Was hoping Karaban would leave. He had a tough go last year, but years prior it always seemed like he would hit a big shot to stop a run or extend a lead. I'm kind of eh on Ball. I think he is a great scorer, but seems pretty one dimensional, if you can stop his shot then he doesn't hurt you all that much. Demary and Smith could give us fits next year, though. Reed KILLED us in the two games he played, but looked to be a bit hack happy so that could be exploited. Overall, though, Pukon looks to be much better this year than last and will be a TOUGH matchup. Not sure about their front court depth, which might cause them some issues.
Around the Big East 25-26
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
I wish they brought back Mahaney.....he was good for us.
Ball, Karaban, and Reed are all potential 1st team BE and POY candidates. They also added one of the best combo guard transfers in Demary. They are going to be very good next year.
Exactly. I've used the analogy before that he's a very good college player, but he's an Alfred Pennyworth, not a Batman nor Robin. Alfred is very important by the way but rarely will be the hero, Alfred's a glue guy.
I think the keys for UConn will be the growth of Ball and Reed, and whether Mullins jumps in and replaces McNeely's frosh production.
Ball showed a lot of flashes of brilliance last year but was not consistent. He needs to be Batman. Tarris Reed was similar, though that's because he was blocked by Samson (should have started over him BTW) with a lower ceiling. Does he have Robin potential? If those two continue to grow as players that will dictate UConn's success. And if Mullin's is a high level contributor as a frosh they'll be a power to be reckoned with, though I still think STJ roster is better.
Karaban hasn't really grown by the way, he was very good when he got there and he'll likely be very good this year as well. But he's a little bit overrated through being the 3rd or 4th option on the two Natty teams that produced 6 NBA draft picks. He looked better in his first 2 years when there were always 3-4 other guys you had to key on leaving him open more often.
I also don't see Demary as B or R at PG since he's never been good at what PG's are expected to do in his college career. Say what you want about Diarra but he was a PG with an excellent A/TO ratio. Demary's similar to Ian Jackson's floor. A high level 2G who's being asked to be a PG. Except we've seen the results wiht Demary already. Hopefully Ian outperforms him.
FWIW on STJ I see Zuby, Bryce, Ian and potentially Josan with Batman potential, Dillon as an excellent potential Robin.
Karaban has improved significantly defensively and playmaking IMO. 1.5. Blocks and 3 assists with 2:1 ratio is overlooked when it comes to him.
I agree that UConn this upcoming season will be good. Reed, I think played his best in our games. I watched other UConn games and he was only so-so.
Not sure what brought out the beast in Reed when he saw us.
Guard play was awful and it hurt him. Their guard play will be really good this year. I’m throwing $100 on them to win it all. Demary couldn’t be a better fit for what they do and I love Malachi Smith in that role.
Surprised Mullin’s Revenge is giving you those odds.
Karaban also didn’t should it awful last year. Just not as well as he did previously. For me, their ceiling all comes down to the progress by their two wings, Ross and Stewart. If they are legitimate top 6-7 BE roster guys, they have all the other pieces to compete for a BE and national title. But without their size and athleticism on the wing, I think this roster is ripe to underperform.
If MR, Silly, et al. don’t like a player, it’s usually a really good sign.
Karaban was like Champagnie with us…so good but doesn’t have the one-on-one ability to dominate. They can play the absolute shit out of a big role for a great team.
I think that UConn losing a stud like McNeely and having no go-to replacement for a big threat like that is going to hurt them a lot. Same could be said about sju losing an RJ Luis, but we replace him either several guys who can be big threats like Jackson, Sanon, Hopkins etc who will draw defenses for different reasons.
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Re: Alfred…there was an episode where he had to impersonate Batman..outside of the white mustache and wrinkled skin, you couldn’t tell
Silly Donovan
Well-known member
I guess this past season I sat in front of the other 10% who were drunk, cursing loudly and threatening others while I was with my daughter and my 6 and 8 year old grand kids, even after I asked them nicely to calm down and watch their language.
fully disagree, they lose McNeely but their recruiting class has some legit high end talent. You will learn to hate a kid named Braylon Mullins come January 2026 I promise. Same with Eric Reibe. Demary, Smith, Solo Ball, Karaban can all score. Ball and Karaban are elite catch and shoot players, whereas Demary and Smith will be formidable off the bounce. Reed showed flashes of being dominant and won't have to fight Samson for minutes anymore. They are absolutely loaded. I look forward to our duels next season.
Probably so. I've sat near drunk & obnoxious fans from virtually every team over the years including Met, Yankee, Knick & St. Johns fans. Been six years since I attended a Nova game live but my experience has always been they are generally a pretty civilized bunch especially compared to some of their Big East brethren.
In my fandom experiences, Providence has been the worst (the NE thing), followed by UCONN and Cuse. Although I venture the Hall would be the most difficult to be around if you can find them, given the amount of venom that "fanbase" has these days for Pitino and SJU.
leave 114 out of this
Moose
Well-known member
Imagine in ten years when someone asked him where he went to school.
When I think of that type of question my mind goes back to John Belushi in Animal House and his GPA, Mr. Blutarski...ZERO point ZERO.
A testament to the seriousness of a college education for some people ....LOL