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Hoops Preview: Texas Longhorns @ UConn Huskies

Posted by Trips Right on January 22nd, 2010 under Basketball

Texas goes into Storrs, Connecticut looking to rebound after suffering its first loss of the year at the hands of Kansas State on Big Monday. We’ve hashed out some of the things the Horns need to do to get back on the winning track including moving with and without the ball on offense, foul shooting, and making point bank bunnies around the bucket. The good news is that it sounds like Rick and company know exactly what they need to do to right the ship. Perhaps they read the blog or Kafka’s legion of basketball pointers. With that typed, let’s talk UCONN Basketball.

The Huskies come into this game having lost 3 of their last 4 contests. On the year, Uconn is a mediocre 12-6 and 3-3 in Big East play. If you’re a Husky backer you’ve been forced to hang your hat on close losses to the likes of Kentucky, Duke, and Georgetown for your ray of hope. UConn has been right there at winning time against several top 10 opponents so they have the talent to compete and beat the Longhorns tomorrow.

The Backcourt
The Huskies came into the 2009 season looking for a new identity with the departure of frontcourt studs like Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien who both averaged double doubles last year. This year the club is led by dynamic backcourt duo Kemba Walker and Jerome Dyson. Kemba Walker is an electrically quick player who’s averaging 12 points and nearly 6 assists. Unlike last year, Walker has developed the shooting stroke to threaten the arc to compliment his ability to absolutely blow by opposing guards on the dribble. Kemba has already made more 3’s this season than he converted all of last season, but his bread is still buttered by quickness and attacking the rim. I make him make a couple perimeter shots before I close out aggressively.

The other guard, Jerome Dyson, is a more dynamic scorer than Walker because he has a terrific midrange game, is a decent deep shooter, and has the ability to get into paint with the dribble. He’s also the Huskies leading scorer averaging nearly 19 points a contest. Both guards are susceptible to turning the ball over as they both average over 3 TO’s per contest. Dyson gave up the basketball to the tune of 3, 5, 5, 5 and 6 turnovers vs. Duke, Kentucky, Pitt, Seton Hall, and Georgetown respectively. In those same games Walker gave it up 6, 2, 3, 5, and 2.

It’s important to note that none of the listed teams have the defensive backcourt talent that Texas has, so this may be a way for the Horns to steal some possessions. Donnel Beverly is the other guard in the rotation but he’s only playing 9 minutes per contest. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel is a 6-7 wing and he, along with Beverly, are the only other significant ball handlers on the club. In reality, Dyson and Walker get all the ball handling minutes with each playing 35 minutes a game. This could be a wheelhouse game for the Texas guards because there’s the likelihood that they can wear down the UCONN backcourt if the tempo is right.

Frontcourt
Not unlike most years, the Huskies have a wealth of big, talented athletes in the frontcourt who thrive in the black and blue conference that is the Big East. The bellcow of the frontcourt is 6-9 senior super athlete Stanley Robinson. Robinson can jump out of the gym and score around the rim. The bad news for opposing defenses is that Robinson has added a deep shooting game to his arsenal knocking down a torrid 20 out of 44 attempts from deep on the year. Gavin Edwards is a 6-10 bruising power forward who leads the team in rebounding and gives the Huskies their one true back to the basket threat. Alex Oriakhi is a 6-9 freshman center who is in there to bang and rebound but is not much of scoring threat shooting under 50% from the field and the foul line. Ater Majok gives the Huskies a 7 foot body off the bench and a suitable golfing partner for Doge Balbay.

Keys to the Game

1) Who can establish their style and Tempo? If there was a game when Texas’ depth was going to be a huge factor it’s this one because the Huskies have little depth especially in the backcourt. Walker and Dyson’s problems with the turnover are a function of fatigue due to this lack of depth. If Texas can get the Huskies into an up and down contest and maximize the number of possessions, UCONN will be plagued by turnovers and tired legs when shooting the ball. UCONN will look to play halfcourt to halfcourt and pound the Horns with their size. I’m betting that UCONN will play some zone to slow the game down and I look for Texas to pressure and even trap to speed the game up.

2) Matchups along the Frontcourt. Kind of along the lines of point number 1, but the way these coaches matchup their frontcourts vis a vis the opponent should be an interesting cat and mouse game. You know Texas is winning the battle of tempos if Damion James is playing a bunch at power forward. Conversely, if Texas is going big for significant minutes and James is playing alot of 3, you’ll know the Huskies are in their comfort zone. If you’re a Texas fan, you hope this game plays out like the UNC tilt. In that game, Texas was able to hold its own on defense with James at the four vs. a talented post, and they reaped the rewards on the offensive end with Damion attacking slow 4’s on the perimeter.

3) Jordan Hamilton. If Texas is forced to go bigger, Hamilton is a terrific answer along the frontcourt because he gives you a decent defensive matchup size wise on Robinson. This allows Damion to guard Edwards, and allows Pittman a defensive pass with a matchup against the punchless Oriakhi. If Texas can guard with this lineup it gives them several mismatches on the offensive end.

4) Pressure. We’ve discussed softening wing pressure to aid the younger players in their helpside responsibilities, but wing pressure is a must when playing a team with frontcourt punch. For the sake of dissuading post entry, wing pressure and wing denial to deny ball reversal and good post entry angles is a critical. If I’m Barnes I soften ball pressure a bit when guarding Walker because there won’t be a lot of bodies to help with dribble penetration. Force Walker out of his comfort zone by making him beat you over the top. As for Dyson, his lack of elite quickness allows Balbay or Bradley to get right in his Jersey.

5) Ring the Bell. Uconn is big and physical, so when the Horns get point blank looks or they’re sent to the foul line they must take advantage. There won’t be many second chance points to make up for poor shooting against this athletic Husky frontcourt. And while the Horns may make up for a bad shooting game by turning over the Huskies, it’s not something I’d count on.

Prediction. I look for Texas to come out with their hair on fire and turn this game into an up and down affair. Their energy alone should be just what the doctor ordered to win the battle of tempo, plus UCONN’s guards don’t take care of the basketball well enough to control the Longhorn’s transition game. Horns win by double digits and get back on track.

Your thoughts?

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21 Responses

  1. n-ea said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 11:16 am

    Dexter is the key to this team. First, Barnes needs to get him to stop commiting bonehead fouls. Second, depending on how teams decide to defend Dex, we have to be able to adjust.

    On defense, our bigs have to stop letting opposing bigs catch the ball so deep in the paint everyfreakingtime. Our bigs have to front and deny the easy entry when there opponent is trying to establish position 4 feet from the bucket. Off the ball basketball IQ would need to improve for this to work.

  2. Magnificent Bastard said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 11:17 am

    Any relation to Yukon basketball?

    Great keys. If we win without 5) Ring the Bell I guess I’ll at least be happy while toupée shopping on Sunday.

  3. Savage Henry said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 11:38 am

    if James plays well they will win and if he doesn’t it will be very close and we will lose because of our foul shooting. if Dex can’t play more than half the game it’s hard for him to have the impact we need him too. how does a guy drop so much weight and he still can’t run for more than 2 minutes at a time?

  4. jc25 said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 11:48 am

    Kemba Walker impressed me vs. Kentucky at MSG. He actually had the quickness and size to stay with John Wall, and clearly frustrated him a little bit. One month later, and I’m reading that Chad Ford and co. have soured on him. Not sure what happened there.

    Stanley Robinson is a player. He looks like he should be in the WWE or something, but I like the cut of his jib. I’m not sure I want to see Jordan Hamilton anywhere near him.

    Supposedly, Majok was going to make a huge impact when he became eligible, but that apparently hasn’t been the case. Unless by huge impact they meant dropping 3 in a row.

    What’s your take on the Calhoun situation? On one hand, it sucks not having your field general out there. On the other, maybe it finally clears things up for the players. Plus, there’s the whole “win one for the gipper” motivational factor.

    Plus, the game is in Storrs where it’s like freezing degrees. Texas is a better team but I’m not sure they don’t come away with the L.

  5. bigdukesix said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 12:08 pm

    Plus, the game is in Storrs where it’s like freezing degrees.

    What, they’re playing this game outdoors?

  6. Vasherized said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 12:34 pm

    As much as I like to fault Trips for his proclivity to over-spawn and his poor judgment after the stroke of midnight, this is as good of a game preview you will read by anyone, anywhere, ever.

    And if I get injured from the rush of students to the court because we lost I’m also holding him liable.

  7. CurrentLonghornStudent said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 12:51 pm

    Make free throws, or else UConn plays Hack-a-Horn defense (and we get our front court in foul trouble as they get frustrated and start dishing it out as well).

  8. Trips Right said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    jc25, I think it helps Texas if all of a sudden the Huskies are playing free and loose. They can’t win a full court game against Texas so they’ll have to fight the urge to play fast.

    Vash, I’m telling you, ask the hardcore fans about Covington Cormier. Instant street cred right there.

    n-ea, that’s why pressuring the entry passer is going to be key. Our bigs haven’t been doing their work early.

    Mag, I think you’ll be fine.

    Savage, he’ll play well as a true 4 vs. their slower frontcourt. If he’s forced to the 3 spot because of their size, we might have problems.

    CLS, yep, we’ll get fouled.

  9. dick said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 2:34 pm

    What’s the line going to be on this? Texas by 6?

  10. Bob in Houston said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 2:40 pm

    Early line is a pick. EVERYBODY must have watched Monday’s game.

  11. Trips Right said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    dick, I guess you’re going to be on the Horns. ;)

  12. NorthDallasSooner said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 4:46 pm

    kudo’s to Rick Barnes for scheduling a game like this in late January. Back in the Tubbs days in Norman we used to have games like this to break up conference and they were always great. UNLV, Duke, NC St., GT…..

    I hope you beat them…

  13. j.p. said:

    January 22nd, 2010 at 5:23 pm

    If we can slow down Emeka Okafor, we might have a chance.

  14. Dude said:

    January 23rd, 2010 at 8:01 am

    I’m with jc25 on the Robinson sitch. He will eat Jordan’s lunch if he draws that matchup as he has the ability to drive past slower footed players and rise for open looks from 10-15 feet. He’s going to be the X factor in this one as they have size to draw James and Pittman on Edwards and Oriakhi as you nailed in your preview (excellent, btw). I also think Oriakhi is still getting his sea legs under him and he’s got a nice power spin down low that will work a couple times a game. But overall Dex should prevail.

    I’m surprised the game is at Storrs as it’s a much smaller than the Xcel Center where they usually have their bigger games. There will be many more die hards there as the average fan can take his 10 yr old to the XCel Center easily but Storrs isn’t nearly as accessible. The gym will be rocking early for sure.

    After seeing them live at MSG, the one thing that stuck out to me was they lack that glue guy that everyone rallies around. They are less of a “team” this year than one would think. Robinson is as close to a leader that they have but it doesn’t seem to come as naturally as skinny black jeans do to Vasherized.

    I think the quickness of their guards and their depth down low give us more trouble than you think Trips. With the amount of film out on us now I think they now they need to force us into the halfcourt game and should be able to with their rebounding ability. If they can hang some fouls on Dex I’m not eager to watch Gary, Wangmene and Chap trying to stop their bigs. I’m expecting a very physical game in the mid to high 60s with the Horns winning a squeeker.

  15. Trips Right said:

    January 23rd, 2010 at 8:53 am

    Good stuff, Dude. I guess I’m thinking our guards really effect UCONN’s ability to move the ball and find angles for drives and post entry. I like Walker, but he’s a poor man’s Kalin Lucas. Dyson is a good player, but he’s a perfect fit for what Bradley does on defense. Should be fun regardless.

  16. ransomstoddard said:

    January 23rd, 2010 at 11:14 am

    We’re a warm weather team, always have been.

  17. Mysterious Package said:

    January 23rd, 2010 at 12:38 pm

    Watching Kansas blow out ISU in first half, not a good sign if you want to compare KU and UT.

  18. Fading Las Vegas — Blog — FLV College BBall Bets – 1/23/10 said:

    January 23rd, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    [...] @ UCONN, see the preview. We should be able to run on [...]

  19. angelito said:

    January 23rd, 2010 at 1:56 pm

    Hey Trips,

    I like your site. Nice articles. My prediction: UCONN by two digits. Catch ya sometime,

    Your brother from Bleacher report.

    Angelito

  20. Trips Right said:

    January 23rd, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    Sounds good little angel.

  21. angel said:

    January 23rd, 2010 at 2:10 pm

    Guys, I am not convinced that the Longhorns are better at up-tempo than the Huskies. I really think the Huskies are a slightly better transition team too. If Majok gets a breakout performance, UCONN can win big this afternoon.

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