The A.J. Project

The A.J. Project



DePaul 66 Uconn 58



Jim Calhoun has done just about everything he can to get this team to
improve. Every game has a different starting lineup and each game ends
the same way, with a pitiful offensive performance. Is there one
particular culprit to point your finger at for this one? Shooting 22
for 58 from the floor doesn’t help but DePaul only made one more field
goal than Uconn, going 23 for 57.



So what is it? Rebounds? Uconn wasn’t dominant, though they should
have, collecting 36 against DePaul’s 32. Assists? DePaul doubled Uconn,
dishing 13 of them to Uconn’s 7 but the lack of assists are not from
bad passing but missed shots and passed up shots for drives. Free
throws? Definitely not. Uconn had their best game from the line going
12 for 14.



Then what is it that has Uconn sputtering on offense? It isn’t in the
stats. They're not running. Plain and simple. Uconn has always been a
team that pushes the ball up the court as soon as the they rebound. Did
you see the way they played in the last twelve minutes? That is the way
they should have played these past seven games. Run, run and run some
more. But this team isn’t doing it. The guards and forwards are
lingering to long after the ball is rebounded. There should be no one
standing around. Everyone should be out of breath, wearing down the
other team. Uconn has the depth to do this but they choose not to.



The defense needs to stop the back door cuts which is another result of
lingering and not getting back. The transition defense is where other
teams are devouring Uconn. When Uconn gets into a five on five, they
excel and hold there own. Be it Draelon Burns drops 26 on Uconn when he
averages 9 a game and Uconn watches another shot drop at the buzzer
before halftime but Uconn had their shots and didn’t make them.



Uconn has size and athletes that are comparable to any in the Big East
but they don’t have strength. Smaller but heavier men are pushing
Uconn’s big men around. Several times, getting around Thabeet’s long
frame for position and did you see during a dead ball that Thabeet
wound up to kick the ball like a soccer player. The kid is learning how
to use his upper body in coordination with his lower half. It will come
around, but not this year. Time to lower his minutes.



A.J. could’ve been hurt but leaving him out until they were so deep in
the hole to climb out seemed counter-productive. Calhoun could have
been sending him a message but at the cost of a victory. A.J. did
respond with emotion and played ten solid minutes but not enough.
Stanley Robinson had a good offensive game but his defensive lapses
have caused to many easy buckets in transition. Adrien had another
solid performance but is a role player not a playmaker. Dyson has
tenacity and pose, almost looking like not caring at times, but a
player you want on your team. If he finds his jump shot, he’ll be an
Allen Iverson. Austrie played well, scoring but didn’t dish out an
assist in 27 minutes.



Uconn needs to turn this ship around and to do that is to do two
things: Run and Run some more cause there'll be plenty of resting come
March.