UConn entered Wednesday’s game at rival Providence desperately needing a win to keep their NCAA tournament hopes on track after a tough loss to Seton Hall. Their need to win only increased more when it was announced just before the game that James Bouknight would not play. Providence was similarily in a must-win mode after having lost four of five to fall to 9-10 and 5-8 in the Big East. The game would come down to who showed more toughness and efficiency.
UConn did not rise up to the challenge. Instead, they seemed to lack energy for all 40 minutes and performed poorly on both ends, especially in the second half. Meanwhile, Providence executed well and controlled the pace, getting contributions from throughout the roster. This resulted in a 70-59 loss, the Huskies (8-5,5-5 in Big East) fourth in five games.
While the absence of Bouknight and uncertainty over his return is obviously taking a toll, it cannot be used as an excuse, especially when the Friars were also missing top players due to injury issues. It’s time for the UConn players as well as Dan Hurley to not make excuses and play better as a team. As of Friday afternoon, they are currently sixth in the Big East and off the bubble for the tournament.
After leading by one at halftime, UConn and Providence briefly traded baskets to open the second half before the Friars star point guard David Duke made a layup to give them a 40-38 2:45 in. This kicked off a 17-6 Providence run that put it up 55-44 with 9:49 remaining. During this, the Friars pushed the tempo and got multiple easy layups, with the Husky defenders either beaten off the drible or out of position. Providence also regularly got fouled going to the rim, as UConn kept being called for touch fouls. Nate Wilson and Noah Horchler scored six and five points, respectively during the run. Meanwhile, the UConn point guards struggled to bring the ball up against the Providence press and generally wasted a lot of time just throwing the ball from side to side, leaving players having to rush shots in the final seconds of the clock. The Huskies went cold even on open shots, missing five three-pointers.
After falling behind by 11, UConn finally got ont rack for a short time. It went on an 11-3 run, which was ignited by tighter defense by UConn (it had both three steals and blocks during this stretch), quicker and easier shots, and offensive rebounding, as well as missed free throws by the Friars. Whaley and Sanogo each had dunks during the run. However, Polley again missed a 3-pointer when he had an opportunity to tie the game at 58 with 3:15 remaining, and Providence closed it out from there, hitting eight free throws in the final three minutes to win by 11.
Sanogo had one of his best all-around games despite foul trouble, scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds while making five blocks. Cole led the Huskies with 14 points on 5-12 shooting and earned six assists, but had five turnovers. He again slowed down in the second half, scoring just five points. Martin had 13 points and nine rebounds. Whaley again struggled, scoring just four points in 29 minutes before fouling out, and Jalen Gaffney had a disappointing game after earning the start at point guard, recording four points and an assist in just 16 minutes due to foul trouble. Tyler Polley had his worst shooting game of the year, going 2-12 overall and 1-8 on 3-pointers despite a number of open looks. Wilson and Duke led the way for Providence, as the former had 17 points on 6-8 shooting and six rebounds, and the latter 17 points, six assists and three steals. Horchler had nine points and 10 rebounds, and A.J. Reeves had 10 points and six assists.
As a team, UConn shot just 36.5% in the second half and 40% for the game. Polley was not the only player who struggled from behind the arc, as the team went 4-20. The Huskies were beat in nearly every statistical category. Providence controlled the boards, grabbing 39 to UConn’s 34, and the Friars lohad 14 assists to UConn’s nine. Providence also had a big advantage at the foul line, making 18 free throws to UConn’s five. The lone bright spot was in blocks, as the Huskies had eight.
Any way you look at it, this was a very disappointing game and probably the most frustrating loss UConn and its fans had had in some time. The team seemingly lacks confidence right now and isn’t playing well in any facet of the game, and Hurley doesn’t seem to necessarily have answers. The whole James Bouknight saga and the question of if and when he will return had seemingly cast a cloud over the program. I don’t know what the answers to these problems are, but suffice to say Saturday’s matchup with Xavier is a must-win game.
Here are my observations on the loss to Providence and UConn’s play:
The Huskies offense never gets going
This applies to every element of the game, but especially on the offensive end. Providence head coach Ed Cooley was very smart to play the press knowing that UConn generally doesn’t run and play uptempo, and the offense played right into Providence’s hands. The Huskies rarely tried to run and quickly break the press, typically taking nearly 10 seconds to get the ball within 20 feet of the basket. After that, it seemed like it generally took at least 10 seconds for a shot to be taken, and many of this were covered or came lot in the shot clock. Even with UConn struggling from the outside, the players did not try and feed the post or drive and either shoot it or get to the foul line nearly enough. Both when the team went cold in the middle of the second half or tried to come back late, the Huskies did not try to play more quickly or run unique offensive sets to generate points and momentum.
After the game, Hurley clearly expressed his frustration with the pace of play and the offense not being more agressive. That’s all well and good to hear, but what changes are he and the players going to make to get the offense playing more efficiently. I understand Hurley’s desire to try and play more slowly without Bouknight so that it keeps scores lower and makes it more likely UConn can win games, but that is currently not working, and the defense isn’t playing well enough to hold opponents in the 50s or low 60s anyway. What’s the arm in running different offensive sets that catch opponents off guard, or playing more uptempo and try to generate easier baskets and opponent turnovers. The Huskies need to worry less about Bouknight coming into save the offense and instead get the offense to work even without him.
UConn lacks energy and focus
While the offense was certaintly the biggest issue against Providence, the defense didn’t execute well either. Players were regularly unable to close out on shooters in time, especially on 3-point shots. While the big men protected the rim well and got some key blocks, the guards were beaten off the dribble at key times, especially in the second half. It seemed like the defenders did a poor job communicating with one another, especially in plays such as the pick and roll. While some guys already struggling on defense (like Polley) continued to have tough days, others like Martin did not perform up to their standard. UConn’s defense has been on a slide for a while now, as it has allowed at least 70 points to four of their last five opponents, the exception being the Butler win on Jan. 26th. In the adjusted efficiency ratings on kenpom.com, the Huskies are now 45th in the country at 94.3 points, which is more than 20 points higher than two weeks ago.
The lack of energy is also being reflected in UConn’s rebounding numbers. It has not won the rebounding battle in the last three losses, and had fewer offensive rebounds against both Seton Hall and Providence, despite that being the Huskies biggest strength. While they still have excellent offensive rebounding numbers (third in Big East play with 11.9 per game and sixth in the country in KenPom in averaging offensive rebounds on 15.3% of misses), UConn is 10th in Big East play in defensive rebounding with 23.3 per game, and its average of 35.2 per game is now sixth out of 11 teams. Against the Friars, the Huskies lost the rebounding batte 28-23, and its 10 offensive rebounds were two fewer than Providence’s. They were again beaten to long rebounds and loose balls and allowed costly second chances, while being one-and-done when shooting. Whether that’s a matter of UConn players not giving enough effort or more likely just misjudging rebound opportunities and being outworked, the Huskies need to reestablish their rebounding as a huge strength to be successful.
Finally, the UConn players and Hurley aren’t demonstrating enthusiasm and excitement when playing. Watching the bench against Providence, you did not see the players cheering on one another and celebrating big plays, and Hurley definitely looked displeased a lot. Hopefully against Xavier, the team will make a conscious choice to come out with as much energy as possible and maintain an air of positivity, one that can help lead to a win.
Sanogo and Andre Jackson are again huge bright spots
While fans were definitely frustrated with the play of UConn’s older players, Sanogo and Jackson each had very strong afternoons. Sanogo did an excellent job on the boards and made some tough shots, again demonstrating strong footwork. He also continues to improve on defense by altering and blocking shots more effectively and bodying up on defenders, although he still needs to improve on keeping his hands up and avoiding costly touch fouls. The growth that Sanogo has shown as a player over just a few weeks is amazing, and I am sure he will continue to improve the rest of the season.
Jackson has displayed exciting offensive abilities and athleticism since returning against Seton Hall. He had six points, four rebounds and two assists against Providence in 28 minutes. Jackson made a number of highlight-reel plays, including another memorable dunk and a few difficult passes. He is an inconsistent shooter and still pretty raw on defense, but I think Jackson is arguably the most athletic UConn player besides Bouknight and will be essential to any success the team has the remainder of this season.
The James Bouknight Experience
After it was announced Bouknight was not playing, Hurley said in the post-game interviews that an outside surgeon had operated on Bouknight to take out his bone spurs, and that he wasn’t close to returning. Suffice to say, it was frustrating to hear Hurley only reveal this information about the surgeon now, and have his statement contradict the previous ones that Bouknight would be a game-time decision for each game before his return. Now we cannot know when exactly Bouknight will get clearance to play this season if at all (I would guess it will beanother week at the earliest), and have to speculate on how the question of when Bouknight returns is affecting his teammates. I have to imagine that they are frustrated about how to approach games and prepare with his status up in the air, and that their struggles without him are only eroding confidence. Hurley needs to help his team cultivate the idea that the rest of the season is their oppurtunity to prove how good they can be without Bouknight, and that this will result in UConn elevating its play and beating tough opponents. That way, it will again be prepared to again be one of the best teams in the Big East when Bouknight returns.
HUSKY NATION 