I already wrote a more traditional game article instead of my regular game recap that I write to these pieces for my game coverage of the 86-78 victory over St. John’s on Wednesday. However, I still wanted to write my normal game observations article on the positives and negatives of UConn’s overtime triumph. It was certainly a stressful and frustrating game, but at its best UConn was excellent on both sides of the ball. And
Adama Sanago is a Bad MOF
A year ago, when Sanago played St. Johns in mid-January, he was an inconsistent freshman who looked brilliant at times and overwhelmed at others. A year later, the sophomore center is one of the best big men in the Big East and probably the nation.
While it seemed possible that Sanago would be limited for a few games after returning from his abdominal injury, the time off due to UConn’s first COVID-19 layoff was a blessing in disguise. Sanogo’s first game back was outstanding (18 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks), and he topped it with his effort against thue Red Storm, which was definitely the best all-around performance of his career. Sanago had 26 points on 10-17 shooting, 18 rebounds and 6 blocks in 40 minutes of play, never once showing fatigue. As usual, Sanago was unstoppable close to the rim and on the boards and seemed to get a big basket whenever UConn needed it, as well as the tying free throw to send the game to overtime. It’s the areas where he has shown the most improvement in that is most exciting, however.
Sanago is improving tremendously from nearly game to game on both sides of the ball. On offense, he is slowly increasing his shooting range and drained multiple jumpers against St. John’s. Since returning, Sanago has slowly shown a newfound tendency to pass out of the post and it worked well on Wednesday, with Sanago earning two assists. Sanogo’s defensive footwork and ability to recover without fouling is making him an even more effective shot blocker. I doubt Sanago will have another two-game stretch as good as this one, but he is certainty capable of it.
It’s hard to measure Sanogo’s stats up to other Big East players this season when he has only competed in three games. Still, Sanago rates first in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentages according to KenPom and third in block percentage at 11.3%. Hard to believe this man wasn’t nominated to either preseason All Big East team in November.
R.J. Cole Remains the Heart and Soul of This Team
Sanago may be an unstoppable force at times, but its Cole who makes the team go on offense and is its primary creator, while also being a force on defense in his own right. Cole was at his best against St. John’s on both ends, scoring 19 points on 6-15 shooting and dishing eight assists and shutting down Posh Alexander. The sophomore, one of the best guards in the Big East, was held to 11 points on 4-13 shooting and committed four turnovers. Cole drew three charges on plays by Alexander and others.
Cole had the offense humming for a significant portion of the game and made some tough shots both inside and from behind the arc where he went 3-8, tying the second-highest number of threes he has made this season. Cole was especially great in overtime, as he got pretty assists on baskets at the rim by Sanago and Martin and iced the game at the free throw line.
While his shooting hasn’t been the most consistent, Cole has gotten off to an excellent start in conference play, improving substantially on last season. He is averaging 16.5 points and just under seven assists, and is shooting 90% at the charity stripe and 34.3% from three. Cole ‘s assist rate of 40% is first in the Big East and his free throw percentage is third. The senior’s turnover rate, 3-point percentage and true shooting percentage are in the top 25 of all conference players.
While Cole’s stats are impressive, they can’t completely measure his impact on the Huskies. Simply put, they are a different team without him. Cole can manage the offense smoothly and is comfortable creating plays for himself and others at the end of games, something the other guards and forwards cannot do efficiently. The team is much more composed and effective when Cole is on the court and can enter an offensive funk and struggle on defense without him. The last two games are a perfect example, as UConn let the Seton Hall game slip away when Cole fouled out and St. John’s began to gain momentum only when he experienced foul trouble. More than any other player, UConn’s success in the Big East and NCAA tournament is dependent on Cole’s play and health.
The UConn Defense Gets Back on Track and Holds a Block Party
In the previous two games against Marquette and Seton Hall the Huskies defense was underwhelming, especially in their struggles against the Pirates and lack of adjustments to stop Kadary Richmond. It was a different story against St. John’s, especially when defending the interior. UConn had an amazing 14 blocks, many of them spectacular, and almost always managed to earn them without fouling. Their defense around the rim was consistently strong led by the two-headed monster of Sanago and Whaley, Cole shut down Posh, and the Huskies did a decent job of slowing the Red Storm in the midrange game. It was especially rewarding to see Whaley play so strong for all 36 minutes and block five shots while showing a lot of athleticism after the criticism he received after struggling against Richmond.
UConn’s defense wasn’t perfect. It allowed too many open looks on the perimeter and slipped in the final minutes of regulation when St. John’s got out, allowing the game to go overtime. And the Huskies struggled with defensive rebounding all night. When it counted the most however, they held the Red Storm to 3-11 shooting and seven points in overtime while improving their rebounding. That ability to shake off a bad stretch and clamp down when necessary is the hallmark of a quality defense, and UConn’s is just that most of the time.
UConn Nearly Loses the Game due to Turnovers
There’s not really much to say about the 16 turnovers, most unforced, other than them being absolutely embarassing. A strong squad which has an even higher ceiling should not be losing balls out of bounds without being pressured, dropping passes and throwing balls out of bounds to no one at such a high rate. St. John’s did not play high-caliber defense and were not heavily pressured on many of the turnovers. They were just unresponsible with the ball.
Andre Jackson was the biggest culprit with four turnovers as well as others that could have easily turned into ones. The sophomore has seemed to revert to taking unnecesary risks with the ball and delivering passes players aren’t ready for or capable of catching. Hopefully Jackson goes back to slowing down and being more careful, but with how dynamic he is the Huskies can live with the turnovers. It’s when guys like Sanago (3) and Jalen Gaffney and Jordhan Hawkins (both two turnovers in very little time) are having the same issues that UConn really gets into trouble. The Huskies can do a lot of things to cut down on their turnovers, such as working on ball-handling and passing drills in practice, communicating better during timeouts and playing at a slower pace when appropriate. But ultimately, it is on the players to minimize mistakes and maximize efficiency. You can get away with heavy turnover trouble against St. John’s, but not most Big East teams.
The Killer Instinct is Still Mostly Missing
It was awesome seeing UConn beat down on the Red Storm in overtime. But any decent team can have awesome 5-minute spurts like that. The fact remains that the Huskies have not shown the ability to decisively defeat a power conference team . They have blown leads twice in games they lost in regulation and gone to overtime three times due to surrrending late leads, losing the Seton Hall game in the process. It is easy to make the case that UConn should have three more wins than it does. Right now, the Huskies seem to slow down and get sloppy and hesitate any time a team makes a run on them in the second half, and they should not fold that easily or play into inferior opponent’s hands. There is no excuse for such a veteran-laden and balanced team to have these issues game after game, especially when your head coach is preaching the importance of a killer instinct. Hopefully, these experiences will allow the Huskies to eventually develop one. In the meantime, they can take advantage of this week’s two games against mediocre Butler to playing their best and being unmerciful against an opponent that does not match well with UConn.
HUSKY NATION 