court game, but they make their runs in transition, and like to attack the defense before they settle. In the half court sets, Connecticut thrives against man-to-man defenses and plays the high-low with Adrien and Thabeet to perfection. It is in the zone that UConn tends to settle for bad perimeter shots and negates their advantage of their front court.

T-Mill: How much does the loss of Jerome Dyson effect your offense? Will it be a bigger deal agaisnt tougher competition this weekend?

David: The loss of Dyson hasn't affected their offense, as much as it has affected their defense. He was always matched up against the team's deadliest shooter and he had a knack of getting steals. If this team misses anything from Dyson's absence on offense it would be his ability to finish on the break and attack the zone with dribble penetration. Kemba Walker has emerged as UConn's best perimeter defense and Craig Austrie has put together back-to-back solid defensive games, and there has been enough time since Dyson's injury for this team to adjust for it not to make a major difference. The emergence of Stanley Robinson's offensive ability has also contributed to UConn's success without Dyson.

Justin: When Dyson went down, we all started to freak out a little. Big-time freshmen Ater Majok and Nate Miles were already forced out of the picture and backup center Charles Okwandu was ruled academically ineligible.

And for the reasons I mentioned before, it still affects the offense in a big way. But Dyson's loss has been eased somewhat by Stanley Robinson finally playing like everyone expected him to.

After almost three seasons of frustratingly inconsistent play, Robinson seems to have finally turned things around, having put up 28, 24 and 12 points the past three games. Losing Dyson hurts a lot, especially in a huge game like this. But Robinson may be able to help make up for what we lost in Dyson. Announcers point out his freakish athleticism about eight times a game, and finally, Stanley has turned it into productivity.

Matt: I may have already tipped my hand here, but Jerome Dyson's absence was the biggest story for UConn entering the tournament (other than their previous failed attempts to win in the postseason). Between UConn's offensive explosion and Jim Calhoun's health, the loss of Dyson has largely become an afterthought. If A.J. Price continues to provide a scorching presence from the outside and Stanley Robinson's emergence isn't limited to those first two games, UConn's offense will be as dynamic as it was last weekend. If Price has a tough shooting day, then the focus will likely turn inside, where Thabeet dominated against Chattanooga but was largely forgettable against Texas A&M.

Simply, with Dyson, UConn had a bevy of offensive options. Without him, the Huskies still do. It's about how well one part of the offense complements the other - with Stanley Robinson providing a dynamic presence in both areas.

T-Mill: Much has been made about the Big East being an all-powerful conference, while the media perceives the Big Ten as slightly above the SWAC at the moment. Do you believe UConn has reason to fear the Big Ten Boilers?

Matt: Of course UConn does. The Boilermakers won a conference that sent seven teams to the tournament, and are playing their best basketball at exactly the right time. Between Johnson, Hummel and E'Twaun Moore, they have weapons, and there's no reason to believe UConn is a shoe-in to advance. When it comes down to this particular game, conference ties mean little.

But I don't think anyone will argue that with five Sweet Sixteen teams, the Big East is the country's powerhouse conference, above the Big Ten, ACC, Big XII or any other league - SWAC included. That said, UConn will be favored here not because they played in the Big East but because they're UConn, one of the country's top teams with a top-five NBA draft pick in the middle, one of the country's most experienced guards at point and weapons around them.

David: UConn has struggled in games against Buffalo and Michigan, so they have a lot to fear from Purdue. In an one-and-done scenario, especially at this level, any team can beat each other. We, as a fan base, have experienced the David and Goliath fall with George Mason and San Diego still fresh on our minds. We fear the underdogs.

Justin: Well, to be honest, we've taken our shots on the Big Ten along with everyone else.

But with that being said, I'm terrified of the Boilermakers. JaJuan Johnson appears to be the type of player that can neutralize Thabeet, and Purdue has enough shooters on the outside to attack UConn's deficiencies guarding the perimeter. Combine all that with a defense that looks and has a reputation of being really tough, and Purdue has the type of team that has a legitimate shot at derailing another Coach Cal five-year plan. (We won our other two titles in 1999 and 2004.) (Ed, Note: What is he, Joseph Stalin? Is this a purge?)

T-Mill: What scenario on Thursday would have you the most nervous? Which would have you the most confident?

David: Thabeet in early foul trouble, Price missing the outside shot, and Purdue shooters having a lights out performance. That would be a recipe for a UConn disaster. For UConn to be successful, they need to make their free throws, have their front court stay out of foul trouble, shut down the perimeter shot, and need to make at least four three pointers to keep the defense honest.

Matt: If I was a UConn fan, I would be nervous if Purdue is rebounding with the Huskies, Hasheem Thabeet gets in early foul trouble and A.J. Price hits a cold streak. On the other hand, you won't find a team or fan base more confident than UConn right now considering what it did in the first two rounds. If the Huskies continue to do what they did against Chattanooga and Texas A&M - play well early, put together a big run at some point and continue to pound the glass and the scoreboard - then Purdue will have to do something extraordinary to pull the upset.

Justin: Considering all the problems we've had to overcome this season, anything that isn't a 20-0 lead to open the game would make me nervous. And even then I would be preparing for the bottom to fall out.

Worst-case scenario, though, is Johnson having success taking it at Thabeet, Hummel and E'Twaun Moore lighting it up from outside and Purdue slowing the game down and forcing UConn to win in the halfcourt.

Best-case is for the Huskies to come out hot, establish the inside game with Thabeet and Jeff Adrien early, have Price drain a few threes to stretch the floor and then for Robinson to play like he has the past few weeks and scream obnoxiously loud on authoritative dunks (you'll get that joke soon enough).

But that probably won't happen, so I just hope this team has enough fire power and enough grit to grind out what should be a tough matchup. One I can't wait to see.

T-Mill: Thanks guys! It sounds like we are all in agreement on what each team needs to do here. It may boil down to who is on their game that night, though UConn can likely survive being off more than Purdue.

Know thy NCAA Tournament Opponent Round 3: Connecticut Huskies

BoilerTMill — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:18:10 -0000

I think we are supposed to be quaking in fear. All I have seen this week is how good Connecticut has looked. They need to re-seed the tournament right now because they should be the number 1 overall seed. They need to book a reservation for Detroit right now because no one in Glendale is going to challenge them. One comment on a recent post here even said:

After seeing the monster who is Hasheem Thabeet and realize you do not have the size or the strength to play with Uconn, you'll immediately see that you guys are just outclassed. The athletes are just too much to handle for Purdue this time. You can throw in all the statistics you, bottom line 7'3" and a hall of fame coach doesn't lie. Sorry boys

The funny thing is that I am not afraid. We have faced teams with "better athletes" this year and held our own. We have faced dominant big men like Blake Griffin and Jon Brockman and done just fine. Sure, people say Griffin owned us in a win, but it's hard to lose when you shoot 39 more free throws than your opponent, and we still tookt hem to overtime. We have faced Hall of Fame coaches like Krzyzewski, Izzo, and Crean (kidding!) and have come out just fine. We may have lost some of those games, but I would say only in the Duke game were we outclassed. That was months ago. We are a different team now.

Is this where we tell Bob Barker, "The Price is Wrong, bitch!"?

There is little question that Connecticut is well coached and supremely talented. We will respect them, but we are far from afraid of them.

Record: 29-4, 15-3 Big East

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 29 (missed one tournament in last 10 years)

All-Time NCAA Record: 44-27 (Champions in 1999 and 2004)

All-Time Record vs. Purdue: 0-4 (Last meeting: unranked Purdue beat #16 UConn 73-69 on 11/28/92 in Springfield, MA)

2008-09 common opponents: Wisconsin (W 76-57), Michigan (W 69-61)

Notable games vs. 2008-09 NCAA Tournament teams: Wisconsin (W 76-57), Gonzaga (W 88-83 OT), West Virginia (W 61-55), Villanova (W 89-83), Louisville (W 68-51), Michigan (W 69-61), Syracuse (W 63-49, L 127-117 6OT), Pittsburgh (L 76-68, L 70-60), Marquette (W 93-82), Tennessee-Chattanooga (W 103-47), Texas A&M (W 92-66)

2007-08 record: 24-9, 13-5 Big East (lost 70-69 to San Diego in NCAA first round, breaking streak of 14 straight wins in first round)

Blog Representation: The UConn blog, UConn Huskies Basketball, Matt's UConn blog (each will have their say later this week)

It is safe to say that this is our next shot at national recognition. Based on some early preseason rankings the teams are about equal. We have obviously fallen from that lofty perch, but Connecticut has done nothing to move out of the top five all season long. I mentioned that we will not be afraid of them, but they certainly will not fear us. They are an elite national program with the profile and wins to match. They have faced some of the country's best teams and walked away the winner more often than they have lost. A major reason Pittsburgh is a number one seed is because they have given the Huskies two of their four losses. A third came in a six overtime classic against Syracuse two weeks ago in the Big East Tournament. The only other team to beat UConn was Georgetown. The Hoyas were a Final Four team two years ago that severely underachieved this season. They aren't exactly Sisters of the Poor and Blind. Even though the loss came at UConn it is far from a bad loss. At the time Georgetown was 9-1 and ranked 8^th. Afterward they went 5-15.

It is not a stretch to say those were a couple of UConn's worst games this season. If you match common opponents we only have two games of comparison, but they are two solid games. UConn defeated Wisconsin by 19 very early in the season to win the Paradise Jam down in the Virgin Islands. Michigan then played a strange non-conference game at Connecticut during a conference bye and hung with the Huskies before losing 69-61 in January. The Wolverines actually led by a point at halftime and were within five in the final minutes. We went 3-1 against those same foes, so we are certainly capable of competing.

Our biggest challenge on Thursday night will be rebounding. Connecticut's offense is very balanced with four players averaging in double figures (though Jerome Dyson and his 13.2 points per game is out for the season), but their rebounding is what keeps them in games. It is absolutely imperative that we limit them to one shot per possession as much as possible. 7'3" Hasheem Thabeet (13.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg) and 6'7" Jeff Adrien (13.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg) each average double-doubles every night. Thabeet is a natural shot blocker with his size, adding 4.4 blocks per contest. Hummel and Adrien are similar in size, but Thabeet has an advantage even over JaJuan Johnson. Beating them on the boards will be a matter of out-working them and getting in the proper position. We cannot be lazy. Every time a shot goes up we need to shove a butt right in their stomachs and get the right position. Boxing out is absolutely critical because we cannot win this game if Adrien and Thabeet are constantly beating us on the glass. Both of them are excellent offensive rebounders with more than 100 second chances on the season.

Thabeet is obviously an imposing physical presence, but the advantage we have is that JaJuan can draw him out of the lane. He is not nearly as effective away from the basket as JaJuan is. When we have the ball it will be important to attack the basket when JaJuan has the ball against him in the high post. This can eliminate his shot blocking defensive presence as well as his rebounding ability. Offensively we just have to keep him off the glass and keep their guards from penetrating.

6'2 senior guard A.J. Price is Connecticut's leading scorer at 14.6 points per game. He is also an excellent distributor with 4.8 assists per contest. The guy is an excellent scoring, slashing guard and is capable of dropping 30 points on anyone. He can play on the perimeter or drive. He has made nine 3-pointers already in this tournament and is shooting almost 50% from the field. As much as we need to concentrate on Thabeet and Adrien, Price is the catalyst that runs the Connecticut offense. Kramer will likely draw the assignment against him, but I can see us switching up defenders on him like we did against Stephen Curry, Kalin Lucas, and Talor Battle. He is a similar type of player to them, but he is probably better than all of them with more size.

Dyson's injury means Connecticut's bench is shorter than it has been most of the year. He hasn't played since a win over Syracuse on February 11^th though, so they have had plenty of time to adjust. 6'1 freshman Kemba Walker (8.7 ppg, 2.8 apg) is a promising young talent that helps run the show in the backcourt with Price. 6'9" forward Stanley Robinson (8 ppg) could be a major factor as well. If Connecticut goes big with Robinson, Thabeet, and Adrien it will be difficult to match their size.

Connecticut normally goes with just a seven man rotation. 6'3" senior guard Craig Austrie (7ppg) and 6'9" junior forward Gavin Edwards (4 ppg) round out their rotation. No one else plays more than four minutes per night. It is a smaller core than some of the teams we have recently faced, but let's face it, they are really, really good. We can't expect to tire Connecticut out. They are just fine with running and can comfortably score almost 80 points per night.

As with most number one seeds, it is difficult to find a weakness in Connecticut's game. They share the basketball (almost 16 assists per night), they rebound well, they don't turn it over much, and they are rarely in foul trouble. Things may be different if we can get them into a Big Ten slugfest, but they only average 13 fouls per game. Because of their short bench it could give us a big advantage if we can get them into foul trouble. That is why positioning is important on rebounding. If we can get proper position and grab a few over the back calls it can change the game's entire dynamic.

Getting them into a Big Ten slugfest does not mean an automatic win, either. Connecticut can play some defense. Holding a team under 60 points is pretty common for them. Their size allows them to adjust well to a slowdown pace because they can pound teams into submission with Adrien and Thabeet inside. We may actually be better suited running against them because it doesn't allow Thabeet to set up in the low post and swat everything away. Still, I would attack him directly. We must show we don't have any fear of going against him and draw some early fouls if we can.

This is going to be a tough one for us. I know we don't fear them, but that can only go so far. I am confident we can give them a game, but we will have to continue playing as a team with each piece complimenting the others. JaJuan has to draw Thabeet away from the basket on the offensive end and avoid foul trouble on defense. Robbie has to keep putting in work on the glass. If he can score more that will be a huge boost. We need Marcus to do all the little things when he is in there and avoid foul trouble. The same is true with Chally. Against dominant big men in Griffin and Brockman we were competitive, but battled foul trouble the whole game. Keaton and E'Twaun need to hit some threes to draw out their defense. Moore must also create his own shots and seize the moment. I saw it in his eyes out in Portland. I can feel E'Twaun has a big scoring game coming very soon. Kramer and LewJack need to lock in on Price and essentially make his life a living hell every time he has the basketball the same way they didn't let Kalin Lucas even call plays.

Teams beat Connecticut, not individuals. The last two times Connecticut has lost in NCAA play they didn't lose to teams with superior talent. Indeed, Connecticut had superior talent each time. San Diego and George Mason toppled them because they played virtually flawless team basketball against an opponent that occasionally (but not always) strays into a trap of NBA individuality. I do think this UConn team is different from those UConn teams though. They have learned from those losses and don't go intot hat "me first" mode as much. The challenge we present is that we play as a team like George Mason and San Diego plus we have pretty good talent.

The biggest keys, however, are to hit some shots and not allow them to own the offensive glass. I really like our chances if we can consistently limit them to one shot per possession. Unfortunately, I am also a realist. I believe we will give Connecticut a much closer game than people expect, but in the end their size will be a little too much. UConn 73, Purdue 69

UConn: Know Your Glendale Travel Companion

Bill C. — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:00:11 -0000

Looking at other teams in the region didn't jinx Mizzou when I did it for their Boise pod, so we'll do it again this time around. The other game in Glendale Thursday night pits a suddenly en fuego UConn team versus a strong and steady Purdue squad. Today, we look at the #1 seed.

UConn: 28-4

	UConn	Opp
Points Per Minute	1.91	1.55
Points Per Possession (PPP)	1.14	0.92
Points Per Shot (PPS)	1.34	0.98
2-PT FG%	51.6%	40.4%
3-PT FG%	34.5%	30.6%
FT%	67.7%	70.8%
True Shooting %	55.9%	45.1%

	UConn	Opp
Assists/Gm	16.2	12.3
Steals/Gm	6.3	6.4
Turnovers/Gm	12.2	12.1
Ball Control Index (Assists + Steals) / TO	1.84	1.55

	UConn	Opp
Expected Offensive Rebounds/Gm	12.5	15.0
Offensive Rebounds/Gm	14.2	12.9
Difference	+1.7	-2.1

Where UConn's good: Rebounding, 3-point defense, rebounding, passing, rebounding, shooting
Where UConn's not as good: Free-throw shooting, forcing turnovers
UConn plays at a relatively slow pace (only about 63 possessions per game via my numbers) but takes very efficient shots from the halfcourt offense. Their 1.14 points per possession is damn strong (as is their 0.92 PPP allowed).
UConn averages 8.8 blocks per game. 8.8! Hasheem Thabeet alone averages half of those, but even taking Thabeet away, 4.4 per game would be relatively impressive.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Player	AdjGS*	GmSc/Min	Line
Hasheem Thabeet (7'3, 263, Jr.)	16.90	0.53	13.7 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 4.4 BPG, 1.8 TOPG
Jeff Adrien (6'7, 243, Sr.)	13.45	0.39	13.9 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1,1 BPG, 1.7 TOPG
A.J. Price (6'2, 181, Sr.)	11.40	0.36	14.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.8 APG, 2.7 TOPG
Kemba Walker (6'1, 172, Fr.)	7.95	0.31	8.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.8 TOPG
Stanley Robinson (6'9, 210, Jr.)	7.56	0.32	8.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.5 TOPG
Gavin Edwards (6'9, 234, Jr.)	6.86	0.58	4.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.7 BPG
Craig Austrie (6'3, 176, Sr.)	6.02	0.24	7.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 2.3 APG
Donnell Beverly (6'4, 190, So.)	1.89	0.43	1.2 PPG
Jim Veronick (6'8, 200, Sr.)	1.00	1.00	3 minutes
Scottie Haralson (6'4, 215, Fr.)	0.53	0.12	1.4 PPG
John Lindner (6'5, 265, Sr.)	-0.06	-0.04	5 minutes
Johnnie Bird (6'0, 165, Sr.)	-0.15	-0.10	13 minutes
Alex Hornat (6'5, 205, Jr.)	-0.55	-0.55	2 minutes
Jonathan Mandeldove (7'0, 240, Jr.)	-0.63	-0.28	16 minutes

This list obviously does not include Jerome Dyson (6'4, 190, Jr.), UConn's starting guard who was lost to injury eight games ago. On a per-minute basis, he was UConn's second-most productive player (0.39 AdjGS/min).
Dyson's departure has meant, among other things, more exposure for freshman Kemba Walker. Statistically, he is not the player Dyson is (0.31 AdjGS/min instead of 0.39), but he's nothing if not steady. In his last 10 games, Walker has scored 7, 8, 13, 4, 9, 8, 10, 8, 10, and 8 points. He's not much of a shooter (27.7% from 3-point range), but he's great near the hoop, draws a lot of fouls, and plays good defense.
AJ Price: stud. His turnover % is a bit too high, and his shooting % a bit too low, but he has brought his A-game to the NCAA Tournament, and when he's playing like he did against Texas A&M (27 points on 16 shots, 4-for-7 from 3-point range, 7-for-9 from the free throw line, 8 assists, 5 rebounds), UConn will not lose.
Without Dyson, UConn has basically a 7-man rotation that is impressively balanced but...still only 7 guys. If Missouri gets a chance to play UConn, they would probably need to extend the tempo as much as humanly possible, especially since the guard rotation is at least a bit thin.
They may not be a deep team, but they're deep in terms of quality size. Thabeet and Adrien are a ridiculously good 1-2 punch, and that says nothing of Gavin Edwards and Stanley Robinson.
The offense runs through a few different players, but from a statistical standpoint, the game runs through Thabeet. The big man averages over 31 minutes per game--impressive for a 260-pounder, no?--and while he doesn't come equipped with a lot of post moves, a) he's big enough that it doesn't matter, and b) his defensive presence more than makes up for the fact that he's no Hakeem Olajuwon with the ball in his hands.

What does Ken Pomeroy have to say?

Honestly, KenPom's stats say exactly what you would think. They are #3 in the country in defensive efficiency, #2 in Effective FG% allowed, #1 in FTA/FGA defense (meaning they don't foul much in playing great defense), #4 in 2pt% allowed, #2 in Block%, and #2 in Effective Height. They are experienced and grab a ton of offensive rebounds.

The team's offense--no slouch in its own right--is completely overshadowed by its defensive profiency.

Weaknesses? They don't force turnovers, they don't do much 3-ball shooting, and they really do not have any depth whatsoever. And free throws could cost them in crunch time.

---

Tomorrow, we'll look at Purdue, the keys to the Boilers-Huskies game, and a prediction.

Big East basketball roundup: 11/17/08

Mike Rutherford — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:00:07 -0000

A perfect 7-0 mark for the nation's premier college basketball conference on the first night of extensive non-conference action.

Here's how it happened.

CONNECTICUT 99, Hartford 56

The Huskies scored 54 of the game's final 66 points to turn a tilt that had been touch-and-go into a laugher.

Starting in place of an injured (ankle) A.J. Price, Kemba Walker stole the show. The ballyhooed freshman scored 21 points and committed zero turnovers over the course of 29 minutes.

Sharp-shooting Craig Austrie added 21, and Jerome Dyson tossed in 18.

UCONN scored 1/3 of its points from the free-throw line (33-of-46).

PITTSBURGH 82, Miami (OH) 53

If you told me there was a team in action Monday night that was more impressive than the Panthers, then I'd be forced into calling you a knave. I wouldn't want to, but there would be absolutely no way around it.

In taking a Miami team that nearly knocked off UCLA behind the woodshed, Pitt looked like a team possessing everything necessary to make a serious push for the national title.

All four starters scored in double figures, including junior college transfer Jermaine Dixon (14), perhaps the team's biggest question mark heading into the season. Despite playing just 19 minutes, DeJuan Blair finished a rebound shy of a double-double, and Levance Fields scored 12 while handing out a career-high 12 assists.

To sum up: 'dem boys look tough.

MARQUETTE 106, Chicago State 87

Wesley Matthews scored 26 points and Lazar Hayward added 21 to lead the Golden Eagles past the conference-less Cougars of Chicago State.

Despite the win, first-year head coach Buzz Williams can't be happy that 5-foot-8 David Holston - one of the nation's leading scorers a season ago - was allowed to hit seven three-pointers and score 33 points.

Jerel McNeal will be the first to tell you that it wasn't his fault.

VILLANOVA 107, Fordham 68

Dante Cunningham scored a career-high 33 points to go along with 11 rebounds as the Wildcats routed visiting Fordham Monday night.

Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher each added 17 points, but perhaps the best news of the night for Jay Wright's team was that senior forward Shane Clark was able to return to action just 11 days after having surgery on his right knee.

Dwayne Anderson and Casiem Drummond missed the game with injuries.

GEORGETOWN 71, Jacksonville 62

Preseason Big East Co-Freshman of the Year Greg Monroe looked as good as advertised, delivering 14 points and seven rebounds in his collegiate debut. The 6-foot-11 former McDonald's All-American ran the floor, made several nice moves away from the basket, and was credited with three blocked shots on the defensive end.

While Monroe was busy comparing shoe-sizes with Roy Hibbert, sophomore point guard Chris Wright was scoring a team-high 16 points in his initial effort to match the footprints left behind by three-year starter Jonathan Wallace.

DaJuan Summers and Jesse Sapp each added 13 to help GU notch a typical John Thompson III November victory.

ST. JOHN'S 86, Cornell 75

Anthony Mason Jr. scored a team-high 24 points to lead the Johnnies past the class of the Ivy League in an opening round game of the Preseason NIT.

D.J. Kennedy scored 22 points, sophomore Justin Burrell added 11 points and 11 rebounds and Malik Boothe netted 14 points and nine assists for the Red Storm, who will play Boston College in the second round on Tuesday.

DEPAUL 75, Albany 64

Dar Tucker led all scorers with 23 points, and junior point guard Will Walker added 19 points, two blocks and three steals as Depaul began its 2008-2009 season with a win over the Great Daines out of the America East Conference.

The Blue Demons, who ordinarily play their home games at the Allstate Arena, played a regular season game on campus for the first time since 1999.