With UConn primed to play its biggest game of the season tomorrow home in Storrs against Xavier and your esteemed writer in attendance (a Christmas present), it is a good time to look at the No. 19 Huskies (16-5, 5-5 in the Big East) and figure out what they needs to do well to shut down the No. 12 Musketeers (16-4, 8-1), which is first in the conference and has an elite offense. Xavier has the best starting five offensively in the conference and can score efficiently from all areas of the floor, as UConn learned in its devastating 83-73 loss on New Year’s Eve.
The Huskies looked great on both ends of the floor in its 86-56 win against Butler on Saturday, but it’s hard to say the team is rounding a corner in any way when the Bulldogs are already a bad team that was missing its best player. UConn must beat Xavier and go over .500 again to show it can be an upper echelon team in the Big East and gain momentum heading into what should be two comfortable wins at DePaul and Georgetown. It should be favored to win at Gampel, but there are multiple areas the Huskies must play well in to emerge victorious, starting with playing quality defense.
Below, I talk about what UConn needs to do well defensively to win Wednesday. I am not sure if the team has the skills and mental fortitude to slow down Xavier’s offense and win what should be a close game, but it’s time for the team to put up or shut up. I look forward to being there with nervous anticipation, and will provide you dear readers with my observation’s on the team’s performance in many areas and the crowd atmosphere within the next few days. Let’s go!
The Defense Needs to be Smart and Flexible
Starting in mid-December against Georgetown, UConn’s previously elite D began to slip, and the Xavier loss initiated lousy defensive performances in each of its losses over the next three weeks, with the team’s win against Creighton the lone receipt. After the Huskies took a 50-43 lead three minutes into the second half in Cincinnati, Xavier’s offense started dominating their defenders and never let up. UConn could not stay in front of Xavier’s guards, and they attacked the basket constantly, either scoring around the rim or finding bigs Zach Freemantle, Jack Nunge and Jerome Hunter for easy baskets. Most frustratingly, the Huskies were unable to play smart defense and avoid unnecessary contact, resulting in 23 free throws on 28 attempts. Ultimately, the Musketeers shot over 60% inside the arc and scored 1.12 points per possession (PPP). With all the talent Xavier has, they are fully capable of repeating this success Wednesday.
The inconsistent defense and inability to defend players without fouling continued in the next game at Providence, with the Friars making 29! free throws and winning by 12 despite making five fewer field goals tan UConn. After a strong performance against Creighton, the defense again wilted throughout the next two games against Marquette and St. John’s, as the team’s scored at least 1.10 PPP. After a great first half defensively against Seton Hall, the Huskies allowed the Pirates to score 41 points and shoot over 60% in the final 20 minutes to come back from 17 down and hand UConn a devastating last-second loss.
In these four losses, the team continued to struggle mightily with defending the rim. The guards were beat off the dribble constantly and Husky bigs could not defend the rim effectively, leading to layups or free throw opportunities. The Husky defenders did a particularly poor job of staying in front of their man and avoiding biting on pump fakes, leading to either touch fouls as players reached for the ball as a player got past them or guys jumping in the air and fouling opponents after they faked a shot (Andre Jackson and Alex Karaban seemed like were the biggest offenders in these categories). UConn has shot fewer free throws than their opponents in all five losses and recorded more turnovers in four. UConn players have seemed to frequently miscommunicate with each other and leave players wide open after going to defend another opponent, leading to easy baskets. Of course, all these issues seemed to crop up down the stretch in these losses, leaving the Huskies looking rattled. Combine all these factors with not boxing out consistently on rebound opportunities and an obvious lack of hustle at times, and you have some of the poorest defending since Dan Hurley’s first year in Storrs.
While UConn looked much more disciplined on defense against Butler, they were still playing a team that lacks guards who can attack off the bounce and which was missing star big man Manny Bates. In Xavier, it is matching up against a squad that shoots 39.7% from three and is also excellent in the paint. First, Husky players just need to fight harder to get over screens and stay in front of their man when defending one-on-one. It sounds cliché, but players have been lazy and fundamentally unsound on defense at times, especially when also struggling offensively. Along the same lines, defenders need to avoid committing costly ticky-tack touch fouls or leaving their feet on defense after fakes. If the Huskies can control their hands and stay on the floor when defending, then they should avoid the foul trouble which has plagued them and force Xavier to win by taking tough shots. In addition, players need to recognize they can’t overextend too much on the Musketeers out on the perimeter, as it could result in easy drives to the basket and defenders being unable to recover. As great of a 3-point shooting team as Xavier is, UConn needs to be more concerned with protecting the paint and avoiding fouls. It has defended the perimeter extremely well throughout the season, and I think it will do a solid job again Wednesday. Finally, the Huskies and especially their bigs need to box out more effectively, especially off perimeter shots and Hurley needs to reiterate this to his guys. I would hope the ending against Seton Hall gets that message across to the team.
At the same time, UConn and Hurley need to make adjustments. Freemantle absolutely dominated Karaban last game using his size and athleticism, and could absolutely do so again if he is not double-timed. In some situations, Hurley needs to be willing to try double-teams on other hot players as well. In addition, he should be willing to let players switch defensively in certain situations. UConn should play zone as well if Xavier is scoring easily. A 2-3 zone could prevent guards from being able to easily score in the paint or get the ball into the bigs. Such a zone could also allow the Huskies to use both Sanogo and Clinigan for small stretches, providing both rim protection and a big advantage on the boards. With Samson Johnson finally back from injury, he can hopefully provide the team much needed rim protection. I am sure UConn has a detailed defensive game plan ready they will try to follow. What they need to do is be able to adjust when things aren’t going the team’s way. The Huskies defense failed to do that at Xavier and all their losses.
During Hurley’s tenure at UConn, the program has hung its hat on being relentless on defense and shutting down the paint. The team was doing that earlier in the season, and it still has great defensive numbers overall when you look at analytics, including being ranked 13th nationally on KenPom. It is time for the Huskies to regain their identity and play strong defense for 40 minutes. While the offense must meet certain goals as well, UConn will ultimately win or lose with their defense. Time to buckle up.
HUSKY NATION 