Back at the beginning of January, Marquette seemed to be on the way to handing UConn an ugly loss before it came back from 18 down to earn its biggest comeback win of the season so far. This was the game that James Bouknight injured is elbow before missing nearly six weeks. On Saturday, the Golden Eagles came into Storrs looking for revenge and to build momentum after upsetting North Carolina three days before.
The Huskies were in danger of a trap game and suffering a costly loss as they try to eanr an NCAA tournament berth. UConn quickly dispelled any possibility of this, however, as they shut down Marqueette in the first half and got on an offensive role midway through the half. Behind Bouknight and R.J. Cole, the Huskies kept up their great offensive play the rest of the game and went on to have one of their largest wins of the season, defeating the Golden Eagles 80-62. UConn moved to 12-6 and 9-6 in the Big East, while Marquette fell to 11-13 and 6-11 in conference.
Bouknight continued his excellent offensive play since returning, scoring 24 points on 9-15 shooting and earning two steals. Cole was the MVP of the game however, scoring 21 points on 9-14 shooting and 3-6 from three and recording three assists. Cole has now scored 38 points in the last two games and totaled 10 assists against just two turnovers. Bouknight has averaged just under 21 points in four games since returning.
UConn struggled in the first five minutes, committing five turnovers and falling behind 11-6. The defense quickly got on track however, holding Marquette scoreless for 8:05 and causing it to commit five turnovers during this stretch. The Huskies did an outsanding job of pressuring the Golden Eagles players and making it difficult for them to score in the paint while consistently altering or blocking shots at the rim. They would miss their first 10 layups. Marquette was unable to adjust to their struggles in the paint by making shots from the outside, and would ultimately go 4-16 from beyond the arc in the game.
On offense, UConn began to get going midway through the half before exploding in the final 7:30, during which it scored 20 points to take a 38-21 halftime lead. Bouknight gave the team its first lead on a jumper at the 12:34 mark, and Tyrese Martin and Jalen Gaffney combined for the next eight points, with six coming on layups.
Cole and Tyler Polley led the aforementioned offensive spurt. The pair each hit two 3-pointers during it, and Cole would score eight points in the final 5:13. The offense did an excellent job of moving and handling the ball in the final minutes of the half, and took advantage of Marquette’s turnovers and quick shots to push the ball and score fastbreak points. The Huskies were effective both in the paint and on jumpers. They scored 20 points in the paint during the first half and ended it on a 26-10 run.
At the beginning of the second half, UConn’s bigs as well as Martin struggled with foul trouble. Isiah Whaley and Sanogo each picked up their third fouls before the first TV timeout and Marquette would quickly be put in the bonus. In addition, Josh Carlton rolled his ankle 3:04 in and did not return, limiting the Huskies frontcourt even more.
While UConn’s foul trouble and improved offensive play by the Golden Eagles put pressure on the Huskies offense, Cole and Bouknight were able to carry it in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, scoring 17 consecutive points for the Huskies. The pair killed Marquette in the halfcourt, consistently making jumpers and keeping defenders off balance.
The Golden Eagles were able to get as close as 11 points in the second half, but UConn always responded as other players eventually got going on offense. The Huskies did an outstanding job of handling the ball and commited just two turnovers after the game’s opening five minutes. Even as the Marquette offense executed better on offense in the second half, UConn’s defense continued to pressure them and force turnovers.
UConn shot 51.6% for the game despite going just 6-21 from three (it made up for this by shooting 62.8% inside the arc). It scored 40 points in the paint and 17 fastbreak points. The 18-point win was the Huskies largest in the calander year and third-largest of the season. It was the fourth time they have scored 80 or more points.
In addition to Bouknight’s 24 points and Cole’s 21, three other players scored over five points. Polley shot 3-6 from behid the arc to finish with nine points. Andre Jackson had one of his best overall games. The freshman earned eight points and rebounds and added two assists in 27 minutes while playing strong defense. Martin scored six and was again great on the boards, grabbing eight (three offensive). Sanogo had seven rebounds in 15 minutes, and Gaffney earned four assists and did not commit a turnover. UConn had 12 assists.
UConn held Marquette to 39.3% shooting from the field and 25% from three, and it went 14-21 at the line. The Golden Eagles committed 15 turnovers against just eight assists. After the Huskies struggled with foul trouble at the beginning of the second half, they did a better job of avoiding them for the remainder of the game. The UConn guards did a strong job of pressuring Marquette’s ball handlers throughout the game, with Jackson especially using his wingspain to limit player’s passing and shooting abilities. The Huskies bigs did a strong job of defending when they were on the floor. Dawson Garcia led the Golden Eagles with 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Justin Lewis shot 5-9 and finished with 14.
The win helped UConn move up six spots to 28th in the KenPom standings, where they still are as of Monday night. It is also now ranked 25th in BPI and 28th in the Sagarin ratings, and is 36th in the NET rankings. The Huskies look to be in pretty good shape for an NCAA tournament berth, and can probably ensure it by winning at Seton Hall on Wednesday or a game or two in the Big East tournament.
Here are my observations on the win against Marequette:
R.J. Cole centerpiece of a great offensive performance
The epitome of a quality point guard is a player who can run an offense efficiently and put teammates in a position to succeed, score effectively when necessary, play strong defense, and most importantly, act as one of the team’s leaders. Over the course of the season, Cole has become a quality point guard for UConn, and he is peaking at the right time.
Cole was very good against Marquette in all facets of the game. After a sloppy start by the Huskies, the redshirt junior did a very good job of running the offense. He helped push the tempo, leading to great fastbreak opportunities, and made sure to get teammates consistently involved and in position to score. Cole helped kickstart UConn’s offensive run in the final eight minutes of the first half and made two key 3-pointers. When the team got in foul trouble at the beginning of the second half, he and Bouknight stepped up and led the offense. Cole did an excellent job of pulling up to hit open jumpers and beating defenders off the dribble. Throughout the game, he played strong defense and limited the Golden Eagles ability to shoot from the outside.
In addition to scoring when needed, Cole also visibly provided leadership on the floor. He was consistently communicating with teammates on the floor and in the huddle, and the joy he expressed clearly rubbed off on the Huskies other players. In recent games, Cole has become more vocal both in games and practices, and UConn clearly needed vocal leaders. I am confident he will continue to grow as a leader in the remainder of the season.
Cole has now averaged 17 points on 46.2% shooting AND 43.2% from three and just under five assists in the Huskies last five games, recording a 4-1 assist to turnover ratio. He and Bouknight are a great duo together now that Cole’s improved so much, and they are establishing themselves as one of the best backcourts in the Big East. If Cole can help lead UConn to a win at Seton Hall tomorrow, it will be a great indication of how much he’s grown.
UConn demonstrates their impressive depth on offense
I’ve already gone into Cole’s great game, and Bouknight improved as the game went on and scored successfully in the midrange and at the rim to make up for his struggles behind the arc. After inconsistent offensive performances as a team against Villanova and Georgetown, UConn again showed how effective their offense can be when it gets solid contributions on that end from multiple players.
Thanks to the Huskies depth, they were able to suceed on offense both in the paint and from midrange and behind the arc. Polley joined Cole in providing scoring from 3-point range, making three triples in 21 minutes. The senior knocked down open opportunities and did a good job of getting himself in quality shooting position, even shot faking on one of his makes. Polley scored nine or more points for the third time in five games, and is shooting 39.1% on threes in that stretch. Jackson (who I discuss more below) was able to score at the rim effectively and on fastbreak opportunities (going 3-4 on 2-pointers) and again had a spectacular dunk, and he also again passed the ball well. Martin did not make a three for the third consecutive game and fouled out, but again finished well at the rim. His offensive rebounding continues to be outstanding, as he has grabbed multiple offensive boards in six consecutive games. Finally, Gaffney made two nice jumpers and his four assists were the most in a game this season.
The excellent offensive performances by UConn;s guards and forwards offset the struggles of Whaley, Sanogo and Carlton, whom were all limited by foul trouble or injury and scored just eight combiend points on 4-10 shooting in 43 minutes. The Huskies will need this group (depending on the health of Carlton) to improve their play against Seton Hall’s big frontline. With their depth, however, the offense should be able to consistently make up for struggles in certain areas and perform well in each game going forward. UConn is more than just Bouknight and ColIn e.
The Huskies defense is playing at a high level again
During UConn’s struggles in the middle of the season, its defense was nearly as central to the struggles as the offense, despite a large portion of the attention going to that side of the ball. The defense allowed at least 70 points in each of the losses the team suffered without Bouknight, and players did a poor job of playing help defense and regularly limiting layups or foul trouble. Since Bouknight returned however, the Huskies have played much better team defense as a whole and held opponents under 70 points in four straight games. It is defending the rim better and playing stronger help defense while continuing to limit teams from beyond the arc. UConn has returned to being a strong defensive rebounding team after being inconsistent in that area during the middle of the season.
Against Marquette, the UConn defense played one of its best halfs of the season in the opening 20 minutes, holding the Golden Eagles to 21 points. The defense completely shut down the paint and challenged jumpers and threes, and its pressure made it difficult for Marquette to find open shooters and caused costly turnovers the Huskies offense took advantage of. Even when foul trouble early in the second half limited the effectiveness of the defense, UConn forced enough turnovers and limited the Golden Eagles ability to score outside of the paint, squashing any hope of a Marquette comeback.
The Huskies are now first in conference play in points allowed per game (64.9)and blocks (2.8), second in opponent field goal percentage (41.6%)and third in assists allowed per game (11.6). They need to do a better job of avoiding foul trouble, especially against Seton Hall, but at their best UConn can be an elite defensive team. This will allow them to beat any opponent.
Andre Jackson shows off his versatility
After an exciting showing in his first three games back from injury, Jackson hit a little bit of a wall in the three games prior to Saturday’s contest, scoring just four points and grabbing nine rebounds while dealing with foul trouble. The freshman was excellent against Marquette however, recording eight points eight pints and rebounds with two assists in 27 minutes, his second highest total of the season. On offense, Jackson used his speed and athleticism to score effectively at the rim, and handled the ball well after committing three turnovers against Georgetown. Jackson demonstrated his toughness when rebounding in traffic, and used his wingspan to harras ball defenders while doing a better job of avoiding ticky-tack fouls. Overall, Jackson provided much needed defense and rebounding with the bigs being limited.
Saturday’s win did a great job of demonstrating what Jackson can bring to UConn. Yes, he is very raw and a limited shooter, and is prone to lapses on defense. However, it is clear at this point that Jackson will always bring a lot of energy and much-neededd athleticm to the Huskies and can be an effective passer, rebounder and defender. If Jackson is able to stay on the floor, he will be a Swiss Army knife for the team and can make a positive impact even if he is not scoring.
UConn is again hurt by foul trouble
The Huskies defensive approach leaves them vulnerable to foul trouble. They consistently use the hard hedge and focus heavily on limiting the ability for opponents to make threes, and their bigs regularly defend players at the top of the key. While UConn is usually effective on defense overall, this style of play makes it hard for big men to get back and guard the rim, especially slower bigs like Sanogo and Carlton. In addition, Whaley’s physical style of play and habit of constantly trying to block shots regularly puts him in foul trouble even as he makes it hard for players to score. While it seems like Hurley is going to play this style of defense no matter what, the bigs need to be more disciplined, especially in a league like the Big East where the officials call a lot of fouls. Saturday is a great place to start, as Seton Hall has an excellent frontcourt which burned UConn in the team’s first meeting. More than probably any other factor, the defensive play of the big men will decide who wins that game.
HUSKY NATION 