Hello all, and welcome to another year of UConn men’s basketball coverage here at Husky Nation! I have had some technical issues with the website recently that prevented me from publishing content, but these have been ironed out and I now should be bringing you regular coverage of this year’s Huskies squad.
It has certainly been an interesting start to the season. UConn started the season with four impressive wins, but all against extremely weak competition. It was presented with its first real tests at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas Thanksgiving week, and fans were treated to three exciting games. The Huskies won a 115-109 shootout against a ranked Auburn squad in double overtime last Wednesday. On Thanksgiving, it coughed up a late lead to Michigan State and fell 64-60 but recovered the next day to win a rock fight in overtime against VCU, 70-63. The two wins earned UConn a third-place finish in the tournament and moved their AP rating up to No. 17. The team moved to 7-1 on Wednesday despite a poor performance against Maryland-Eastern Shore.
I will publish an article after the Huskies game against Grambling on Saturday focusing on their performance without the injured Tyrese Martin, but I first wanted to focus on UConn’s performance in the Bahamas. The tournament showed the best and worst tendencies of UConn, as well as the mental fortitude this squad has. Below, I have a list of the most essential observations I saw during the tournament. I hope you enjoy!
UConn Showed It Won’t Be Out-Toughed
The Huskies were without Isiah Whaley against Michigan State and Martin had to deal with a wrist injury throughout the tournament. They started each game off slow and trailed at the half to both Michigan State and VCU. UConn was ineffective on offense for long stretches against MSU and VCU, two of the best defenses in the country who successfully made these games ugly. And of course, the Huskies had a ton of trouble holding the lead late and handling pressure defense against all three teams, costing them a win against MSU. And yet, it didn’t really matter in the end. UConn overcame fatigue and various weaknesses to play all out in each game. Their hustle and teamwork were outstanding, especially on the defensive end, and their ability to execute on both ends in the winning overtimes was very promising. Throughout Dan Hurley’s tenure, the program has had trouble winning close games and in overtime against high-quality teams. This tournament gave me the confidence that won’t be the case again.
The Senior Stars Showed They’re the Heart and Soul of This Team
The trio of RJ Cole, Tyrese Martin and Isiah Whaley certainly have their weaknesses as individual players. But they are greater than the sum of their parts as a group, and the Huskies certainly would have lost to these tournament opponents if each senior hadn’t played their best individually and as a trio at the most important moments. Cole was UConn’s best offensive player in the tourney and was great against Auburn and VCU, scoring a combined 50 points in 88 minutes with eight assists and four steals. Cole shot 8-18 from three in the wins while going 16-18 from the line. Cole made clutch shots from both beyond the arc and at the rim, and these shots along with his free throws carried UConn to both wins. Cole also did a solid job of managing the offense and played good defense at times throughout the tournament.
If Cole was the team’s most indispensable offensive player, Whaley was their most indispensable defender. The big man was the one Husky who could consistently stop Auburn players at the rim, recording seven rebounds (three offensive) and five blocks in 43 minutes to go along with four assists. Whaley returned against VCU after being forced to miss the game against MCU doing to fainting at the end of the first game and was every bit of effective on defense while also coming up huge on offense. He had four rebounds and two assists and steals and scored 16 points while going 3-3 from behind the arc, including the trey that sent the game to overtime. Whaley’s energy and hustle was infectious for the while team. His ability to affect shots allowed UConn to shut down VCU at the end of regulation and in overtime. I have no doubt that the Huskies would have beaten MSU if Whaley was available.
And now, we come to Martin, the man who has been the team’s best two-way player throughout the season. Despite injuring his elbow against Auburn (a fracture that will now keep him out 2-4 weeks), Martin fought threw it to average 12 points and over nine rebounds in the tournament on 44% shooting. Martin recorded 13 points on 5-9 shooting and eight rebounds against Auburn and had eight rebounds against VCU, and was also outstanding against MSU, earning a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Martin was able to bang with all three teams and overpowered their offense at times and was the most visibly aggressive player on the court. The trio seemed to also be the leaders of the time during timeouts and huddles and helped to make sure younger teammates were composed. With Martin out for a few weeks, Cole and Whaley are going to have to improve their games and take on an even greater leadership role. It will be interesting to see if they are up to the challenge. Ultimately, I think UConn will only go as far as Cole, Whaley and Martin can take them.
An Inability to Handle the Press and Close Out Games Continues to Plague the Program
If you asked dedicated fans coming into the season what they hoped to see from UConn, I’m sure a common hope would be that the Huskies would be more prepared when facing the press and finding ways to break it after this being a huge weakness in 2020-21. Similarly, fans would say that UConn needed to do a better job of adding on to leads late, instead of becoming flustered and making mistakes that put opponents in position to come all the way back. `In both areas, the fans, players and coaches did not get the results they were looking for.
First, UConn seemed lost how to handle the press against Auburn and VCU, which both rely on it heavily. It had difficulty passing over and inbounding against the press and not getting trapped, resulting in multiple costly turnovers, ballhandlers (particularly Cole), being trapped along baseline corners and it taking a long time to set up offensive possessions. It didn’t help teammates failed to move towards ballhandlers to help make it easier to pass and subsequently get down the court. The struggles against the press were key to helping Auburn and VCU force overtime. Hopefully, they were a wake up for UConn and the team will work hard in upcoming practices to refine their approach against the press and Hurley will help his players realize the best strategies towards handling it. Opponents who are capable of running the press effectively will certainly run it against the Huskies until they demonstrate facing it is not a weakness.
Meanwhile, UConn let Auburn come back to force overtime in the first game and MSU to win and had to make a last-second shot to even keep the game going against VCU. In the first two games UConn easily became flustered and showed poor communication and basketball IQ on offense, while doing a poor job of limiting penetration on defense. The Huskies seemed to be playing not to lose in the games and Hurley did not appear to be able to get the team refocused during timeouts. UConn was lucky to get on track in overtimes, but it might not be so lucky in similar games going forward. The team needs to work on end-of-game drills in practice to try and mimic these situations, and come together the next time they are in a game coming down to the wire.
Adama Sanogo is a Mixed Bag
Sanogo was brilliant on offense throughout against Auburn and at times against Michigan State. At the same time, he generally played solid defense and did a strong job of defending the rim. At the same time, his extreme reluctance to pass the ball out slowed down the offense and caused turnover issues. Ultimately however, any college basketball fan watching the tournament unfamiliar with UConn would have immediately realized Sanogo is one of the best big men in the country.
Sanogo had the best game of his young career against Auburn and the best a Huskies big has had in a long time. The sophomore was unstoppable, scoring 30 points in 30 minutes on 12-25 shooting while going 6-7 from the line and recording six rebounds and two blocks. Sanogo showcased his soft touch and abilities to score over each shoulder and bully defenders down low. Sanogo was again strong on offense and especially defense against Michigan State, earning a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and smacking six blocks. Sanogo was slowed down by foul trouble and an abdominal injury against VCU, but still recorded seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Sanogo was frequently the best player in the tournament and showed he could take over the game at times against quality competition.
And now here comes the negatives. Sanogo almost never attempted to pass the ball back out after getting it in the paint, even if he was unable to get in a quality position. This led him to become a black hole on offense when he wasn’t making shots and allowed all three opponents to double and triple-team Sanogo at will, causing him to be susceptible to turnovers. Sanogo turned it over eight times against Auburn and had 13 overall in the tournament. I recognize Sanogo is still a raw player offensively who is likely uncomfortable passing the ball out, and it doesn’t help that his teammates don’t put themselves in better positions to receive passes. But if Sanogo doesn’t develop his passing game as well as his shooting range, defenses can form clear game plans to stop him and the team’s offense will stall out. I am confident Sanogo can become a more versatile offensive player over the next two months and ultimately the best big in the Big East.
Jordan Hawkins Showed He Can Be UConn’s Next Star on a Big Stage
During the preseason, it was said that Hawkins would have the impact on freshman-year James Bouknight and soon became the next great Huskies guard. Hawkins has only shown flashes of that potential so far, but when he’s been at his best like he was against Auburn he’s thrilling to watch.
Hawkins demonstrated his ability to score from all over the floor against the Tigers, scoring 16 points in 16 minutes. He shot 5-7 overall, making all three treys he took, and went 3-4 from the line. Hawkins displayed a beautiful stroke and the ability to get open without the ball and beat defenders. His performance in the next two games was much more inconsistent. Hawkins scored just six points overall on 2-8 shooting in 28 minutes against Michigan State and VCU, missing good looks and seemingly ignored by teammates at times despite being open, possibly due to doubts they had in Hawkins ability to handle the ball cleanly. He still used his athleticism to make a big difference on defense against MSU however, earning three blocks and two steals. While Hawkins performance was mixed overall in the tournament and his ball handling left something to be desired, it was a net positive overall.
Hawkins will have to become a better ball handler and consistent defender to reach his potential as a freshman. He also needs to manage his emotions better and not constantly wear them on his sleeves (which he did after a costly turnover against Auburn and after being frustrated with not getting the ball more). From everything I’ve seen however, Hawkins should earn more minutes and maybe even a starting spot if he improves and UConn’s guard play remains inconsistent. With Martin out, it’s now Hawkins chance to seize the moment.
Where Are Thou, Akok Akok?
Akok went scoreless in 33 tournament minutes, going 0-5. Akok had nine combined rebounds but just one block (against AU) after two games with three blocks to start off the season. Akok did not match up well with any of the teams, which had bigger and faster frontcourt players. In the limited minutes Akok played, he looked somewhat lost and hesitant on both ends, and rarely showed the speed and athleticism that can make him such an effective rebounder and shot blocker. Against tougher competition, it was clear that Akok is still not the same player he was before his ACL injury, even if he and Hurley claim Akok is fully healthy. Akok remained a non-entity against UMES, recording two points and rebounds in just four minutes. Fans probably need to temper their expectations for Akok, but as he gets back up to game speed, his skills in transition, 3-point shooting and defense in the paint should allow him to have a big impact against the right teams. While Martin is it, Akok will be challenged more and forced to take on a bigger role on both ends. With Akok, it’s all about the right matchups. It is on himself to improve.
UConn’s 3-point shooting is again all over the place
Hurley and the Huskies desperately wanted to strengthen their 3-point shooting and become a more balanced offense this season. At Atlantis, UConn demonstrated how making threes can make its offense way more dynamic. The Huskies, who shot 36.4% over the three games, basically won the game from beyond the arc against Auburn, draining 15-26 treys. Tyler Polley, who I briefly discuss more below, made 6-9 threes. In contrast, they probably lost the game from the perimeter against MSU, going 2-16. The Huskies weren’t very good against VCU either, going 7-24, but Whaley stepped up with three treys, a welcome sight as Whaley is trying to develop his 3-point shooting. And of course, Cole was excellent from beyond the arc the entire tournament, going 10-20 and making clutch threes constantly. While UConn can be a much better team if it could be more efficient from beyond the arc against tough competition, it is nice to see how Cole, Martin and Gaffney have all improved significantly on their 3-point shooting this season.
I just want to speak about Polley for a moment. He arguably won the Auburn game for UConn with his 3-point shooting in overtime, but in the seven other games he has been terrible from three, shooting under 22%. On the year, Polley is shooting 31.7% from there, continuing his downward trend from last season. There is no way Polley can perform at that level and get regular minutes, even if he continues to be more aggressive in attacking the basket. Polley’s distinguishing role on this team is as a 3-point specialist, and despite his “6-9” frame he has never shown the rebounding or defensive skills he should be capable of. Polley will have every opportunity to earn more minutes with Martin out, but he must improve his shooting while also becoming a more complete player to keep them.
When Will UConn be Able to Get Off to Hot Starts?
It doesn’t matter the quality of the opponent or the layoff between games: UConn has not played well at the start of the game against all eight opponents. While the team has overcome this against low-major teams and Auburn, it took them until the second half to get the lead against MSU and they barely led in the VCU game until overtime. I am not sure what the Huskies can do to change their fortunes other than maybe beginning with a different starting lineup or playing more up-tempo to start things off. If UConn continues this habit against good teams however, it will lose a few games it shouldn’t.
HUSKY NATION 