A lot of UConn fans have already put the West Virginia and St. Bonaventure games behind them and are looking forward to Saturday’s game against Providence and the returns of Tyrese Martin and Adama Sanogo, with Martin all but guranteed to play and Sanago possibly. However, I think it will be good to take a look back at last week’s games against West Virginia and St. Bonaventure to see the lessons we can take from the Huskies successes and struggles, and how they will affect the matchup with the Flyers. Below, enjoy five observations on the games, with the Mountaineers and Bonnies.
UConn finally proved it could win a tight game on Saturday after failing Wednesday
A major question at the beginning of the season was if UConn could consistently win close games that were decided late, something the program has struggled to do for multiple seasons. In the first 10 games of the season, the answer to that question was no, with the Huskies blowing late leads to lose in regulation to Michigan State and WVU and also doing so in the overtime wins against Auburn and VCU. While UConn could use the excuse of not having Isiah Whaley, Martin and Sanogo in at least one or two losses, part of being a quality team is winning despite injuries. It wasn’t just that UConn lost these games, but how they lost them. The team looked sloppy and nervous in all the aforementioned games and did a poor job of handling the ball and getting high-quality shots. Throughout these late-game stretches, the big theme throughout was poor basketball IQ on both ends of the floor. It didn’t help that any adjustments Danny Hurley made either were not visible or didn’t work, such as in inbounding situations. I have to admit that after the Huskies blew their lead against West Virginia, I was extremely frustrated and worried that they did not have the mental fortitude to beat St. Bonaventure. I was wrong.
Against St. Bonaventure, UConn executed well on offense in the final minutes to deny a comeback opportunity, making just enough plays on defense to ensure the victory. Led by R.J. Cole, the Huskies did an excellent job of handling the ball and showed a lot of smarts in attacking the basket and taking advantage of the Bonnies inability to avoid fouling. The plays in the last two minutes which defined the wins were 3-point plays on by Jalen Gaffney and Cole, which were both scored in traffic, and a dagger three by Tyler Polley with 44 seconds remaining, set up by good ball movement, to put the Huskies up by nine. The Bonnies missed two jumpers in the final two minutes. Dan Hurley appeared to do a good job of communicating with his players from the bench and making clear the offensive plays they should run during the stretch run. In the end, UConn’s finishing kick on Saturday ensured they would earn their second signature out-of-conference win before Big East play begins.
The Huskies x-Factors Come Through One out of Two Games
With Sanogo and Martin out every player besides Cole are x-factors for UConn to some extent, which mostly makes sense when you don’t have many players who can consistently generate their own shots. For the purpose of this exercise however, I am looking at Jordan Hawkins, Akok Akok and Andre Jackson as a trio who can help determine how far the Huskies ultimately can go.
In the 59-56 loss at West Virginia, this trio combined for just 14 points (10 by Jackson) and three assists on 6-17 shooting while committing five turnovers. Hawkins struggled in particular, going 0–7 from the field and committing four turnovers in 28 minutes. While Hawkins got a lot of good looks especially from three, he rushed his shots at times and continued to display his frustration. The freshman’s struggles shooting arguably caused him to lose confidence and affected his ball handling. Hawkins again lost control of his dribble multiple times and did not protect the ball well. While Akok is not normally looked to as a scoring threat, UConn needs more from him on that end with Sanogo and Martin out, and the junior was again MIA. Akok missed multiple shots close to the basket and went 1-5 from the field overall, and generally looked disengaged on offense. While he did an admirable job on the boards and finished with 10 (5 offensive), he failed to box out multiple times late in the game, allowing the Mountaineers to get to key offensive rebounds they converted into points. Akok did not show the strength and agility fans were hoping for and finished with just one block. Finally, while Jackson was actually fairly effective on offense and hit one of the team’s three threes, he was not quite as effective on the boards as usual and still played out of control at times, making a costly turnover late. Jackson was also consistently beat on defense or out of position, an issue that plagued Hawkins as well. If just one of these players had been better (especially if Hawkins had hit a few shots to allow for more spacing), UConn would almost definitely have won.
If the performances of Hawkins, Akok and Jackson were instrumental in the loss on Wednesday, they redeemed themselves on Saturday. The trio combined for 32 points on 11-18 shooting and 16 rebounds, and went 4-7 from three. They also did a much better job of controlling the ball, committing just three turnovers. Jackson had arguably the best all-around game of any Husky, finishing with nine points, 11 rebounds and five assists while adding a steal. Jackson did an excellent job of playing under control and sharing the ball, while still using his explosiveness to get to the rim and deliver crisp passes to open teammates. Jackson showed much better shot selection than normal, using his speed to get easy scores at the basket, and ultimately hit all three of his shots. Jackson’s defense was also strong, as it was clear his pressure and length made it difficult for Bonnie players to get open shots in the paint.
Akok had 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks and went 5-6 from the field, knocking down two 3-pointers. This was the first strong performance Akok has had against a high-quality team this season. The 6-9 forward showed good touch around the rim, but it was the two gorgeous threes he knocked down that were most exciting to see. Akok is now 8-13 from behind the arc this season, and if UConn can consistently make sure to get him shots from deep Akok could be a nightmare for teams to prepare for if he shoots well from there. Akok was outstanding on defense, consistently blocking and altering shots and limiting the impact of Osun Ossuniyi, an elite big man himself. When Whaley and Akok are playing the frontcourt together, they are absolutely one of the best defensive tandems in the Big East.
Finally, Hawkins got the much-needed boost of confidence he has been searching for multiple games and ultimately finished with 11 points in 20 minutes. After having missed 16 consecutive shots, Hawkins finally nailed an upon jumper with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game to give the Huskies a 46-39 lead. He immediately responded with two more threes in the following two minutes which anchored a 13-0 run that gave UConn control of the game. The joy and confidence these shots gave him was very visible. Hawkins showed excellent form on these shots and moved well without the ball to get open, and it is clear Hurley believes in him and gives Hawkins the green light to shoot. If Hawkins can build up his confidence and be more selective in the shots he chooses, there is no reason he cannot became an excellent long-range shooter. Combine that with improved ball handling and defense, then Hawkins should be one of the Huskies very best players by the end of the season.
Jackson, Akok and Hawkins each of the power to elevate UConn at their best. Jackson’s speed and athleticism makes him a nightmare in transition for opponents, and he can be an excellent passer and rebounder and a dangerous defensive presence. Akok is the one traditional big on the Huskies who can stretch the floor and shoot from the perimeter, and is an accomplished shot blocker and rebounder. Finally, Hawkins can be the pure shooter and second quality ballhandler UConn needs at guard. These players have a lot of questions to answer, most prominently Jackson’s skill as a scorer, Akok’s durability and Hawkins ball-handling and confidence issues. But with their inexperience and developing games, the x-factors have nowhere to go but up in Big East play. Their success will largely determine the program’s both this year and the seasons to come.
R.J. Cole Continues to be the Man
It has been a tough challenge for Cole to be both the primary ball-handler and scorer with Martin and Sanogo out, and there were times against both West Virginia and St. Bonaventure where he struggled mightily. In the end however, Cole was there to make the big play for the Huskies when they needed it.
Cole scored 29 combined points against the Mountaineers and Bonnies on 11-26 shooting and had six assists. Cole again demonstrated his strength and ability to score in the points in the games as well as his passing. Against the Bonnies (15 points), Cole worked around his struggles behind the arc by getting to the free throw line, hitting 4-6, and also did a very efficient job of running the offense. In both games, Cole played solid defense and had three steals against West Virginia. His ability to get to the line and score late against the Bonnies demonstrated his ability to take over for the Huskies when needed. As the season as gone on, Cole has asserted himself more and more as a team leader, and his communication skills and ability to give teammates confidence were visible in these games. Cole will likely have to shoulder less of the load as Martin and Sanogo return, but no one questions whom the Huskies alpha dog is.
Some Things Change, but UConn’s 3-point Shooting Woes Stay the Same
Entering the season, UConn’s ability to consistently shoot well behind the arc was a big question, and so far the team has failed that test. The team is shooting 35% from three on the season, but against high-quality teams (major conference and A-10 opponents), that rate drops to 28.2%. Since the team shot the lights out from three against Auburn, it has shot 22.7% against teams in that category. UConn shot 3-21 against the Mountaineers and 8-27 against the Bonnies. These struggles can be chalked up to a few factors, with examples being the Huskies just not making open shots, proven marksmen like Polley and Cole underperforming (as well as Hawkins), and the team either rushing or forcing shots instead of being more discerning in their selection. You have to believe that these numbers will come up at least somewhat due to the law of averages. However, UConn will continue to lose some close games (like they did against the Mountaineers) if they don’t improve from behind the arc from game to game.
The Huskies are Ultimately on the Right Track
Before the week began, I was expecting UConn to go 1-1, as I thought it would be difficult for UConn to win against a good team on the road, after not playing an away game with fans for roughly a year and a half. As tough as the loss to West Virginia was, it demonstrated where the team needs to improve to beat good opponents, and the Huskies used those lessons to outplay St. Bonaventure. It seems like there is a lot of momentum around the team and it has confidence, and UConn has at times showed the much-ballyhooed depth people said would be one of the team’s greatest strengths. Tomorrow is going to be a crazy environment at home against a big-time rival in Providence, and UConn is better than the Friars on paper and matches up well with them. With Martin and possibly Sanogo back, a win and good performance by the x-factors could be huge and put the team in good position to start Big East Play with a winning streak.
HUSKY NATION 