Going into Saturday’s contest against Georgetown, UConn was determined to avoid a letdown of any kind. It needed a win to ensure a berth in the NCAA tournament, and wanted one last regular season opportunity to show just how good the Huskies could be in front of a national television audience. Danny Hurley certaintly emphasized this to players, reminding them again and again leading up to the game to not relax and let up in any way.
Well, guess what? Hurley and the fans had nothing to worry about. On Senior Day, UConn came out and absolutely blasted the Hoyas off the floor in the first few minutes and never let off on the offensive end, and their defense in the first half was outstanding as well. The Huskies grabbed an astounding 51-24 lead at halftime, the largest deficit the program has led at halftime in more than a decade. They then cruised in the second half even as the defense slipped, ultimately winning 98-82. UConn improved to 14-6 and 11-6 in the Big East, its fourth consecutive win and six in seventh games This locked up third place in the Big East for it. Georgetown ended the regular season 9-12 and 7-9 in conference, which ended up being eighth.
Six players ultimately scored in double figures for the Huskies, led by James Bouknight with 21 and Jalen Gaffney with 15. Tyrese Martin, Isiah Whaley, Tyler Polley and Adama Sanogo each were in double figures as well, and Sanogo had a double-double with 10 rebounds R.J. Cole struggled to score but dished out eight assists. UConn shot 59.3% and 12-28 from three, good for 42.9%. The 12 threes were a season high, as were the 51 first-half points. The 98 points were the most the program has scored in a conference game since the 104 the 2016 squad put up against Cincinatti in the AAC tournament quarterfinals. The Huskies also won the rebounding battle and had more assists and blocks than Georgetown.
UConn established its dominance from the opening tip. They sprinted out to a 15-2 lead and made six of its first seven shots while holding the Hoyas scoreless for the first 3:30. Bouknight scored eight out of these points, knocking down two gorgeous 3-pointers and making a dunk. Whaley was also strong early, making a wide-open 3-pointer and scoring five points. The defense immediately made its presence felt. It consistently challenged shots in the paint and guarded the passing lanes well, forcing turnovers and generally making it difficult for Georgetown to move the ball and find open shots.
As the half went on, the Huskies began to get help from others besides just Bouknight and Whaley. Gaffney went off, making four consecutive baskets for 1o points to give them a 33-16 lead with 7:21 left in the half. Both of Gaffney’s threes as well as a dunk were assisted on by Cole. Gaffney used his athleticism to beat defenders going to the basket and moved well without the ball on the perimeter to hit his open threes. Martin and Josh Carlton would each end the first half strong. Martin hit multiple jumpers and did a great job finishing around the rim, ultimately making five of his six 2-pointers on the day. Carlton finished around the rim and at the line and scored seven points in the half. Throughout the first half, the Huskies did an outstanding job of pushing the tempo, sharing and handling the ball and taking intelligent shots.
UConn struggled with foul trouble at times in the first half at times but was still extremely effective, limiting Georgetown to 30% shooting and not allowing any 3-pointers. Half of the Hoyas points came at the free throw line. Throughout the half, Sanogo (who finished with two blocks), Carlton and Whaley defended the paint well and altered shots, while the Huskies guards and Martin played tight defense on Georgetown’s guards and forwards and forced costly turnovers that continuisly led to fastbreak baskets, while also denying these players on the perimeter.
In the second half, both offenses were on fire and played fast and loose, while the defenses appeared disengaged for much of the final 20 minutes. UConn scored 47 but the Hoyas outscored it by 11. The Huskies continued to get scoring from a number of players and moved and rebounded the ball well, while Georgetown attacked the basket effectively and finally began to get going on the peremiter. The Hoyas hit eight of 13 threes after not making one in the first half, with Jhavon Blair going 4-5 and Chudier Bile 3-3 from behind the arc. I am sure Hurley will harp on UConn’s defensive performance in the second half leading up to the Big East tournament.
The Huskies offense was great in every area. They scored 32 points in the paint and 17 fastbreak points and outrebounded Georgetown 35-26. 11 players ended up scoring for UConn. All the seniors had solid days, as Whaley finished 11 points and went a perfect 5-5 from the field, Polley had 11 and hit three 3-pointers, and Carlton had seven points and rebounds in 13 minutes. Seven players had multiple assists, with Cole having the aforementioned eight and Andre Jackson three.
Georgetown ultimately shot 46.6% for the game and went 20-25 from the line. Blair led it with 22 points, and Qudus Whab had 16 points and seven rebounds on 7-11 shooting and Bile 15. Dante Harris earned six assists and Bile three steals. The Hoyas finished with 13 turnovers to 11 assists. They entered the game having won four of five contests.
As of Monday night, UConn was ranked 23rd on KenPom and considered a lock for the NCAA tournament by nearly all prognasticators. The team is a trendy pick to win the Big East tournament after injuries to Villanova, and after Saturday’s decisive win it is clear the Huskies are playing their best basketball of the season. They will face the winner of the first round contest between No. 6. Providence and No. 11 DePaul in the Big East quarterfinals on Thursday. If the players can continue to stay focused and execute at a high level, there is no telling what the ceiling is for this team.
Below are my game observations on the win against Georgetown:
The team functions as a complete unit
There’s no doubt that UConn is defined by James Bouknight, and to a lesser extent Cole. However, myself and other observers have harped on how important the team’s depth is to its success, and this win was a perfect illustration of that. While Bouknight helped get the offense going at the start of the game, his teammates immediately got involved themselves in either scoring or setting up opportunities (as in the case of Cole and Jackson). Martin was more efficient and aggressive on the offensive end after going scoreless in the previous game, and Gaffney built upon some recent promising play. He did not hesitate at all when open and made a variety of shots, going 6-6 from the field. This was tied for Gaffney’s second-highest scoring game of the year. The only player who went scoreless was Andrew Hurley, who played less than a minute.
As discussed above, UConn kept its foot on the pedal on offense even after getting its large early lead and refrained from playing one-on-one basketball, with players instead constantly getting their teammates involved. Combine that with outstanding shooting from a number of players and good ball handling, and the Huskies had a recipe for running up the score.
That gang mentality and depth was seen on the bards and defense as well. While Sanogo and Carlton took on the rebounding load, 10 different players grabbed a board and six had multiple rebounds. The defensive performances were great in the first half, with the guards setting the tone by the turnovers they helped cause and the big men through the shots they either blocked or altered. Some of the Husky defenders are raw or inconsistent, but neither all of them have become better over the course of the season and showed their skills in that half.
The ability of multiple players besides Bouknight to step up on either end of the floor will be very valuable in the Big East tournament. While I expect Bouknight to play very well in the tournament, all the teams will be keying in on him and do their best to limit the sophomore’s scoring opportunities. There will be opportunities for others, and if they can pick up the scoring load then UConn will be able to win the championship as long as the defense plays at a high level. I look forward to seeing if the Husky players can come through in this manner on that stage.
UConn finally got off to an excellent start
Throughout the season, the Huskies have more often than not fallen behind early in games, a habit that has continued even during the team’s strong recent performances. That was why it was so rewarding to see UConn blow Georgetown out of the water early and establish that they had control of the game early in the first half. While the Hoyas don’t exactly have a great defense, the Huskies executed well enough that there was no chance at a Georgetown comeback when combined with UConn’s strong defense. It needs to start its conference tournament games with that same killer intensity to maintain momentum.
The seniors all have the Senior Day they deserve
Isiah Whaley, Tyler Polley and Josh Carlton certainly haven’t had a regular senior year. After having had their junior seasons cut short by the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, the trio have had to deal with the game and practice schedules being affected heavily by the pandemic, injuries to teammates as well as themselves, and various struggles on the court. Each of them had memorable performances on Senior Day in front of their families and friends while leading UConn to the win. Whaley had 11 points and shot 5-5, Polley scored 11 and hit three 3-pointers, and Carlton had an excellent first half and put up seven points and rebounds. Whether any of them return for a fifth year or not, they have given a ton to the program and shown a lot of loyalty and development. I am so happy they will have the opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament.
Jalen Gaffney shows his offensive abilities
Over the last few games, Gaffney has shown brief flashes of his athleticism and offensive skills. That all came together against Georgetown. The sophomore showed a great stroke from deep and was smart when taking the ball to the basket, and again demonstrated that he can beat any guard defending him using his strength and speed. While Gaffney has dhown over the course of the season that he is better when playing off ball, he also did an efficient job of running the offense when filling in for Cole at point, and had multiple assists for the second time in three games. Gaffney still has a long way to go to become a quality defender, but he should be able to be a valuable offensive piece in the conference and NCAA tournaments in the right situations. He just needs to continue to take those opportunities and not shy away from them.
UConn is establishing itself as a threat in tournament play and a darling of writers
With Bouknight the Huskies are 10-2, and since the second half in their first game at Georgetown on Feb. 23rd they have outscored opponents by 59 points. They are playing great on offense since his return and nearly as good on defense. As alreadt mentioned, UConn was ranked 23rd in KenPom as of Monday night and have also shot up in NET and other ranking systems. It seems like every progranasticator is picking the team to win the Big East tournament after the issues Villanova and Creighton are experiencing, and it seems feasable the Huskies could be a seven seed in the NCAA tournament if they win in the Big East quarterfinals and even higher if they win in the semifinals or the whole tournament. I certainly expect UConn to win at least one game in the Big tournament and have a shot at winning it outright, although I feel they could have a harder path than people believe right now. I will maintain the same stance I have had for a while: If the Huskies play at their highest level, they can beat anyone, even a No. 1 seed.
HUSKY NATION 