How good is UCONN sans Dyson - article

[ChicosBailBonds]

http://www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2009/02/23/sports/more_sports_columnists/doc49a2d8f79b171391167419.txt

[HoopsMalone]

Hopefully without their best on-ball defender we can into the lane and force Thabeet to come help earlier than he would like to and make some extra passes in the lane for easy baskets.  Wes and Jerel really like to get to the middle and Thabeet might be the first guy to send that shot back.  Hopefully they can hit some good mid-range jumpers without Dyson in there playing tough d on them.

[nycwarrior]

Of all the match-up problems UConn presents our little Warriors, Adrien is the toughest.

Thabeet is one thing. Seems like the lesson of the PITT game is make him catch more than 6 feet from the bucket and he's only gonna get so many easy buckets.

Adrien is big, strong, extremely active and intense. There are a lot of 4s that Wes and Lazar can cheat. I think that guy will make us pay in weak side rebounds, lay-ups and fouls if we're not really really tough with him.

The game Wednesday may be decided by who can force the other teams' bigs into foul trouble. If we drive and kick we can get a lot of shots and some easy looks.

If DJ and Jerel settle for quick 3s or over-penetrate and get caught in the air, UConn is gonna have a lot of quick buckets going the other way.

[CTWarrior]

Hopefully without their best on-ball defender we can into the lane and force Thabeet to come help earlier than he would like to and make some extra passes in the lane for easy baskets.  Wes and Jerel really like to get to the middle and Thabeet might be the first guy to send that shot back.  Hopefully they can hit some good mid-range jumpers without Dyson in there playing tough d on them.

We are tailor-made for Thabeet in the half-court.  Almost all of his blocks are weak side help on penetrators.  He struggles when his primary assignment is a talented interior scorer like Harangody or Blair (and decidedly not like Burke) who can muscle him.  Because he doesn't have to concern himself with Burke too much, he is free to negate Hayward's foul-line jumper, too.

To beat them we are going to have to beat them down the floor at every opportunity.  We have to keep them from dominating the offensive boards and we have to run, run, run and then run some more.  The best thing Dyson being out gives us is one less guard to chase our perimeter guys.  Go with Butler instead of Burke most of the time and really challenge the entry pass to Thabeet and Adrien and try to force them to go to Robinson for mid-range jumpers and three from their guards.

A tall order for us.  I think we lose this one 7 out of 10 even at home.  But stranger things have happened.