UConn’s game at Villanova on Saturday was the biggest it has played in a long time. The No. 10 Wildcats were the best opponent the Huskies have played this season and the class of the Big East. A win against Villanova would have a been a huge accomplishment and an indication that the program can compete with the best that the program has to offer. Alas, it was not to be.
Behind an outstanding start from James Bouknight, UConn stuck with Villanova for the entire first half and early portion of the second. However, Bouknight was completely locked up by the Wildcats in the second half and got no help from his teammates on offense. Meanwhile, an experienced Villanova squad demonstrated its talent and composure down the stretch and took control of the game, ultimately winning 68-60.
UConn’s (10-6, 7-6 Big East) two-game winning streak came to an end, while the Wildcats (14-3, 9-2) got back on track after a loss to St. John’s. The Huskies shot just 29.6% in the second half against a defense that has been inconsistent,with Bouknight going 1-8. Villanova finished with four players in double figures, with senior Colin Gillipsie dominating UConn’s defenders inside to the tune of 20 points and six rebounds.
As Bouknight has done in multiple other games, he came out firing, scoring 10 of the team’s first 12 points. However, he took a hard fall on his previously injured left elbow midway through the half, and made only two more shots after coming back in. While the Huskies weren’t exactly lighting it up on offense otherwise, Tyrese Martin and Jalen Gaffney combined for 11 points, and UConn trailed Villanova by just two at halftime, 32-30. Its defense played strong in the first half, especially in defending the 3-pointer, and the Huskies benefited from some unusually poor free throw shooting by Villanova.
Both teams continued to struggle on offense early in the second half and traded baskets. Adama Sanogo, who started the half off strong, hit a hook shot with roughly 14 minutes to give UConn its final lead at 42-41. From there, Villanova went on a 14-5 to help decide the game. Star forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl scored six points during this spurt, and the Wildcats repeatedly scored on either layups or free throws. The Huskies struggled to guard Villanova and especially Robinson-Earl and Gillipsee around the rim. The Wildcat players distributed the ball well and used their strength and some crafty low-post moves against UConn’s guards to get some easy baskets. The Huskies were also hurt by tight officiating and out-of bounds calls that didn’t go their way.
Meanwhile, on offense, UConn’s shooting dried up and they were unable to hit any shots for a long stretch. After Sanogo made a jumper at the 10:51 to cut the deficit to one, the offense went 7:05 without making a field goal. A visably fatigued and frustrated Bouknight was constanty double and triple-teamed during this stretch and tried to do too much, taking off-balance shots and turning the ball over multiple times. His teammated did not fare much better, as they often settled for contested jumpers and 3-pointers and were unable to take advantage of the few looks they got inside. The Huskies would fall behind 57-47 with 4:25 remaining.
After Villanova took their 10-point lead, UConn finally started showing some signs of life. Martin earned a 3-point play, and R.J. Cole and Sanogo followed with a 3-pointer and layup to cut the deficit to 60-55 with 2:13 remaining. Gillipsee hit his second consecutive three to put the Wildcats by eight, and then Villanova closed it out from the line.
The Huskies ended the game shooting just 36.4% and 25.9% from three. They also only shot 13-19 at the line. Bouknight finished with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds, but had just the one 3-pointer in the second half and committed five turnovers. Cole, who played just four minutes in the first half due to his foul trouble, was the only other Husky who scored in double figures with 10 points but shot just 2-10 (2-8 on threes) and had only two assists. Martin grabbed 11 rebounds but scored just nine points and went 0-4 from three. This was the first game in which Martin scored in single figures since January 5th against Marqueete. Sanogo was the only player besides Bouknight who had a decent offensive game, scoring eight points on 4-6 shooting in 20 minutes. Tyler Polley hit just a single three in 25 minutes, and Whaley had a poor offensive game, scoring just two points and missing multiple quality shots. The Huskies had just eight assists and only made 11 layups. While the team committed just 10 turnovers, seven of them came on steals. UConn’s 60 points were the fewest an opponent has scored against Villanova since Jan. 23rd.
The Wildcats shot just 41.5% and 5-22 from behind the arc, and this was only the third time this season they scored under 70 points. However, Villanova received the balanced scoring they are known for, with four players (Gillipsie, Robinson-Earl, Jermaine Samuels, and Justin Moore) scoring in double figures. Robinson-Earl grabbed 11 reobunds and Samuels recorded three steals. The Wildcats committed just eight turnovers, and UConn recorded only eight points off them. As has been the pattern in the Huskies losses, they were outrebounded 38-36 and did not win on the offensive boards (both teams had 10).
Even with the loss to Villanova, UConn is still in solid shape to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament. As of Monday morning, it is fifth in the Big East. Among the ranking systems, the Huskies are 36th in KenPom, 31st in ESPN’s BPI rankings, and 54th in the NET rankings. While they are just 3-6 in either Quad 1 or Quad 2 games, they are 7-0 in Quad 3 and 4 games. If the team can run the table or go 4-1 in their final five games starting tomorrow against Georgetown, then I am confident they will make it, especially with a solid run in the Big East tournament. However, if UConn struggles and loses at Seton Hall, then it will need a deep tournament run.
Here are my observations on Saturday’s loss at Villanova:
James Bouknight is Brought Down to Earth
In the opening 11 minutes, Bouknight looked unstoppable in his second game back from injury. He showcased all facets of his game, knocking down 3-pointers, weaving his way for the defense for layups, and regularly getting to the free throw line. Bouknight appeared too athletic for Villanova’s defenders to contain, and myself and all other UConn fans probably started imagining him having a similar performance to his 40-point outing against Creighton.
In the last 30 minutes, everything changed. After returning to the game following the fall on his inured elbow, Bouknight’s shooting was poor and he went scoreless the remainder of the first half. His second half performance was ugly. Villanova upped its pressure on Bouknight as his teammates struggled, double and triple-teaming the sophomore and not allowing him to get any open shots. Bouknight responded to the pressure poorly. He dribbled into pressure, failed to share the ball and tried to do too much, leading to poor shots and turnovers and stagnation on offense. Bouknight definitely became fatigued and wore down, and his frustration was evident in the poor body language he showed.
In no way do I hold Bouknight’s offensive struggles against him. Villanova’s defense did a great job against him as the game went on, and it’s understandable that he got frustrated and tired playing 36 minutes. I expect his cardio and conditioning with each game he plays. What Bouknight can control when he is struggling shooting the ball is finding other ways to contribute, whether its creating scoring opportunities for teammates and sharing the ball or playing strong defense (Bouknight got burned regularly on defense by the Wildcat players). He can also maintain good body language and act as a floor leader, which UConn consistently needs. I expect the Villanova performance to be a blip and that Bouknight will continue to improve and mature down the stretch.
UConn’s guard play was very disappointing overall
Outside of Bouknight, the Huskies guard play has been frustrating all season and especially at the point. It seems like the team doesn’t know what they are going to get from game to game, especially when UConn plays a quality team. Against Villanova, R.J. Cole and company were bad on both ends. On offense, Cole, Gaffney, and Andre Jackson shot 4-16 overall and 4-12 from three, combining for just 17 points and five assists .On defense, the trio had a lot of difficulty containing Gillipsie and the other Wildcats guards inside. The loss did a perfect job illustrating the gulf in guard talent as a whole between Villanova and UConn.
On Saturday, all the worst defencicies of the Husky guards showed up at the worst time. That includes Cole’s inconsistent shooting and tendancies to hog the ball at times and the difficulties he has guarding bigger and stronger opponents, Gaffney’s reluctance to shoot the ball or push tempo, and Jackson’s lack of discipline on defense (he fouled out in 16 minutes). The point guards deferred too much to Bouknight even when he was getting locked up, and did not push the tempo or try to find the Husky bigs enough in the paint. It would have been nice to see Brendan Adams play to provide help on defense and a possible spark on offense, but Hurley surprisingly chose not to use him.
Cole, Gaffney, and to a lesser extent Jackson, need to be more efficient the remainder of the regular season and in the conference tournament, and Hurley needs to find a way to put them in the best position for success. Bouknight cannot carry everyone on his back.
The Huskies did not get enough from their bigs
Adama Sanogo and especially Isiah Whaley had checkered days on both ends in a game where UConn really needed reliable paint presences, while Akok Akok again could not provide the Huskies any support. Sanogo scored efficiently but was able to play just 20 minutes because of foul trouble, while Whaley gave the team absolutely nothing on offense, shooting 1-5 and again failing to get to the free throw line. The senior continues to struggle on offense and miss shots around the rim, and is not showing the same energy or aggressiveness he exhibited on that side of the floor late last season. Meanwhile, Akok played just four minutes and again went scoreless.
Whaley and Sanogo’s surprising struggles with rebounding were also key to Villanova winning. The duo combined for just five rebounds, only one offensive, and did a poor job of boxing out. Even though UConn was a better rebounding team then the Wildcats, Villanova was able to win the boards and offset their struggles on the premiter. While Whaley had three blocks, he and Sanogo struggled at times to defend players. As part of the Huskies defensive game plan, they and the other bigs also rarely double-teamed players to protect against outlet passes, a decision that ended up backfiring for Hurley and the team.
Tomorrow’s matchup with Georgetown is the ideal opportunity for Whaley and Sanogo to rebound and have strong games, with Akok and Carlton ideally contributing as well. The Hoyas have a strong frontcourt and are excellent on the boards, averaging 41 rebounds as well. The UConn bigs must compete hard on the boards, play smart defense, and be aggressive on offense to ensure a win. Against Georgetown and going forward, the Huskies must be more effective in the frontcourt and give Martin and the backcourt the support it needs.
Villanova demonstrated much more compusre then UConn
The Wildcats have a winning mentality as a program, and their core is mainly made up of juniors and seniors (although Robinson-Earl and Justin Moore are sophomores). The Huskies are primarily made up of freshman and sophomores or first-year players, and can still lack chemistry due to injuries and paused due to COVID-19. Villanova has extensive experience playing high-pressure games, including in the NCAA tournament, while UConn is in its first year back in the Big East and has no one on its roster with tournament experience. These factors partially help to explain why the Wildcat players seemed so much calmer then the Huskies players down the stretch on Saturday.
UConn looked rattled and upset with their offensive struggles and inability to shut down Villanova in the paint. The Wildcats, in contrast, kept their cool and took it to the Huskies, and shook it off when players made mistakes or things didn’t go their way. While UConn competed hard throughout the game, players needs to be able to handle aeversity better in close games against high-end teams, especially the less experienced team members. If they can find strategies for keeping composure and energy in these games, then the Huskies will end the season well.
HUSKY NATION 