___Rand___ wrote:Chuck Everett wrote:___Rand___ wrote:
3 NBA players? I don't think I've heard that one before (have to check the mock drafts). Have to admit not watching Big East this year. Will be watching some replays of their best games before the tournament. Any you recommend?
I don't care about mock drafts to be honest. I'm just telling you by what I have seen from them. As far as the Big East, it wasn't that good of a league this year (basically Marquette and Creighton, rest of the league mediocre), however, UConn challenged themselves in the non-con by going to Kansas. Playing UNC on a neutral court. They are battle tested.
Also, their road to the Final Four is through Brooklyn (first/second) and Boston (regionals). If you're looking for specific games to watch of them, I would just go to YouTube and check some highlights. Rick Pitino said it best. They can play any style. Fast and slow. Clingan is the difference maker. Elite rim protector.
Eh highlights don't give me an idea of a team. I gotta see how they play on both sides of the ball, how the coach adjusts, how they adjust, etc. I'll probably watch the ones against ranked non-conf games. I saw a few big east games and they're all a bit too soft for my liking so I've stayed away.
There are a lot of resources out there now breaking down what Hurley has been doing. UConn runs an NBA level offense that attacks switches, and uses constant motion to get easy looks. They have knock down shooters that make the offense hum. What makes their offense so scary is that it's built to find and maximize favorable matchups. Looking at their game stats you'll notice it's someone different every night that goes off. UConn only had the same leading scorer in back to back games 4 times this year
The team that beats them are going to need to be locked in of defense. I don't see this team scoring under 60, and would favor them in slow matchups if they do.
I can't really speak on their defense as much, as to me it just seems like they are always the biggest team on the court. Clingan being a legit semi mobile shot blocker really helps on defense, and all their guards have size. They just wear you down over the course of the game and don't rely on any one guy to rebound to defend.
Hurley is a fantastic coach, and would be shocked if he didn't start getting NBA looks soon. He's still young, and he seems to be in that Brad Stevens type of build where you would trust him to run your team