The buzz surrounding the UConn men’s basketball program right now is the highest I can remember in years, possibly since the 2014 season. The 21-7 Huskies, who are 12-5 in the Big East, have won five straight, are third in the Big East standings and strengthening their case for a high seed in the NCAA tournament. For the third consecutive season, the program is playing its best basketball at the end of the season. In particular, UConn has been playing outstanding offense recently, particularly from beyond the arc.
Creighton and DePaul would like nothing better than to extinguish the Huskies momentum in their last two regular season games in the coming days. Creighton, in particular, has never lost to them in five games and wants to maintain that superiority and sweep the season series between the teams. If the Bluejays win at home Wednesday night, they can finish third in the conference standings if they and UConn finish with the same record. And while DePaul is currently 10th in the Big East standings at 5-13, the Demon Deacons have been a handful for many of the conference’s best teams, including the Huskies at the end of January. While UConn is playing very strong overall, there are areas they need to improve on or be more efficient in.
The aspects of the game the Huskies either need to improve or continue to play well in against Creighton tonight and DePaul Saturday are numerous. While the team may be flying high right now, Creighton is a very tough environment to play in, and a loss to DePaul would be an embarrassing slipup and leave UConn with a bad taste in its mouth entering the Big East tournament at MSG. Not to mention that a loss to either team would move the team to a fourth-place seed in the tournament and possibly a tougher second-round matchup. Below, I discuss what UConn must do tonight and Saturday to win and maintain the excitement around the team.
- Tyler Polley and Jordan Hawkins need to continue being effective on offense, preferably at the same time
When Polley and Hawkins are both playing well offensively the Huskies have proven to unstoppable, as exhibited by the team’s 5-0 record when the pair scores in double digits. All season long Polley and Hawkins have been touted as UConn’s x-factors and it’s been proven to be true during this most recent win streak. Polley is on one of his vaunted multi-game hot streaks from deep, as he shot 7-12 from three and averaged 12 points against Xavier, Villanova and Georgetown and drained one of the most memorable shots of the season with his three against ‘Nova in the comeback during the final minute. At the same time, Polley went 9-10 from the line against them and Georgetown. Hawkins has improved immensely on defense, and the improvement on that end has earned him more playing time and the ability to figure things out at that end. The freshman played well on offense in his 14 minutes against Xavier, scoring 7 points via a 3-pointer and four free throws. He then had one of his best offensive performances of the season against the Hoyas Sunday, scoring 11 in 21 minutes on 3-6 shooting and making a spectacular dunk. Hawkins shooting from deep has slowly improved and he is demonstrating the ability to effectively attack the basket, a skill the Huskies definitely need more of.
When one or both of the sharpshooters are feeling it in a game, UConn’s offense is much more efficient. Space opens down low for Adama Sanago and others to get good looks at the basket, the team can play inside-out and move the ball well side-to side, they have more options on fastbreak plays, and players have good chances for offensive rebounds if Polley or Hawkins happens to miss. When Polley comes off the bench for Isiah Whaley or Sanago and plays with the other starters, these lineups rank 7th and 8th in the Big East in adjusted team efficiency margin per Evan Miya.
It is particularly important that Polley and Hawkins as well as the other bench players play well against Creighton. The Bluejays have the top defense in the Big East according to KenPom, and h against Cave held opponents to 31% from three in conference play, which also ranks first. In the first matchup with Creighton, UConn had one of its worst offensive performances of the season in a 59-55 loss, with Polley and Hawkins combining to go 0-7 from the field and the team 5-21 from deep. If the pair can hit a handful of 3-pointers and open up the team’s spacing, it will open up the team’s spacing and give them a leg up in what will probably be a low-scoring and physical game. If they can get to the line, that would be valuable as well since the Bluejays normally allow few foul attempts. While the Huskies should be able to perform well on offense against DePaul, it would be great for Polley to end his regular season career with a strong performance on Senior Day.
- Adama Sanago needs to end the regular season with a bang
Adama had arguably his worst game of the season Sunday against Georgetown, especially considering the level of competition. He fouled out in just 18 minutes, putting up only 6 points and 2 rebounds while committing 5 turnovers. Sanago seemed disengaged and let the refs quick whistle affect him, and with the rest of the offense humming teammates didn’t look for him as much as normal. Sanago needs to stay out of foul trouble and avoid ones out on the perimeter against Creighton and DePaul while playing disciplined on offense. That means establishing position in the paint and not forcing shots out too far from the basket, and passing the ball back out effectively if he does not have good position, which will help Sanago to avoid turnovers. Finally, he will need to block out effectively on both ends and put himself in position for putbacks.
Sanago also struggled to score in the first game against Creighton, putting up 8 on just 3-10 shooting, and had only one block. His performance against DePaul was also mediocre, as he only finished with 10 points. The Bluejays are tremendous at depending in the paint and allow opponents to shoot just 43.4% on 2-pointers, eighth-lowest in the country. Against their big front line, Sanago will need to establish position deep have success in the paint early and often, while passing out successfully when necessary and to avoid turnovers. The sophomore has shown the ability to play very well against big men he struggled against in rematches (he just did last week against Villanova and Eric Dixon), and I am confident he will do so against Creighton and then continue to stay engaged and have a good game Sunday against the Demon Deacons.
- Avoid turnovers!!
I realize the 16 turnovers UConn had against Georgetown was somewhat of an outlier, as they were largely the result of Sanogo’s struggles and then the benchwarmers not being prepared for the Hoyas press in the last two minutes of the game. Still, the Huskies are a team that has enormous struggles taking care of the ball at times, especially in conference play (their turnover percentage of 18.3% is eighth in the Big East). Even though Creighton’s defense does not force many turnovers and UConn had just nine against them in the first game, we have seen the offense have multiple games where they committed costly unforced turnovers against teams that don’t rely on forcing them.
To carry over their success at limiting turnovers from the Villanova and Seton Hall wins, the Huskies offense must make sure not to force passes to players who are well-defended or not ready, avoid playing out of control and make sure that they throw the ball over defenders if they are being pressed or trapped, especially along the baseline. The UConn players also need to make sure that they have a tight grip on the ball and are dribbling the ball high to make the team less susceptible to steals. Among the players, Sanago, Whaley and Tyrese Martin must do their best to avoid the turnover issues they have experienced recently, while Andre Jackson needs to continue distributing the ball efficiently while not forcing passes or trying to make plays that are overly flashy.
The defense needs to be more disciplined, especially when guarding the 3-point line
UConn’s defensive effort was lousy for most of the second half against Georgetown, which came into the game as the worst offense in the Big East. It did a poor job of guarding the rim and fouled way too much (though a late of that was on poor officiating), and the help defense was frequently too late both at the rim and on the perimeter. In general, the Huskies did not look like they were trying to extend much defensive effort once they got a comfortable lead, resulting in 1.15 points per possession. While I expect a much more robust effort against Creighton, a mediocre offensive squad that doesn’t shoot very well, UConn has struggled to guard the paint at times during February, even in wins, and their 3-point defense is eighth in conference play. Against a Bluejays squad that commits a lot of turnovers, the Huskies will need to avoid being beaten off the dribble and play tight defense without fouling, while also pressuring the ballhandlers to make steals more likely. At the same time, UConn will need to consistently provide help defense when necessary and avoid giving Creighton too many open looks from three. It shot 9-17 in the first matchup with UConn, arguably the biggest factor in their win. While DePaul is a weak offensive team, the Huskies need to continue playing good defense against it to give them momentum heading into the Big East tournament.
HUSKY NATION 