ill be at game.

don't see how hoyas have a chance. though this nova team aint what we remember.

marq beat them. tat home. they are gonna be mad

ok, bottomline hoyas lose. but this nova team, on paper, can be challenged by the hoyas...inside. on breaks, perimeter defensively.

but the discipline and focus of nova prevails.

several games

VILLY
uconn

off
5 put weave/pop outs
...go over top. make them deck it
will let slater brIng up
...trap that
open side post for eric who shoots with left
...dont let him get initial seal under rim before entry dpuble him periodically just to make uncomfy
slow pace
...given vu guard play trap to speed them up
iso post for Daniels. a load
...murray/wing gotta step up

def
m2m with great help
...q has to iso post
...skips
1 2 2 kinda aggressive when late and down. whitmore at top

players

backcourt depth is challenged
14 midranger pu guy? strong rt pnr guy. hes best guard
arch is bad guard but will pump fake u. stay down and hug his shot.
whimote is talented yet inexperienced. strong rt driver. . forces. aggressive

marquette
off

5 out trying to play thru dixon. will iso duck in
...stay attached . he works so u have to match. give him bodies to compete against.
extreme 5 out with 4 above ft looking for backcuts
5 out hi looking for shots and drives and dixon slipping to post
...dont get caught hi. get on string. with doxon aggressively front. he uses hips well to seperste
5 out swing swing
fake circle them Whitmore alleys on baseline
...be prepared to deny him
daniels is not dynamic, but is steady
good ball movement
dixon screening zone
on offensive rebounds (dixon esp with ball) look for cutters.
...understand you cant get above them
dixon on pick and pop from 3

def
m2m
feet still in lane help
...skip and move
2 3 mu?
switching everything on perimeter

...move ball and people
...post guards and bigs. it's important

players
Whitmore 1st start. will hit j's but really is a driving bully. respect his 3. will push off misses
...dont let get comfortable. target
dixon key offensive guy. passes out double. great sealer. movement guy. rebounder . moves feet and legs on defense well. good passer
...still double but randomly and at angles
14 main ballhandler. green light guyl
...trap press harrass. not a true primary dribbler
arch will post
...let em he sucks just play straight up. go at him offensively. he sucks
armstrong bouncey guard will shoot and finish.
Whitt will push
...trap him
whit cuts
...get up on passer and dont lose whitt
whitt can skip pass
whitt attscks
...stay in front of him with size. akok? mozone? its an issue

naso of nova illustrated hooked us up with some insight into the wildcats.



1) How has the Neptune reconfiguration been working? How does he differ from Wright in terms of working with kids and media?

Obviously the team's record has cast some doubt on the transition, but philosophically and on the court, not much has changed. Neptune was an assistant under Wright and has maintained the same pillars for the program while still valuing the same style of play. Neptune has been a bit more liberal with minutes for younger players, but that may be more a function of necessity than a change in thinking from the previous regime, and Neptune has relied on experience in high-leverage situations.

2) who is the early mvp? For my money, it's Dixon. Anchors the team both sides of floor and works hard as heck. Whitmore has highest upside but it's Dixon for me.

I think I have to agree with you that Dixon is the MVP to this point. Like you said, key at both ends for this team and I think his leadership and calm demeanor has been particularly important as this year's team has navigated some unfamiliar rough patches. You can make a case for Whitmore based on the clear improvement the team saw when he returned, but Dixon's steadiness and leadership is invaluable.

3) Seems like pedestrian guard play has stricken 'Nova. Can Daniels be that go to guy?

It's kind of fascinating to see Guard U being hampered by guard play, isn't it? Chris Arcidiacono has been incredibly steady, averaging fewer than a turnover a game while playing 30 minutes a night. He brings the intangibles that are key for successful teams. But his limited athleticism and inconsistent scoring ability limit his ceiling in a way that has been felt by Villanova this season. Freshman Mark Armstrong looks like he could become a great player, but freshman mistakes are going to happen and can be particularly impactful from the point guard spot. Honestly, I believe Jordan Longino could be the one to bring the guard play up a level as the season goes on. He's shown flashes, but has been limited by injuries early in the season. As he gets back to full health, his game could take a leap. But to answer your question, yes, I do believe Daniels can be that guy. He's incredibly strong, fearless, and can hit the big shot. Like a lot of the guys on this year's team, he's adjusting to a new role. But he has the stuff to be that number one option.

4) Saw Marquette game. How much has the match up zone been utilized this season?

The zone hasn't been relied on heavily. It will be thrown in to try to disrupt a team's rhythm or for a change of pace, but the usual switching man-to-man is still the relied upon most of the time.

5) Has the injury bug visited 'Nova?

Nova fans will certainly cite the injury bug if you give them a chance. Obviously the team is still missing Justin Moore as he recovers from the torn Achilles he suffered in the Elite 8 last season. And Whitmore missed the first seven games of the season, and the fact that the team is 2-5 without him and 5-2 with him is not a coincidence. The team also dealt with a handful of injuries in the preseason. Brendan Hausen had a concussion, Daniels suffered a broken nose and Longino was working his way back from a torn meniscus and dealt with some soreness and some other little nagging ailments. So, yes, injuries have had an impact this season, but no, Villanova hasn't dealt with a ton of injuries during the season itself to this point. Little-used forward Nnanna Njoku is currently dealing with a foot injury, but otherwise Nova is healthy and has been since Whitmore debuted on December 3.

6) Outcome?

6. Inconsistency has been an issue for Villanova this season, even within the same game let alone from game to game (evidenced if you saw the Marquette game). At times they look like a typical Villanova team and one that could make noise come March, and at other times they look like a team that has no business anywhere near the NCAA Tournament. Which one shows up Wednesday night? If Nova plays a complete game and plays to its potential I can see a double-digit win. If Nova struggles with some of the problems that has plagued it this season, it could be a close game. Seeing as this is essentially a must-win for the Wildcats, I'll split the difference and predict Nova by eight.

Seth Davis: 5 stocks to dump

Georgetown (5-10, No. 201 KenPom). The Hoyas had their worst season in program history last year, but since Patrick Ewing’s buyout was so prohibitive, the school brought him back for a sixth season. Georgetown’s 80-51 home loss to Butler on Sunday ran its Big East losing streak to 24.




Kyle Tucker: Worst Performances in 2022

Ewing has had long enough​

He’s had just one winning record in five years and is 5-8 to start Year 6. This after a genuinely abysmal 6-25 season in 2021-22. Ewing’s record is 73-92, and he’s never won an NCAA Tournament game. He did win the 2021 Big East tournament, which the athletic director referenced as a “testament to his leadership” in a surprising statement of support late last season. “This gives us confidence that he can strengthen our program going forward,” the statement continued. But he hasn’t.

Georgetown this season has lost to Loyola Marymount (by 18), American and a .500 South Carolina squad that is the SEC’s worst by a wide margin. Adding insult to incompetence, the Hoyas were involved in one of the ugliest sequences in recent memory during a 12-point loss to Northwestern. It’s time.

broken finger

February return

happened at depaul. finger got caught in a jersey

had surgery incl pins

cut list to 3 soon

not expecting Hoyas to be incl

family is on loot HARD

also he got punked real ugly per source at under Armour game

lot of facets to this haha

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there were some in this community that got their panties bunched up when I highlighted problems in the program

I was all kind of haters. trying to bring it down. just stupidity

now you have people with the fever dream of pitino coaching rhe Hoyas, and they are TOTALLY ignoring their supposed love and desire for an upstanding program

instructive

is here. i plan to be there so don't tear your throats out. hahahah

several games watched

Creighton

off
hi and side pnr with 15 and 1. 15 rolls to cup. 1 pops and rolls
flex with 1 cross lane screening. will go to pnr if stopped
pindown series
will push but it's controlled
five out to pnr with is what they want
iso post for bates all lifted
dunk in for btes
...wahab, need ya. also double randomly
Harris early double drag
...if big, hedge hard. if small, swittch
Spain screen - pnr then screen the drop/hedge man
bates from elbow after clear
...he can hit this shot but you'd rather him shoot it.

def
m2m strong helpside
almost game m2m
pnr drop
switch up top on perimeter

players

#1 active skilled big wil roll and pop on pnr. 6'10. shoots right, but will score in paint with left
hunter is push guard that attacks. another ball handler
harris is green light go to guy. still goes off
42 playing under control and effectively
13 slasher will pnr. takes tough shots. better shooter but still takes tough shots
...make it tough. just be solid. take away right drives
bates will pass out double well
...anticipate it still double.

Providence

off
almost circle flex with 1 from elbow for 3
almost circle flex to 1 midrange post duck in
super pnr based
5 out harris dancing
...make him see jersey numbers. make him a passer
duck in for thomas
...wall off. he's active and can jump but footwork is soso
will push

def
m2m
m2m almost gap
m2m switching up top 1 to 5
hard show on handoffs

players
bates weakside shot blocker
1 active long distance and at rim, will close out well
...hopefully akok can guard this guy. if not, zone
Carter is energy defender guy
...make him knock down over closeout. take away driving.
ali can hit shots
...make him drive.. limited to head down
41 crafty passer and shooter
harris has the green light
14 bouncy wing will start break after board
...make him pat under durress
2 is a push man

UConn

off
pushing hard early
bates pnr to post to iso
open side iso for bates who faced and drove from 12 feet
slob to bates for elbow jumper

def
m2m eventually becoming gap
...can post it
...dive and find
...reverse ball. they start sinking and shots are open.
...push. transition in question

players
bates defends without fouling. can pass too
...q and brad must battle for position early
41 crafty passer and shooter. impacts with boards too
hunter is a driver
...go under screen
ali ali sneaky shooter
bates will can 15 footers
harris green light scorer
taylor safety valve vs full court pressure
bates good screener will head hunt

should have at least 2 or 3 games looked at by Thursday

just saw this. found it intersting

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is here. ill be on it.

must win for hoyas.

apparently it's done

wow

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this will be a work in progress...as i'm mutlti-tasking alot today. and left some notes home. hahah


tombs

brandon murray - 19p, 9r, 3a, 5b, 4/9 shooting, 3/4 from 3 ball land, 3 to 1 A/TO ratio - continues to be Georgetown's best guy in Kenner. scores at all three levels. top of key shot, out of face up or showing his back is deadly. competes. will trail fast breaks defensively, contesting shots

needs to get in better shap,e as he visibly tires. that will help him move laterally defensively better.

primo spears - 22p, 3r, 7a - started the game diming, to the tune of seven in first half play. second half, he got offensively aggressive, including scoring an eye popping windmill dunk. Is showing himself to be pole position guy for the starting pg role, at this point.

defensively gave up like three or four straight line drives. can't have that. also need him to be a more communicative guy, a leader.

smart believes him a gtown lean. haven't confirmed that yet. but hoyas apparently have done a good job here.

article is up front.

only going to have 2, MAYBE 3 games. too busy


boston

off
screen to post for sonogo
...don't be fouled. have to play this guy to shoot from outside, or he will kill you. force jump;ers!

def
m2m
...might be able to get down floor on them
...give up inside out 3s

players
Sonogo is a best on both sides of the floor. they love to screen to psot him.


Oklahoma State

Off
Sonogo scring 3 levels and they run stuff for him
constantly pushes the rock
...get back!
Curls for Maryalnd kid
...lock and trail
hi triangle set lookinf for sonogo to pop to rim'
hi pnr sonogo to him to qb

def
m2m
...maike sure you post sonogo forf inside out
...must inside out. if you ceded the paint, you are done
...floor balance is crucial
...

players

sonogo is the man. all 3 level scoring including half court alleys
...never leave this guy. on pnr give them different looks for him. differ your doubles make him pensive not reactive
newton atacks right or left off pnr
11 good secondry big
Jackosn is still the atheltic utlity guy.

up front soon

iup front soon.

si here.

Thought it makes sense to keep a thread going to track the performances of some of the guys that transferred out.

Tyler Beard had 3 points, three rebounds with zero assists and three turnovers on 0-4 shooting for Pacific against Stanford.

from the rivals.com uconn site


1) Earfly film watching has shown one thing for certain; this Sanogo guy has become an exemplary player. He shoots, posts, rebounds, defends, blocks shots, passes. Did UConn media and fans anticipate this level of development?


This level of development isn't a big shocker, but most fans were skeptical about Sanogo's newfound ability to shoot. He fixed his passing issues throughout last season when it became apparent that he had difficulties passing out of a low post double team, so that was less of a surprise. His shooting is the most impactful thing because he's really able to fool defenders on the pump fake. That really opens the floor for the team and enables him to do more once he does get inside. Fans were expecting development, but he's a much more complete player than anyone expected.


2 Defensively the Huskeis seem to be ahrd man team. Do they zone? What are some of the pick and roll coverages?


On defense, UConn virtually never runs any zone. There's a story that UConn fans will sometimes hear about how Dan Hurley once tried to run zone back before he was at UConn and his team lost the game. His father, legendary coach Bob Hurley Sr., still hasn't let him hear the end of that game. On the pick and roll, Hurley likes to have his bigs hedge hard, which was very effective with now-graduated forward Isaiah Whaley, and Sanogo has gotten much better with it now.


3) Hawkins is the floor spreader. How have you seen him develop in Storrs?


With Hawkins, there was never really anything stopping him except for his confidence. He had a little spurt of energy last year against Auburn in the Battle 4 Atlantis where he scored 16 points in limited playing time, but had a costly turnover late in that game that seemed to rattle his confidence for the rest of the season. After returning from his concussion in the first game this year, Hawkins has been fantastic. Aside from a rough effort against Iowa State in the PKI final, his shooting has been on point. He shot just 33% last year but has jumped all the way up to 42.5% through 11 games, a mark that he should be able to maintain. Him and Sanogo really open up a lot of things for each other and for the rest of the team.


4) Hurley relishes the bad boy mantra. Has the team adopted that too? Fans?


I don't know if bad boy is the best way to describe Hurley's mantra, moreso incredible toughness. This team will be the first on the ground for a loose ball, will force jump-balls and plays tenacious defense, which is all in the culture of the team. The team and the fans have embraced that toughness, which has been the key to their sensational start.


5) What is UConn's achilles heel?


Winning every game from here on out will be an uphill battle, so once they do lose, it'll be because of 40 minutes of poor shooting. There were a lot of bricks during the first 25 minutes of the last game against Butler, but they managed to overcome that towards the end. They won't lose due to a lack of effort and their offensive rebounding will always keep them in games. They have many proven shooters on the roster, but there are nights when nobody can hit a shot and if that comes against a tough opponent, that'll be the end of the winning streak.

6) Prediction?

I'm going to say a 90-60 UConn win. It's definitely going to be an uphill battle for Georgetown with suffocation of the UConn defense, especially at Gampel Pavilion. They beat a good Butler team by 22 on the road, so 30 at home vs a struggling Hoya team seems pretty fair.

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It could get ugly early

several games checked out.

in a nutshell

bigs are skilled and can be physical
jones is the perimeter go to
boum is a green light.


morgan

x wants to push
4 around one with freemantle
...press them. early on they struggled

Cincinnati

off
weave to get ball handlers going downhill
four around 1 for nuge
...wall off, if double come at different angles
five out with nunge for 3

...when a wing gets a naandoff, blow it up
...trap reglarly and press the often. not sure if true pg exists

def
m2m
nunge shows and recovers on side pnr with nunge
1-4 switch up top or maybe situationlly

...run murray thru floppy..
...make them respect post work
...inside out necessary
...meet force with force
...set up chrges. guard play is not elite playmaking wise.


players
jones is for real. will keep dribble. attacks. 20 straight double figure games. big guard
...make him a shooter
...drive with murray and spears regularly
...goes right alot. force left.
nunge will post and shoot incl 3s. sput up 3s. slips screens and finishes. scores all three levels
...play physically. wall off. when he rim runs don't get outworked.
freemantle scores mid to 3, at rim. posts mid. rebounds. battles.
...meet his energy and force. dont let him outwork out. not super bouncy, so wall off and make him score over you.
boum dives right aggressively. not a pg but can go
...jump this guy. don't let him him comfy. spears/heath step up.

WVU

off

flex posting for nunge and freemantle simultaneously
...be stout
will look for quick offense
four around 1 nunge who will pass out
...wall off. make him a passer. be physical
4 around 1 for freemantle
...gotta buck up as help is had due to spacing
at0 duck in for freemantle
handoffs getting downhill from top
mid posting for nungee and freemantle with spacing. mostly they mid post
pushes for early offense
...get back
when small it's almost a motion with hunter ducking in

def

man to man
switching 1-4 up to
nungee drop coverage pnr

...iso post them. bury them whab
...if you can post a murray or akok or somebody in mismatch...do it!

players

jones - strong diver
...need some size on him. also take charges he can force it sometimes. force him left also
freemantale - dive on high pnr. strong, aggressive. killer from midpost. will iso and pnr. slips on pnr also
...pr has his hands full. must stay with him. put a body on him. make him defend and work.
kunkel - wing thas a shooter and passer
...respect him. don't lose him
nunge - C runs floor. posts goes over his left.
...keep up with him wahab

Gonzaga

Off

5 out to mid post for freemantle
set up high looking for leading pass into nunge on mid post
...post poster, pressure ball
1--4 pick and role for joens when small
weave/handoff for Jones
hi low freemantle passing to nunge

...token and real full court pressure regularly.
...change defenses just to get them on heels
...gut them with wahab. Hoyas need wahab


Def

man to man helpside at lane
...set up high then lead to cup on entry
drop coverage for nunge in high pick znd roll
...come off and pull up. also follow with zipper to corners or just drift. get weakside offense going
1-4 or 1-5 side pick and roll hard show and recovery by nunge
...move ball, put them in rotation

Players

nunge will drive from 17 feet
...make him finish
nunge will hit spot up 3s
nunge fills lanes including trailer
...keep up with him
Tangy will jump passin glanes
Jones blob iso
boum green light scorer will drive/pull up
freemantle is an aggressive finisher
...wall off, not explosive per se.

i noted he was sick. throat cancer.

moved back to ohio

went into hospice

heard he passed