What can you say about UConn’s 71-69 win against Villanova on Tuesday night?
The most important win the program has had in the post-2014 era? Check. A win that demonstrated to college basketball fans the program cannot only challenge but beat the best of the Big East and that it is on the cusp of being a national power again? Check. An indication that the Huskies are gelling and playing their best at the right time? Check. I have more to talk about in regards to the importance of this win elsewhere on the blog. As far as observations go, however, the essential observation I had right after the win was that UConn was facing an excellent Villanova squad having a good night, and yet didn’t flinch and executed a great game pan that took advantage of the team’s biggest strengths and allowed them to overcome the Wildcats.
The resolve that the Huskies showed throughout the game, helped by the encouragement of the wonderful XL Center crowd, was admirable. After they got off to a very quick start led by Adama Sango, they consistently responded to Villanova’s baskets to keep it a back-and-forth game. When Dan Hurley was ejected with just under five minutes remaining in the first half (more on his ejection near the end of the article) and the Wildcats scored five points off of his two technical to go up 29-24, UConn could have tried to force the action or become flustered and fallen further behind by halftime. Instead, Kimani Young took over as head coach and the trio of R.J. Cole, Sanago and Isiah Whaley all made tough baskets and the defense clamped down to ensure the team led by one (33-32) at halftime.
Throughout much of the second half, the Huskies kept up its high level of play even as Villanova did everything it could to gain control of the game. They came out like gangbusters and scored 10 points in less than three minutes to take a 43-36 lead, with Tyrese Martin draining two 3-pointers during this stretch. After the Wildcats quickly drained two threes to make it a one-point game, the next 10 minutes of game action were frustrating for UConn, as Villanova drained a succession of threes despite good challenges from Husky defenders and their offense struggled to score at the rim. With 7:55 remaining, Colin Gillespie hit a three to put his squad up 56-54. Again, UConn would not go easy, scoring five consecutive points in the next minute, including a three by Tyler Polley off a gorgeous pass by Andre Jackson, to go back up by three.
While the Huskies were largely able to shut off the paint, the Wildcats used their excellent ability to force contact to get to the free throw line and regain the lead. Adama Sanago scored four points to retie the game at 65, but free throws by Gillespie and Brandon Slater put ‘Nova up 69-65 with just 30 seconds left. With Villanova getting to the line at will and the Huskies struggling with turnovers for the first time all game, I have that I didn’t have much hope that the team could rally and win the game in that short of time. Luckily for me, I was mistaken. Young and UConn did everything right on both sides of the ball to pull off the comeback, setting off a wild celebration for fans at both the XL and elsewhere.
While the Huskies have had a very impressive February in general and are now on a four-game win streak where they have beat a quartet of squads that will or almost definitely make the NCAA Tournament, Tuesday night’s win was a clear indication that UConn can beat anyone and go on a deep run during March Madness. It also allowed the Huskies, who are third in the conference standings, to get revenge on a Wildcats program that have defeated them five consecutive times since 2014. They may still be the class of the conference, but its clear that UConn (and surprisingly Providence) will have something to say about this both now and in coming seasons.
There were a million observations on UConn’s win I have had from the minute after the game ended until now. Just a few of these described below include the decision-making and execution of Young and his players in the final 30 minutes, the Huskies ability to own the paint behind Sanago and Whaley, the importance of the team’s improvement from beyond the 3-point line, and the unforgettable ejection of Hurley. Enjoy.
Kamani Young and the Seniors Execute a Beautiful Comeback
If an uninformed viewer flipped on a TV during Tuesday’s game and had no prior knowledge that Young was an assistant (officially associate head coach) with no prior game coaching experience, they would probably think Young was an old pro as a head coach. In contrast to the always animated Hurley, Young projected an air of confidence and coolness while still strongly encouraging his players. If he was nervous, he certainly didn’t show it. Young did a good job of managing minutes, especially for Cole, and the offensive sets generally looked like they were run pretty efficiently, with the team ultimately finishing with 15 assists to Villanova’s 9. UConn also didn’t go on any extended periods of defensive lapses with Young on the bench.
Young made an especially memorable mark in the final 26 seconds with UConn trailing Villanova 69-65, with Polley, Cole and Martin executing his plays to a T. First, Young called a timeout to go over the next play and inserted Polley as the first option. The play design to set up Polley’s 3 began with a handoff from Andre Jackson to Polley, but having Martin and Cole right off the ball as scoring options made it so defenders were unable to help right away, and gave Polley the option to find either Martin or Cole on the wings as well as take the three. Polley made the right decision, each player was prepared and the basket came in just five seconds, allowing UConn plenty of time to make a quality stand on defense to get the ball back.
It was very smart of Young to tell the Huskies to pressure the Villanova player who got the ball after a basket and try and force a held ball (Cole ultimately was credited with the held ball and turnover) or turnover instead of just immediately fouling. While one can debate whether the held ball on Gillespie that gave them the ball back via the possession arrow was actually a held ball or foul (I am still not sure), it was clear the defense flustered Gillespie and put him in a dangerous situation, as it was clear the star was just trying to earn a foul and not make a basketball play. If the team had instead immediately fouled, they would have to face putting one of the best foul shooters in the country on the line and then almost definitely be down by three with less than 20 seconds remaining. Instead, UConn got the ball back trailing 69-68 with 17 seconds remaining, and Cole was set up for his signature play of his Huskies career (so far).
On Cole’s go-ahead basket with five seconds remaining, the two dribble handoffs that got the point guard isolated on the right side of the court and allowed Sanago to set a ball screen and be a decoy, leaving the right side totally open for Cole to drive. This great misdirection allowed Cole to go into the open paint carrying the ball on his right hip and Brandon Slater too late to get back and successfully challenge the layup. Young and his players understand how they could leave the Wildcats defenders vulnerable, and that Cole was ultimately the right man to guarantee them the win. He did that seconds later with the charge he drew on Gillespie, the last illustration of how the Huskies were able to limit the All-American inside the arc for 40 minutes.
Young and the aforementioned players are at the point of the season where they understand the strengths of both the team and individual players on both ends, and with the help Hurley they demonstrated that knowledge in the final 0:26. Earlier in the season I wouldn’t think a win like this was possible, especially with Hurley not on the bench, but now I am at the point where I can expect it. Thank you Kamani Young. Let’s hope you’re not snatched up to be the head coach at another program too soon.
Whaley and Sanago Set the Tone on Both Ends
Sanago concluded a signature 3-game stretch with 20 points on 8-14 shooting, 6rebounds, and 3! assists, adding 2 blocks for good measure. Against Seton Hall, Xavier and Villanova, the sophomore averaged 18.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2 blocks, demonstrating why he is going to be an All-Big East player. Against Villanova, Sanago continued to demonstrate his improved shot selection and positioning, establishing deep position for easy layups or jumpers. While Sanago missed a couple of bunnies, he more than made up for this with his passing, delivering a couple of pinpoint passes to others for layups or jumpers, and also avoided making any turnovers. Finally, Sanago took advantage of his opportunities at the charity stripe, knocking down 4-5 free throws. In comparison to his offensive performance in the game against the Wildcats nearly three weeks ago, Sanago took much better care of the ball and passed it back out when it was smart, his footwork was much more delicate and he got up for rebounds more effectively. The Sanago we saw at the XL Center Tuesday on offense demonstrated a ton of intelligence, strength and shot making ability.
Sanago was nearly as valuable on defense as he was on offense against the Wildcats, however. After being limited by his early foul trouble in the team’s first meeting, Sanago was able to avoid it to a large extent and did an excellent job of primarily guarding Eric Dixon. Dixon, who had 24 points and 12 rebounds in the team’s first tilt, made only one field goal on four attempts and committed two turnovers. Sanago also played reliable help defense on Jermaine Samuels, Gillespie and others.
While Sanago has more or less been pretty reliable all season, Whaley has been all over the place on offense and his defense has even been inconsistent at times. Starting with the second St. John’s win however, the super senior has been a rock on both ends when given the opportunity. Whaley had one of his most efficient offensive games of the season against Villanova, scoring 13 points on 4-5 shooting and going 4-4 from the line. Whaley, who grabbed three offensive rebounds, did an excellent job of beating defenders at the rim or earning putbacks and also stepped back for a key 3-pointer. With Sanago and Whaley leading the way, UConn absolutely dominated the Wildcats in the paint at times.
While he had just one block and no steals, Whaley’s outstanding defense on Tuesday was highly evident when you watched him defend Gillespie, a task he shared with Jackson. Whaley gave Gillespie littler room to maneuver with the ball, forcing him into either tough shots or stalled dribbles that hurt Villanova’s ball movement inside the arc. He and Jackson forced Gillespie into five turnovers and limited him to just four 2-point attempts. Factor in Whaley’s help defense on Villanova’s other guards as well as Gillespie, which helped lead to 14 turnovers, and you can see how Whaley’s speed and strength can allow him to be a great defender against various opponents come tournament time if he stays disciplined.
The Huskies Look Like a Different Team When Knocking Down 3-Pointers
While UConn was terrible at shooting 3-pointers against Seton Hall (4-18), they’ve been very effective beyond the arc in the remainder of the six most recent games starting with the Marquette win. They shot at least 33% in those other games, and against Xavier and Villanova it has shot over 40%, including 10-24 against the Wildcats. The improvement in the last two games was significantly driven by the awakening of Polley, who was 3-3 against the Musketeers and 3-6 against Villanova. Martin was almost as valuable as Polley against them, shooting 3-7 from deep and draining two huge threes at the beginning of the second half to give the Huskies momentum. Cole has shot solid from deep recently and Whaley and Jordan Hawkins have made important contributions from there at times as well. Even if Polley and Martin have been the most dangerous shooters on the team, having so many players capable from deep makes it tougher on defenses.
When UConn is knocking down threes (or at least shows a threat of doing so), it especially makes this offense more dangerous. Most obviously, effective outside shooting spreads the floor for Sanago and to a lesser extent Whaley, and makes it much easier for them to operate efficiently in the paint. It does the same for Cole when he drives for layups, as otherwise Cole’s height makes it much more difficult for him to score against large guards. If Jackson or Hawkins can better develop their 3-point shooting, then it will allow them to pull of shot fakes and drive for baskets easier.
The biggest exhibit for how much UConn’s improved 3-point shooting has helped them is that the team has easily scored more than a point per possession in six of the last seven games, with the exception being the 63-60 win at St. John’s on the 13th. The Huskies will for sure have another game or two where they struggle heavily from deep this season, but they have generally been better at shooting from deep then I thought they would be (86th in the country and fourth in the Big East) and can beat anyone if Polley and or Martin is on point from there.
UConn Finally Impresses With its Ball-Handling
After a Xavier win in which the Huskies nearly fell apart in the second half due to turnover issues and ultimately committed 18, they had a huge incentive to show they could be a disciplined offensive team. It was a challenge for the team to do so against a great Villanova defense, but UConn made it look easy while also making it seem like Villanova was the team who had issues with ball security.
There were a few factors that allowed for UConn to handle the ball better on Tuesday. First, the Huskies ran tight offensive sets that demonstrated a lot of flow and emphasized ball movement and screens. For example, they rarely tried to force the ball too much into Sanago. In multiple games this season that has allowed opponents to get multiple easy steals, with the previous win over the Musketeers being a prime example. While Cole did a smooth job of running the offense like always, it was Jackson who was the most dynamic guard on offense. The sophomore finished with eight assists against just one turnover. While he certainly threw some impressive passes and set teammates up for easy baskets, Jackson was also in control and did not try to fire off passes’ teammates would not be ready for or that were uncatchable, a huge Achilles heel of his. Hopefully, the lessons Hurley, Young and the remainder of the coaching staff have tried to install in Jackson about the importance of being a disciplined passer are slowly paying off.
In addition to Cole and Jackson, multiple other plays demonstrated strong passing and ball-handling against Villanova. I already mentioned Sanago, and Martin had only one turnover after a sloppy performance the previous game. Jalen Gaffney gave Cole some valuable rest and did a much better job of running the offense then at most points this season. While Hawkins isn’t handling the ball much per say, he definitely seems to be more patient with it and is avoiding the senseless turnovers he was committing up until early this month. Only Whaley, who had four turnovers, fell into the trap of trying to do too much with the ball.
UConn will have a tough time with ball-handling frequently just because of the fact that they do not have a second reliable guard behind Cole who can also shoot, but when they play smoothly it can be pretty to watch and the team has more chances for good shooting opportunities, as well as opportunities for offensive rebounds. We’ll see if this was a special exception or if the team can largely avoid the turnover blues going forward.
HUSKY NATION 