Category: Adama Sanago

One Unforgettable Moment

Six seasons ago, myself and UConn Nation were despondent and had no clue if UConn could become a premier program again. The Huskies were adrift in the American Athletic Conference, and head coach Kevin Ollie seemed constantly disengaged from players and unable to to coach them effectively on either side of the ball, despite leading them to a title in 2014. After UConn finished consecutive losing seasons, the administration found a way to escape Ollie’s costly long-term contract and fire him for cause, despite the violations discovered being dubious.

Athletic Director David Benedict eventually tapped URI’s Dan Hurley to be the Huskies next head coach. While Hurley had a good track level at the mid-major level (two wins in the NCAA tourney) and a reputation as an excellent player’s coach, there was no guarantee he could succeed in the demanding environment of Storrs.

Cut to last Monday night in Houston, with the confetti falling down and UConn players and coaches as well as others celebrating the program’s fifth national championship after defeating San Diego State to win the title. It was a sight that I thought may never happen again after UConn fell apart in the second half of Ollie’s tenure, and the celebration almost moved me to tears.

While Hurley’s two previous tourney teams in Storrs were talented and very likable, this season’s squad was on another level. It had great depth, size and athleticism, which showed itself in different ways on each side of the ball.

On defense, the length and strength of Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clinigan allowed UConn to shut down the paint against most opponents, and the Huskies perimeter defenders were bigger and more effective than last season’s unit thanks to the additions of Naheim Alleyne and Hassan Diarra and improvement of Jordan Hawkins. And of course, Andre Jackson is one of the country’s best defenders at his best.

Offensively, Sanogo anchored one of the best frontcourts in the country, and UConn’s perimeter shooting, ball-handling and passing was consistently strong and elite at times. Hawkins lived up to his promise as one of the best pure shooters the program has ever seen, and Jackson continued to improve as a facilitator, and eventually as a scorer despite a limited skill set. UConn was one of the best rebounding teams in the country all season on both ends of the floor, and ranked second in offensive rebounding percentage at the end of the season.

Last year’s squad could be frustrating to watch offensively due to a lack of shooting and spacing in the front court, where Sanogo and Isiah Whaley could clog the paint. That was never a problem with this championship squad. It could score from anywhere on the floor while bullying opponents in the paint, drive to the rim effectively, and shared the bell as well as any team. (UConn’s rate of assist on made field goals was eighth in the country). At their best, this group of Huskies were extremely fun to watch and played with a sense of joy and toughness that was missing to some extent on Hurley’s earlier squads. It made nearly every game a must-watch event, which was a forgotten experience for myself and others.

As great as it was to UConn at their best in the regular season, it was just as rewarding seeing how it overcame the struggles of January to become a more well-rounded team, one that was again playing like on of the best in the nation by the end of the regular season. After losing six of eight in January, multiple players switched up their approaches on the offensive end and made both themselves and the team better as a result. Sanogo, Jackson and Hawkins especially stood out in this regard.

Sanogo, who was being constantly double-teamed, attacked the basket more directly instead of playing a traditional post-up game, and cut to the rim more for easy baskets and passes. Jackson, who was being goaded into shooting from outside and struggling mightily, got his confidence back on both ends by playing more in the “dunker’s spot” at the rim, which allowed him to score and rebound easily as well as make spectacular plays for others. Finally, Hawkins attacked the basket more for layups and free throw opportunities, while also benefiting from the improved spacing the offense had in February and March. At the same time the offense improved, UConn’s team defense got much more disciplined and focused, as the Huskies cut down on the unnecessary fouls and poor help D they played in January. Hurley’s ability to teach his players how to make these adjustments and his improved composure in games helped the UConn players compete with more confidence in games, and handle adversity when it cropped up. By the time the Huskies got to the latter stages of the NCAA tournament, they were able to always control games, ensuring there was no such adversity.

While it was easy to see UConn being capable of going on a Final Four run and maybe even winning the championship, never would I have imagined that it would dominate NCAA tournament opponents to that extent. They won the six games by an average of 20 points, and each win was by at least 13 points, including the 76-59 beatdown of San Diego State to win the title. The offense easily averaged over a point per possession (PPP) in each game while scoring 70 or more points, and held each t0 65 or fewer points and 0.95 or fewer PPP. Sanogo was the best player in the tournament, averaging over 17 points and a double-double, Hawkins averaged over 16 points and shot 50% from deep, and Tristen Newton was UConn’s best player in the championship game, scoring 19 points and earning 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Add all the intangibles Jackson brings and great performances by the bench throughout the tournament, and the perfect mixture for a championship is there.

Obviously, basketball fans who weren’t overly familiar with UConn fell in love with them as the team made its run. The team’s athleticism, shot-making and toughness jumped off the chart in each game, and it made a bunch of outstanding opponents look helpless at times. The basketball IQ and enthusiasm for the game every Husky displayed in March Madness was off the charts, as well as Hurley and the player’s composure in tight moments and ability to shack off poor plays. I know if I was a neutral fan, I would enjoy jumping on the UConn bandwagon. As nervous before and at points during each game, I was in ecstasy by the end of each win.

Now that UConn has five titles in 25 (technically 24) seasons under three different head coaches, everyone is debating over whether they qualify as a blue blood. I have always thought that title is meaningless in the grand scheme of things, especially considering how hard it is to define. All I know is that UConn wins championships when it goes deep in the tournament, and it is arguably the best men’s basketball program of the last 30 years, and that Storrs is the college basketball Capitol of the World. All I know is that this was arguably the most complete team top to bottom of any of the Huskies championship teams this century, and certainly my favorite to watch. And finally, I know that this championship has redeemed by belief that UConn can be a consistently elite program. Thank you, Dan Hurley and the 2023 championship UConn Huskies.

UConn Has a Lot of Positives to Take With Them Into the Sweet 16

As a natural pessimist, I wasn’t sure if UConn would live up to its No. 4 seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Would the team be able to play disciplined on both ends and put their best players in position for success? Would the Huskies be able to make effective adjustments and stay calm under pressure? The last two postseasons had left me scarred, but the players showed me on Friday and Sunday that there was no reason to be concerned.

Behind Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins, UConn put together two outstanding second halves to earn comfortable wins over No. 13 Iona and No. 5 St. Mary’s and return to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2014. Despite trailing for much of the first half in both games (UConn was down 39-37 at halftime of the opener), the team maintained composure and Dan Hurley made smart adjustments, particularly with using the Huskies bench. This allowed UConn to wear down both teams in the second half and earn 24 and 15-point wins. The Huskies have won each nonconference game they’ve played by double digits.

With UConn’s excellent performance in the opening rounds and losses by other top seeds, the team is again seen as one of the favorites to go to the Final Four and win a national championship. It is in arguably the toughest region (West) and facing a Sweet 16 opponent better than its record in No. 8 Arkansas, but the Huskies look like they are capable of beating anyone right now.

Below, I go over the strengths UConn demonstrated in the opening two rounds, as well as areas they struggled and need to improve upon to possibly win the region.

Adama Sanogo is a Monster

Sanogo’s performance this season has been unappreciated throughout, with the junior center being replaced by Hawkins as the team’s “star”. He continued to be one of the best big men in the country, and reminded viewers all over of this with unforgettable performances against Iona and St. Mary’s. Sanogo put up 28 points and 13 rebounds on 13-17 shooting in the first round and 24 and 8 on 16 shots in the second win, with his KenPom offensive rating finishing over 124 in both.

His shooting efficiency and rebounding made Sanogo the first player since Blake Griffin in 2009 to shoot 70 percent or better from the field and average 25 points and 10 rebounds per game in the NCAA tournament. Sanogo also scored the third-most points all time for any UConn player in the opening two rounds, behind Richard Hamilton and Caron Butler’s 55.

Against both the Gaels teams, Sanogo’s footwork and strength allowed him to dominate defenders. He did an excellent job of positioning himself deep in the post to score easy baskets, and using shot fakes and hook shots to score over defenders. Sanogo’s improved outside shooting forced players to keep tabs on him outside the paint, therefore making it easier for him to get to the basket. Sanogo’s effort on the backboards was outstanding in both games (he had six offensive boards against Iona), and resulted in a few extra points with putbacks. Sanogo’s success was also a reflection on the offense as a whole, as his teammates did a great job of getting him the ball where he could easily score.

Sanogo’s efficiency on offense and solid defensive play gave his teammates a big lift and allowed the team to stay in both games despite slow starts and then pull away in the second half. He and Donovan Clinigan combined to wear down the opponents, and will again have the advantage against a smaller Arkansas frontcourt. It’s often said that a team will go only as far as its backcourt in March, but Sanogo is trying to remind people that a dominant big man can lead his team to a national championship.

UConn Again Demonstrates How its Depth Makes the Team Stand Out

During its 11-0 start in nonconference play, the team’s depth was maybe its most distinguishing characteristic. That depth was key to UConn winning the PK85 Tournament, and made it stand out in comparison to other teams at the top of the polls in November and December. While that depth remained a strength in the Big East schedule for the most part, UConn’s supporting cast and bench was much more inconsistent. However, they have improved in the last month and were outstanding throughout against Iona and St. Mar’s.

The Huskies got 26 bench points against Iona, with a majority coming in the first half as they struggled to establish a lead. Naheim Alleyne and Joey Calcaterra each knocked down two 3-pointers and scored a combined 14 points, with Alleyne also playing strong defense against the Gaels tough guards. Clinigan was an absolute beast with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in just 14 minutes, putting up his best stat line in arguably more than two months. Calcaterra and Alleyne’s perimeter scoring helped pick up the slack for Hawkins and Newton, who made just one basket in the game, while Clinigan did an outstanding job of defending the rim and finishing shots at in the paint. This meant that there was barely any drop-off when Sanogo was on the bench, and it exhausted Iona’s frontcourt. Andre Jackson also did yeomen’s work on both ends, putting up 10 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds to go with solid defense. With all the complimentary pieces clicking, UConn was bound to pull away from Iona once Hawkins finally began draining shots.

While UConn was much more reliant offensively on their starters against St. Mary’s, Clinigan and others still made big contributions. The freshman had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and even 2 assists in 11 minutes. Clinigan played exceptional defense and kept St. Mary’s from getting to the rim easily like they were in the opening minutes, and vacuumed up rebounds. Alleyne and Calcaterra each hit a 3-pointer and played solid defense, and they, Clinigan and Hassan Diarra were key to helping UConn bounce back from an initially poor start (it trailed 17-9 less than 10 minutes into the game). And while Newton and Sanogo mainly carried the offensive load until Hawkins started hitting threes, Jackson again did a little bit of everything and made some great plays for teammates, earning 7 assists to just one turnover.

As UConn goes on to face Arkansas and possibly other opponents, its depth should continue to be a big strength, particularly with Clinigan backing up Sanogo. It has guards that can provide strong defense and perimeter shooting off the bench, and Jackson’s versatility allows him to somewhat transcend stats. Now the Huskies just need to get Alex Karaban going offensively.

The Defense Locked in Over the Course of Both Games

UConn started both of last week’s games struggling on defense, especially against the guards of Iona and St. Mary’s. The players were beat off the dribble too much and failed to stop their man from getting downhill to the basket, and the help defense was lacking too frequently, especially in the round of 32. As the games went on however, UConn tightened up its man-to-man defense and covered the paint better, especially when Clinigan was on the floor. Combine this with solid perimeter defense and excellent work on the defensive boards, especially against St. Mary’s, and the Huskies had a recipe for success. In the end, Iona and St. Mary’s averaged just 0.95 and 0.86 points per possession. UConn’s ability to defend in the paint and help on pick and rolls will especially be tested against Arkansas, which makes it’s living offensively on attacking the basket and getting defenders in foul trouble.

Dan Hurley Shut up the Haters

While many people take it too far at times, the criticism Hurley has gotten over the past few seasons has been somewhat warranted, especially for UConn’s play in both the Big East and NCAA tournaments. Losing to double-digit seeds in March Madness in consecutive seasons was especially frustrating, and I still don’t understand what happened against New Mexico State. When the team lost to Marquette in the Big East semifinals, the pressure Hurley had on him entering last Friday must have felt suffocating.

Luckily, Hurley responded perfectly to the challenge. It’s clear he had UConn ready to play in both games and knew what advantages he wanted to exploit. Hurley recognized that Sanogo would be a handful for both opponents and made sure teammates got him the ball consistently, and wore down both opponents by exploiting the depth of UConn. He made sure to sub frequently and get the Huskies bench players scoring opportunities, and recognized that giving Clinigan extended minutes could demoralize the opponents. The team had great composure throughout both games even when they were trailing, and Hurley managed to keep Hawkins focused and prepared even when he was struggling to score. Hurley also made adjustments to the defense when necessary, such as having UConn press St. Mary’s to speed players up and throw their offensive flow off. While Arkansas will be a much tougher test and has an outstanding coach as well, I don’t UConn will loose due to a lack of preparation in any way.

Observations on Last Week’s Games: UConn Continues to Look Like an Elite Team

This time last month, UConn was reeling. Following their home loss to Xavier on January 25th, the team had lost six of eight games and was under .500 in the Big East at 5-6. The defense was playing terribly, and UConn was getting inconsistent production from multiple starters, particularly Andre Jackson, as well as much of its bench. The worst part of this was that the Huskies were playing tentatively, and no one seemed to be having any fun. Never mind reaching the heights of the team’s 14-0 start: UConn needed to turn things around to still get a strong seed in the NCAA Tournament as well as avoid having to play in the first round of the Big East tourney.

Flash forward to today, and the Huskies are the hottest team in the Big East and again seen as one of the most likely squads to go deep into March and reach the Final Four. UConn defeated ranked Providence and St. John’s with ease on Wednesday and Saturday, with the first 18-point triumph on Senior Night one of the program’s signature wins of the season. The Huskies have one six of seven and are now 22-7 and 11-7 in the Big East (good for fifth in the standings), earning them a No. 14 ranking in the AP Poll yesterday. After two mediocre offensive games, they were on fire against the Friars and Red Storm, showing their versatility and depth. On defense, UConn did a much better job of limiting offensive penetration and defending at the rim, especially against Providence, and keeping players off the offensive glass. From better communication and focus as a team to improved coaching to individual players turning things around, everything is looking up for the Huskies going into the last two regular season games against DePaul and at Villanova tomorrow and Saturday.

Below, I discuss my famous observations about the Providence and St. John’s wins and the big-time positives and one negative fans can take from the games. UConn is frequently clicking on all cylinders right now. Let’s hope they don’t lose focus in this last week and hurt their momentum going into the Big East tourney.

Adama Sanogo Reminds Opponents and Fans That he is One of the Best Players in the Nation

As Jordan Hawkins has earned more and more accolades for his shooting and overall improvement in Big East Play, Sanogo has faded to the background a little bit, particularly since he is not a serious NBA prospect like Hawkins is. Sanogo’s reliability is sometimes not appreciated by the Husky fanbase, and the junior hasn’t been helped when asked to carry the load so frequently by the team, as was happening when the offense was being run through Sanogo during UConn’s January swoon. In February however, Dan Hurley made the smart decision to have the big man play significant minutes at the top of the key, allowing Sanogo to focus on setting screens and starting scoring opportunities facing towards the basket. Sanogo’s strength and footwork allows him to be very effective as a scorer from this spot, and it allows him to take better advantage of his surprisingly strong 3-point shot. It also makes it much easier for Sanogo to pass the ball. And of course, Sanogo has been just as strong as ever in the low post since Hurley’s changes, especially now that he is not being double-teamed so much. Sanogo showed off his increased offensive efficiency as well as an improved all-around game against Providence and St. John’s.

Sanogo averaged 17 points against the Friars and Red Storm on 75% shooting and went 10-12 at the free throw line. He also averaged 7 rebounds, grabbing 9 on Saturday. Sanogo did an excellent job of beating his man both down low and off the dribble from the top of the key, and displayed great touch and footwork. Against St. John’s, he did an outstanding job of attacking defenders head on and forcing contact, going 8-10 at the charity stripe. Sanogo also demonstrated his improved passing by dishing out a combined three assists in the wins. On the boards, Sanogo did a strong job of boxing out and reacting quickly to rebound opportunities.

Sanogo’s defense has been much improved in recent games, and that continued to be the case against Providence and St. John’s. He did a good job of staying in front of his man as well as providing help defense when necessary. Sanogo’s rim protection, which has dropped off this year, was much improved, and he recorded a season-high 3 bocks against the Friars. Sanogo did a strong job of avoiding foul trouble in the wins, although he certainly got help from Donovan Clinigan when he was on the bench.

Even if Hawkins is now UConn’s number one, Sanogo is 1B. His ability to score and rebound consistently is remarkable, and when Sanogo is locked in defensively as well, he becomes a great two-way player. Now that Dan Hurley has seemingly figured out how to allow Sanogo succeed without dominating the ball, he has become an even tougher matchup for opponents. Sanogo is UConn’s best big man of the last decade, and he is in position to add postseason success to his legacy if he continues to perform at this high of a level.

The Bench Has Come Alive Again

For most of Big East play, UConn has gotten little offensively from its best players even since it got out again, minus Clinigan at some points. Against Providence and especially St. John’s however, the bench awoke from its slumber. The Huskies bench players supplied 19 points against the Friars and 32 against the Red Storm, while also generally playing good defense.

The duo of Naheim Alleyne and Clinigan were a great bench duo in the last two games. Alleyne scored a combined 17 points and drained all three 3-pointers he took against Providence. He especially stepped up offensively in the first half to give the team momentum. Alleyne has been UConn’s most reliable defender off the bench, and again limited player’s ability to penetrate against the Friars and Red Storm. He had steals in both games and a block against St. John’s.

Clinigan, which had seemed to hit a freshman wall in previous weeks, appeared to be returning to his effectiveness he showed earlier in the season in the last two games. The freshman center scored a combined 16 points against Providence and St. John’s in 25 minutes, while shooting 6-12 from the field and 4-6 at the line. He also kept his turnovers under control, committing just one in each win. Clinigan also grabbed 9 rebounds, 7 offensive. Clinigan did a better job of finishing around the rim after struggling to do so for a few games and continued to do an outstanding job of earning putbacks. Clinigan also again showed how gifted he is at reading where shots will come off the rim and outmuscling  offensive defenders for offensive rebounds. It was heartening to see Clinigan finally performing under pressure on foul shots after struggling so much on them recently. After not being as much of a force defensively for much of February, Clinigan was a monster against a small Red Storm squad, blocking 5 shots and also earning a steal. With this increased effectiveness, Clinigan should earn more minutes against DePaul and Villanova squads that he matches up well against.

While seeing Alleyne and Clinigan have two strong games was satisfying, it was particularly fun to see Joey Calcaterra have a great game against St. John’s. The super senior, whose 3-point shot had abandoned him in conference play, drained three of four treys on Saturday and made four free throws in just 17 minutes, finishing with 15 points. It was the first time Calcaterra had more than two 3-pointers in conference play, and tied his season high in points. His teammates did an excellent job of finding Calcaterra against the Red Storm, and he also did an excellent job of moving without the ball. With no surprise, the UConn fans at Madison Square Garden went crazy when Joey California caught fire. While Calcaterra must have more than one good game to prove that he is back on track, the guard can certainly give the Huskies a huge weapon off the bench in tournament play if he has a strong touch in a game.

When UConn is at its best, the aforementioned players as well as Hassan Diarra are capable of stepping up on both ends when needed, especially sense the team has one starter in Andre Jackson whom can be very  inconsistent offensively. The performance of the bench against Providence and St. John’s was very promising and fun to watch. However, the bench players must prove that they can be consistent in more games for the Huskies to reach their potential.

Andre Jackson is Changing the Game on Both Ends

Throughout January and early February, no one had a bigger target on their head than Jackson, sometimes to an excessive extent from fans. The junior was playing undisciplined on both ends, and appeared to have no confidence at times offensively. However, he has been much better defensively in February, and his offense has improved as well now that Hurley and Jackson have placed him in the dunker’s spot to get easier scoring opportunities and not be tempted to regularly shoot from the outside, where Jackson has struggled heavily this season. Against Providence and St. John’s, Jackson was locking down multiple players while making plays for both teammates and himself around the rim.

While Jackson was effective offensively against Providence, especially in setting up teammates (he scored 4 points on 3 attempts and dished out 4 assists to just one turnover), it was against St. John’s where he especially impressed. Jackson scored 15 points on 5-6 shooting, going 4-5 at the line, and added 3 assists. It was the second time in three games Jackson dropped a season-high 15. The forward completed multiple athletic shots around the rim, including a dunk and putback, and drained an open 3-pointer. He did a strong job of getting the ball to teammates for open shots., and as always had multiple moments where he came out of nowhere to grab loose balls on both ends.

Jackson’s defense was strong in both games, particularly in the first when he had to cover Friars star Devin Carter. Jackson limited Carter to just 7 points on 3-10 shooting and was consistently in his face while not fouling. Against the Red Storm, Jackson was again aggressive defensively and had 2 blocks while playing 38 minutes.

After Jackson’s underwhelming play for much of the Big East schedule, fans had a reason to feel that the small forward was having an underwhelming year and would never reach his full potential. In the last two weeks however, the adjustments Hurley made to simplify things for Jackson offensively, and his overall re-commitment on the defensive end, have allowed Jackson to reach his full potential on both ends. Jackson is a playmaker and agent of chaos on both ends, and UConn is more dangerous going into March as result.  

Rebounding Continues to be Elite

After a drop-off in UConn’s rebounding during its struggles, the team has improved on the glass on both ends the last few weeks, and that was on display against Providence and St. John’s. Their offensive rebounding has been particularly strong, and the Huskies are now the number one team in both the country and Big East at offensive rebounding percentage (39.1% and 40.3%). After struggling on the boards in the first matchup with the Friars, UConn outrebounded them 40-20 overall and 15-8 on the offensive end in last Wednesday’s 87-69 win. While the Huskies had no players in double-digits, five grabbed at least 5 rebounds, led by Alex Karaban’s 8 (he also scored 16). In contrast, no Friar has more than 5 and Bryce Hopkins, one of the best rebounders in the conference, did not record one against UConn’s front line. While the battle on the boards between the Huskies and St. John’s was more even, they still outrebounded the Red Storm 38-32 and won on the offensive glass. UConn had four players with five or more rebounds, led by Sanogo with 9 and Tristen Newton with 7. While Joel Soriano was great on the boards for St. John’s grabbing 11, no other player had a big rebounding game. As in other recent games, the Huskies did an excellent job boxing out and reading balls off the backboard and got to loose balls very quickly.

UConn’s ability to rebound will be a huge strength in tournament play, and especially in the NCAA Tournament when games will likely be less physical. It’s been proven over time that teams which rebound well can frequently go deep into March Madness, and I can see UConn winning a tournament game because of its rebounding and scoring second-chance points. Now let’s make it a reality.

The Huskies Still Need to Improve Their Ball-Handling and Focus for 40 Minutes

The to issues identified in the title have been a huge problem throughout conference play and cost the team wins. While UConn did a better job with passing and ball-handling against Providence and St. John’s, it still committed a combined 27 turnovers and had more turnovers than their opponent in both. Players still made unnecessarily risky passes that were out of bounds or stolen, or either were stripped or lost the ball out of bounds. Newton, Hawkins, and Jackson were the primary culprits. The Huskies are continuing to make unforced errors that reflect a lack of basketball IQ. While UConn was in control throughout against both Providence and St. John’s, they made a handful of silly fouls that allowed both teams to keep their offense afloat in both games. The team especially grew lackadaisical on defense in the final few minutes against the Red Storm, making the score look much closer than it actually was. The Huskies need to tighten up on defense against DePaul and especially at Villanova this week, which will beat UConn if it isn’t giving 100 percent effort.

Starter Grades With a Month Left in the Regular Season

I wrote this article ranking the performance of the bench players on No. 21 UConn prior to the Marquette win last week, with an explanation of why I chose the grade. Now, I am publishing the article I wrote but did not publish last week assigning grades to the Huskies five main starters. I will provide updated grades/evaluations on the individual starters performance against Creighton shortly. This was a lot of work, but I enjoyed much of it. I look forward to seeing your feedback!

Jordan Hawkins: B+

Hawkins got a ton of press prior to the season for the improvement in his perimeter shooting and overall offensive game, and was named to the preseason All-Big East Second Team. It was evident that the sophomore would be UConn’s go-to scorer along with Sanogo if he played up to his potential. So far, Hawkins has mostly lived up to the hype offensively, and has been playing his best all-around basketball recently even if the team has been inconsistent overall. The season still has a long way to go, but Hawkins is making a case to be seen as one of the best shooters in UConn program history.

In 23 games (he missed three due to a concussion), Hawkins is averaging 16.4 points on 42.1% shooting overall and 40.1% on 3-pointers, while also making over 86% of his foul shots. These are all a huge leap from Hawkins freshman season, when the freshman showed a lot of potential but also delt with injury trouble and confidence issues and shot just 35.3% on 5.8 points per game.

Hawkins has been on fire in the last seven games, dating back to the loss to St. John’s on Jan. 15th. In that stretch , he has averaged 21.1 points and shot 50% on 88 attempts, while also draining 44.2% of 3-pointers and 92.5% of foul shots. Hawkins has had four 20-point games during this run, including 26 at DePaul in a win, and 31 in the heartbreaking loss to Seton Hall. For the season, Hawkins has scored 20 or more in nine games and in single digits just three times.

Hawkins has been a dangerous scorer all season, but he has flipped a switch in the last month. His movement without the ball, confidence and quick and fluid shooting form has allowed Hawkins to be lethal on 3-pointers coming off of screens. He has benefited greatly from UConn recently improving its screening on the perimeter, as it has given Hawkins open looks from beyond the arc. Earlier in the season and especially during the first month of conference play, Hawkins had struggled to get open looks at times because defenders were keying in on him and being as physical with Hawkins as possible without earning fouls. He also has shown the ability to go on individual runs and carry the Huskies for multiple minutes at a time and make clutch shots against tough opponents. Hawkins nearly led UConn back from a 15-point halftime deficit against Xavier, and his multiple treys early against Marquette gave the team momentum and put it in control for the remainder of the game.

As great as his 3-point shooting has been, what has especially impressed recently is Hawkins newfound focus on attacking the basket. Earlier in the season, he frequently focused on just shooting from deep and thus could disappear from games if defenders stuck on Hawkins . Since the beginning of January however, Hawkins has regularly used his athleticism and size to attack the basket for quality layup attempts, while also pulling up for quality midrange jumpers. Hawkins has recognized that the threat of his 3-point shot allows him to effectively fake out defenders and then drive for open looks, particularly in the paint. Hawkins has improved at finishing at the rim over the course of the season, and he is outstanding at forcing contact (including behind the 3-point line) to earn free throws, where he is money. Hawkins has made 55.6% of his shots inside the arc during this aforementioned hot streak.

Hawkins has also improved his offensive game as a sophomore in other areas. Hawkins is averaging 4 rebounds per game, double his average from last season, and has especially improved on the defensive boards. Hawkins has grabbed at least 5 rebounds seven times since the start of the New Year. He reacts quickly when in good position to grab rebounds, and his athleticism allows him to beat other guards to loose balls off the boards. While Hawkins ball handling still leaves a lot to be desired, he has improved his dribbling and passing this season and cut down on turnovers. Hawkins has committed more than three turnovers in a game just once. Meanwhile, Hawkins had dished out multiple assists in seven games.

On defense, I believe Hawkins has improved the most from one season to the next that I can remember by a UConn guard in recent program history. As a freshman, Hawkins lacked the strength to effectively guard bigger guards, and his footwork wasn’t efficient enough to stay in front of his man at times. This resulted in cheap fouls when Hawkins tried to force steals to make up for being beat off the dribble. While Hawkins upper-body strength will need to improve for him to be successful in the NBA, the strength training he did in the offseason has allowed Hawkins to better body up defenders. At the same time, he has improved his footwork and ability to force turnovers without fouling. Hawkins is averaging nearly one steal per game, and has earned multiple steals in six games. Hawkins size and agility has helped him develop the ability to block shots after not showing that skill as a freshman. He has blocked 15 shots and has four games with 2 blocks.

Hawkins can still continue to improve the remainder of the season in multiple areas. While it can be difficult for him to get quality perimeter shots in a game because of how much opponents focus on containing him, Hawkins needs to do a better job of being effective over 40 minutes. He has a tendency to explode on offense for a short amount of time and then disappear. Depending on when this occurs, Hawkins doing so can make it much more difficult for UConn to win, especially if his teammates are inconsistent. Hawkins can also fall into a tendency of focusing on taking 3-pointers at the expense of everything else, even if he is cold. Slowly but surely, Hawkins has developed more variety in his offensive game, but he can still run hot and cold like many shooters. I don’t know if Hawkins can do much to improve his ball-handling in season, but he still needs to strengthen his handle if he enters the NBA draft in the offseason. On defense, Hawkins can still be more disciplined and avoid either biting on fakes or reaching for the ball and picking up silly fouls that limit his playing time. Like seemingly all of the Husky guards, Hawkins sometimes fails to provide help defense or communicating on that end with teammates, allowing for easy drives to the basket for opponents.

As frustrating as this season has been for UConn as a whole, they have gotten nearly everything they could ask from Hawkins. He is developing into a great all-around player and not just a shooter, and has even displayed vocal leadership skills during games, a far cry from his lack of confidence as a freshman. Hawkins is one of the best players in the Big East, and has supplanted Sanogo as the Huskies best player. Hopefully, Hawkins will decide to return to Storrs for a junior season even if he has projected as a first-round pick. Either way, however he is capable of leading UConn on tournament runs and creating a memorable legacy.

Adama Sanogo: B+

Sanogo was selected as the preseason Player of the Year in the Big East and was also put on the Wooden Award watch list. While Sanogo’s season has probably not gone as smoothly as expected, he still has frequently been dominant offensively and a centerpiece for UConn alongside Jordan Hawkins.

Sanogo is averaging 17.2 points in 25 games, 2.4 more than last season. He has also been much more efficient offensively and is shooting more than 58% from the field, a significant improvement from last season. Sanogo has shown even better touch in the paint this year, while still bullying opposing bigs. Fans heard that Sanogo was working on his midrange and perimeter shooting during the offseason, and he has showed great form on 3-pointers while making over 39% on 33 attempts. Finally, Sanogo is shooting 75.9% on free throws, an excellent percentage for a big man. This efficiency has resulted in Sanogo having double-digit scoring performances in every game but two, eight 20-point games, and four double-doubles.

As great as Sanogo is offensively, he has been a black hole at times, especially during UConn’s January struggles. The offense has had a bad habit of feeding the ball to the junior at the expense of getting other players involved and creating good scoring opportunities for the entire lineup. Sanogo’s teammates have also failed to move without the ball towards Sanogo in these situations so that he has open passing lanes when guarded. At the same time, Sanogo has continued his habit of taking way too long to take shots in the paint, and not passing the ball out and repositioning when well-guarded. As a result, teams have easily been able to double-team Sanogo consistently and either force him into difficult shots or turnovers.

After UConn’s loss to Seton Hall, Hurley and the team made a few important adjustments offensively that has allowed Sanogo to still be effective, but within the normal flow of the offense. Hurley has positioned Sanogo at the top of the key and had him set screens for the guards regularly, allowing the Huskies and particularly Newton and Hawkins to get around defenders and attack the basket effectively. Instead of attempting all his shots in the paint or beyond the arc, Sanogo has attacked the basket from the top of the key a few times a game on layup attempts. Because of Sanogo’s strength and agility, this has been a very high-percentage play. Finally, Sanogo has finally started to pass the ball out of the paint more and shown better accuracy when doing so. He has averaged 2 assists over the last five games while committing just four turnovers. Sanogo’s growth as a player bodes well for the Huskies success during the remainder of the season.

While Sanogo’s scoring has continued to be elite, his rebounding and defense hasn’t lived up to the expectations he set last season. His rebounding has dropped from an average of 8.8 last season to 7.2, as have the percentage of both defensive and offensive rebounds he has grabbed. I would be very surprised if Sanogo reached last season’s mark of 10 games with double-digit rebounds unless UConn goes on a tournament run. Although part of Sanogo’s rebounding numbers going down is the result of having strong rebounding guards in Hawkins and Newton and the addition of Clinigan (even if they rarely play together) and Hurley having him defend on the perimeter, I believe that Sanogo has also demonstrated less effort on rebound opportunities and when boxing out. There could be a few reasons for this in theory, including Sanogo wanting to focus more on scoring or trying to avoid foul trouble, but it is disappointing to see Sanogo giving less effort on the boards at times. I hope that as UConn hits tournament play, Sanogo ramps up his effort on theboards andbecomes the elite rebounder he was last season.

Sanogo’s defense has also left something to be desired at times. With his strong footwork, Sanogo continues to be an effective one-on-one defender against most bigs. However, his help defense has been very inconsistent. Sanogo has been late on cutting off drives, and while he still does a solid job of altering shots he has ceased to be a shot-blocking threat. Sanogo has blocked just 16 shots this season and had multiple blocks in a game just three times, after averaging 1.9 per game last season. It is understandable that Sanogo wants to avoid defensive fouls considering how much responsibility he has on offense, and UConn’s system of having Sanogo consistently run high-hedge defense makes it difficult for him to get back and help teammates defend the paint. Still, Sanogo needs to stop getting caught watching the ball or half-heartedly blocking out defensively. UConn needs him to be a skilled two-way player to capture their remaining must-win games and tournament victories.

Tristen Newton: B

Newton’s season has been a bit of a roller coaster as well. The highly touted senior guard transfer had a tough time adjusting to UConn’s early on in nonconference play, but eventually appeared to be learning how to run its offense and be a complimentary scorer by the time of the Phil Knight Invitational. However, Newton’s scoring began to drop off a cliff at the end of the nonconference schedule, and through the first half of conference play in December until the middle of January. Newton wasn’t picking up the slack enough elsewhere on offense or defense to mitigate his disappearance, leading heavily to UConn’s struggles after starting 3-0 in the Big East. Since an ugly loss to St. John’s however, Newton has had a resurgence and flashed all the talent Huskies fans have heard about, and the team has subsequently fled off his versatility and energy. UConn needs a quality point guard, and Newton is finally filling the role.

Newton is averaging 10.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He is averaging 4.4 assists, but has committed 2.3 turnovers per game. Newton ‘s shooting percentage inside the arc has dropped significantly due to his struggles, but he has continued to improve his 3-point shooting from last season and is now up to 34.9%. Newton continues to be money from the foul line, making 80.7 of hid free throws. He has scored in double figures 12 times and 20 or more points on four occasions. Newton earns a lot of his assists at his best, and has five games of at least six dimes. Finally, he has gotten to the 4-rebound mark 12 times. Newton has earned multiple steals in seven games.

Newton has been on a tear since the St. John’s loss on Jan. 18th. Since, he has averaged just under 15 points in six games, including 20-point performances at DePaul and against Xavier, while shooting 46.6% overall ,38.1% from deep and over 80% at the line on 38 attempts. Before this stretch, Newton had scored in double figures just twice in Big East play. He has done a little bit of everything else as well, averaging just over six assists and under five rebounds while grabbing two steals. Newton’s most impressive performance came in the signature win against Marquette, as he recorded 12 points and assists and grabbed 10 rebounds in 35 minutes. It was Newton’s second triple-double already this season, with Shabazz Napier being the only other Husky to accomplish this feat.

After an All-AAC Conference junior season at East Carolina in which he averaged roughly 17 points and 5 assists, expectations may have been too high for Newton. Yes, he was a versatile guard with size and strength and a nose for the basket, but the level of competition was a big step up for a player who is not a natural point guard, especially after the conference has had more depth than preseason reports indicated. It was always going to take him a while to create chemistry with players in regular season competition, and that only became harder when Andre Jackson returned to the starting lineup and the two had difficulty co-existing on the floor while Jackson tried to take on a point guard role that he unfortunately wasn’t well suited for.

After being generally effective on offense the first month-plus of the season and relying on his ability to get to the line to rack up points, Newton steadily faded to the background for a while. He stopped being aggressive offensively and rarely attacked the basket when the team desperately needed him to (From the first Xavier loss to the St. John’s game, Newton took jut 9 free throws and made 5). Newton looked reluctant to shoot a significant amount of the time, making difficult passes in the paint instead of attacking the basket for layup opportunities. Newton’s disengagement with the rest of the team offensively and relative defensive struggles was a direct reason why the Huskies became a one-trick pony on offense and suffered their 2-6 stretch in January.

Since that team, Newton has looked completely different. It appears that Dan Hurley talked to him and urged Newton to attack the basket more and initiate the offense quicker, and Newton embraced the challenge. He is now consistently driving the ball and playing more quickly, while also moving without the ball on the perimeter and getting better 3-point looks. Newton has also been highly effectively in the zone defenses UConn has employed and especially at pressuring ball handlers in the full court with his size and strength. He has consistently seemed to be having fun, and appears to be taking on a bigger leadership role during timeouts and other game situations. The UConn offense flows much better when Newton has the ball frequently, especially during significant moments. He is the lynchpin and floor general right now that UConn fans were looking for. A team needs a reliable point guard to have postseason success, and this version of Newton can finally bring it to the UConn program.

Andre Jackson: B-Jackson has been up-and-down as a player since the moment he arrived in Storrs, but his junior career has been a special case. When the junior is at the peak of his powers, he is extremely versatile, a team leader, and an absolute joy to watch. But when Jackson has played his worst, he has played out of control on both ends and been a black hole on offense, where his confidence has been shaken.

Jackson is averaging 5.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in 22 games, while shooting 36.4%. The point forward ‘s PPG and field goal averaging have gone down compared to his sophomore season, although Jackson’s assist-to-turnover ratio has improved significantly. He has four double-digit games for both points and rebounds, although he hasn’t scored in double digits in the new year. Jackson has dished out six or more assists in seven games, and come up with multiple steals in a significant number of games. Even if Johnson doesn’t score a lot of points in a game, at his best he’s a stat stuffer.

Jackson’s worst tendencies have slowly emerged however, with the New Year’s Eve loss at Xavier being the jumping off point for these struggles. In the 11 games since, Jackson has seen his scoring average and shooting percentage go slightly down. While he is averaging nearly the same assists, Jackson has Bommited multiple turnovers seven times. Even if Jackson’s raw stats have only gone down a little bit, he has made multiple mistakes on offense during crucial moments in each loss, while playing with a lack of intelligence on defense.

Jackson had had two distinct stages this season, with the last two wins against Georgetown and Marquette possibly signifying the start of a third stage. Starting with the Phil Knight Invitational Thanksgiving week until the end of December, Jackson contributed heavily on both ends and was the team’s sparkplug. The junior was doing a great job running the offense alongside Tristen Newton and finding scoring opportunities for teammates, while also grabbing offensive boards. Jackson was doing just enough to score via floaters, baskets at the rim and the occasional three, and with his teammates scoring so efficiently Jackson’s scoring wasn’t really needed. Most importantly, Jackson was playing exquisite defense, pressuring his man constantly and forcing turnovers and poor shots.

As the calendar flipped to the new year however, Jackson’s quality of play plummeted on both ends along with the team’s as a whole. He lost all confidence shooting the ball, and frequently had poor selection when doing so. Jackson frequently refused to attack the basket and occasionally turned the ball over when doing so. His floater (Jackson’s go-to-shot) deserted him, and he began to be bated into taking risky 3-pointers when defenders stay off of Jackson. This led to ugly shooting lines on threes like a 4-12 performance at Xavier and 0-3 marks against both Providence and the Musketeers. While Jackson continued to rebound well, he began to play out of control when running the offense and making risky passes that either led to turnovers or teammates not being in the right position to score.

What was more frustrating then Jackson’s struggles on offense was his disappearance on the defensive end. After living up to his accolades as a defender early Jackson declined heavily in the first half of the Big East schedule. Jackson become overaggressive on defense, committing silly fouls and having to be removed by Dan Hurley as a result, and repeatedly tried to block his man’s shots from behind instead of working harder to stay in front of players. Combine all of this with Jackson’s shaky help defense, and he was the player most responsible for the Huskies defensive decline when they lost six of eight games. Jackson’s defensive struggles carried over to the offensive end and caused the junior to become disengaged at times while not fulfilling his status as UConn’s leader.

After the Huskies second loss to Xavier and Jackson’s 2-point performance against DePaul, he and Hurley said that the coaches and Jackson were working to tighten up his defense and putting him in situations on offense where he could make plays more efficiently. In the wins since against Georgetown and Marquette, Jackson has demonstrated this hard work paid off. Jackson’s defense has continued to be aggressive while also more disciplined and focused. He held Hoyas star Primo Spears scoreless, and was et defending multiple Creighton players while helping to force poor shots and defenders. Jackson’s rebounding and passing was solid in multiple games, especially against Georgetown. Instead of taking jumpers and 3-pointers, Jackson focused on getting open for scoring opportunities around the basket on layups and putbacks and dunks, resulting in a combined 12 points on 5-12 shooting. It has been great to see Jackson not just more effective, but having a lot more fun on the court in these wins. When he is playing loose and with energy, all the other Huskies feed off of it.

The remaining regular season and tournament games will be huge for Andre Jackson’s legacy at UConn. Can he prove that he and the team have truly righted the ship? Can Jackson show improvement on offense while playing up to his potential in other phases of the game? And maybe most importantly, can Jackson truly be the leader of the next Huskies team that goes on a tournament run? Jackson is capable of answering all these questions with a triumphant yes. Now it’s just time for him to be a great player, and not just a great athlete.

Alex Karaban: B+

If Dan Hurley wanted to create a freshman big who is well-rounded offensively in a lab, he probably couldn’t do any better than Alex Karaban. The freshman power/small forward from Massachusetts’s has already demonstrated that he can score from nearly anywhere on the floor, particularly in the paint and behind the arc. When you combine that scoring ability with quality passing, solid rebounding and quickly-improving defense, and you have a Husky who is qualified to be the Big East Freshman of the Year.

Karaban, whom UConn has relied on heavily at forward with Samson Johnson out nearly the entire season, is averaging 9.8 PPG, 4.1 RPB, and 1.8 APG in 28.7 minutes. He is shooting 46.9% on field goals , 39.7% on 3-pointers and 82.1% at the free throw line. Karaban’s offensive metrics on KenPom and elsewhere are off the charts, especially for a freshman. He has scored in double figures 15 times, and has hit his season high of three 3-pointers in eight games, most recently in the last two wins. Karaban has scored in double figures five of the past eight games, with a high of 17 in the first matchup with Marquette. While Karaban doesn’t have any games with a huge amount of assists, he has dished out multiple ones in 12 games. Karaban was named the conference Freshman of the Week for the week of Jan. 29th after averaging 7.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4 rebounds, which was the fifth time this season he has received the honor.

Karaban ‘s best offensive skill right now is shooting 3-pointers. He is excellent at moving without the ball, has quality form and does not hesitate no matter the moment, has evidenced by his 3-pointer late at Georgetown that gave UConn a 63-61 lead it never relinquished. Karaban has already established a solid post game and can score effectively on both layups and post-ups. As Karaban works on getting stronger in the offseason, it could allow him to score more effectively in the post while also stretching defenders out beyond the 3-point line. In addition to scoring Karaban’s court awareness and basketball IQ has allowed him to be a quality screener in the pick-and-roll and an excellent passer, especially compared to the average freshman. Adama Sanogo and Donavon Clinigan have particularly benefited from Karaban’s passing skills.

On defense, Karaban has also consistently gotten better. While he needs to add a lot of upper-body strength and doesn’t have the athleticism a lot of the power forwards he’s facing in the Big East (a conference with excellent big men), Karaban has learned how to challenge shots and go after rebounds inside without fouling, and how he can position himself to challenge shots. Karaban’s recent improvement at avoiding foul trouble has allowed him to make a more consistent impact on offense, particularly from beyond the arc.

Alex Karaban quickly proved himself to be an indispensable player for the Huskies. Currently, I would argue he is their third-most reliable player beyond Jordan Hawkins and Sanogo. If Karaban is this developed as a freshman, I cannot imagine how good he will be as a junior or senior. Slowly but surely Karaban is building a legacy in Storrs, one that may lead to a tournament run in March.

Game Observations on OSU Win: Hawkins Breaks Out, Andre Continues to Break Out, and an Underperformance on the Boards

It was not the prettiest performance, but UConn got its first standout home win of the season Thursday against Oklahoma State, defeating the Cowboys 74-64. It improved to 9-0, with all the wins by double digits, and earned their fourth win of the season against a team ranked in the top 50 of KenPom. The win ultimately propelled the Huskies to a No. 5 ranking in the AP Poll on Monday in advance of a huge contest at Florida tonight.

UConn dominated the final seven minutes of the first half to go into the break with a 17-point lead. After OSU fought back from a deficit to take a 28-25 lead with 7:25 remaining, the Huskies overpowered it on both ends, going on a quick 15-0 run and ultimately outscoring the Cowboys 23-3 to enter halftime with a 48-31 lead. The run was propelled by outstanding perimeter shooting from Jordan Hawkins and UConn powering their way to the free throw line and earning 19 shots. It also earned high-quality scoring opportunities due to aggressive defense and poor ball-handling by Oklahoma State, which committed 10 turnovers. Hawkins had 18 first-half points and Adama Sanogo 13.

After a solid first five minutes, the Huskies played poorly on offense and inconsistently on defense for the remainder of the game. The Cowboys were more disciplined defensively and kept them off the offensive boards. Hawkins got fewer good looks and Sanogo made poor decisions on offense. No one else really stepped up, with Newton and Karaban being particularly inefficient for how many minutes they played. On defense, OSU was able to attack the basket much more successfully, with UConn being caught out of position on drives and looking tired. It also was able to consistently beat the Huskies for offensive rebounds and earn second-chance opportunities. Still, they did just enough to keep the Cowboys from going on an extended run. Maintaining a double-digit lead throughout the second half.

As discussed more below, the trio of Hawkins, Sanogo and Andre Jackson carried UConn to the win. Hawkins had his best game of the season with 26 points, shooting 5-9 on 3-pointers. Sanogo finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals while playing excellent defense. Jackson continues to improve each game since coming back from injury. He was again making hustle plays on both ends of the court and finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Joey Calcaterra hit two 3-pointers on his way to 9 points. The Huskies managed to win handedly despite shooting just 37.5%, but did make 24 free throws and commit just 7 turnovers. Kaleb Boone and Avery Anderson scored 15 and 14 for Oklahoma State, respectively. OSU outrebounded UConn 39-35, but committed 17 turnovers.

Below, I analyze more in depth the importance of Hawkins, Sanogo and Jackson, the team’s strong defensive performance in the first half, and the significance of UConn’s ability to still control the game despite playing mediocre for long stretches.

Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo Demonstrate Why They Can be Such a Dangerous Inside-Outside Offensive Combination

Every fan knows the potential that Hawkins has, and that he has been praised by both coaches and reporters for being one of the most natural shooters in the program’s history. Still, the sophomore shooting guard has never been consistent enough to meet those expectations, partly due to injury issues. On Thursday night however, Hawkins was on fire and had probably the best game of his UConn career. Hawkins scored a career-high 26 points, shooting 5-9 from three and 6-13 overall. He did a great job of coming off screens for quality shots and moving without the ball, and hit shots with hands in his face as well. Hawkins hot streak in the first half was essential to the Huskies getting enough breathing room in the first half that they could withstand an inconsistent final 15 minutes. While Hawkins was quieter in the second half, he still had a few key daggers. He also did an outstanding job of getting to the line, hitting a career-high 9 free throws on 12 attempts. Throw in another strong night on defense for Hawkins, and he did an outstanding job of carrying UConn in a game that could have been a trap otherwise.

Meanwhile, Sanogo had a big bounce-back game from his season-worst performance against Iowa State. He scored 20 points on 7-14 shooting, going 6-8 at the charity stripe. It was Sanogo’s fifth game of 20 or more points. In the first half, he showed he could bully his way to the basket, as well as some nifty footwork and the ability to step out and hit jumpers. Sanogo did a strong job of getting to the line throughout the game, where he made 6-8. He also had 3 offensive boards. Sanogo’s defense was also mostly phenomenal, as he altered a ton of shots and got “7-1” Mousa Cisse into foul trouble, and did a strong job of blocking out Cowboy players. Sanogo also had 2 steals. Sanogo still has plenty of work to do on offense in practice, as he reverted to looking for his shot and not sharing the ball in the second half, resulting in some ugly shots and disgruntled teammates. Ultimately though, he was still fabulous for most of the game.

Andre Jackson, Human Highlight Machine

As he has returned from injury, Jackson has gotten better from game to game, at least from my perspective. While the junior did not have a double-double like the previous game against Iowa State, Jackson had his most efficient offensive game of the season with 11 points on 4-7 shooting and 2 free throws, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists with no turnovers. Jackson attacked the basket and finished better than in previous games, and scored on a beautiful alley-oop dunk. More importantly, he took over the unofficial point guard role with Newton and Hassan Diarra both ineffective. There, Jackson did an excellent job of handling the ball throughout against a strong defense and pushed the tempo, especially in the first half. He delivered some pinpoint passes inside, especially to Sanogo, and was able to find Hawkins for open perimeter shots. Jackson was also again strong on the offensive boards. Just like last game, Jackson was everywhere on offense, getting loose balls, grabbing tough rebounds, and constantly moving the ball.

Jackson was no less dynamic on defense. In addition to his three steals, Jackson forced multiple travels or offensive fouls and loose balls, and regularly altered shots around the rim. His athleticism allowed him to hound ball-handlers as well as to beat OSU players to rebounds, as he had 7 defensive boards. Jackson has become more disciplined on defense since returning, as he committed just three fouls in 30 minutes despite the highly physical play. It does not matter how many points Jackson puts up on a given night. He can make an impact in so many ways that he is the straw that stirs the drink for UConn.   

UConn Needs to Step Up its Rebounding

One of Oklahoma’s State’s biggest strengths is its work on the boards, and they outclassed the Huskies there, especially in the second half when Cisse reentered the game. The Cowboys won the rebounding battle 39-35 overall, and outrebounded UConn on the defensive end 26-22. It did not do a good enough job of boxing out or anticipating rebounds, especially defensive ends. While a lot of praise goes to OSU’S effort, the Huskies appeared tired as the game went on (it was their fourth game in seven days) and a lack of focus in the second half after the team had established a comfortable lead.     

UConn’s performance on the boards, and the struggles of its bigs besides Sanogo, can also be somewhat attributed to the absence of Samson Johnson and the inexperience of Karaban and Donavon Clinigan. Karaban has been run ragged due to Samson’s injury and Hurley’s confidence in him. He played 38 minutes against Iowa State and over 25 minutes against both Alabama and Oregon. Karaban has justified all the minutes with his quality play across the board, but it finally caught up to him against Oklahoma State, as he scored just six points and missed the trio of 3-pointers he took. Karaban fought valiantly against Boone defensively and on the boards, grabbing six rebounds, but he lacked the strength and athleticism in check. Clinigan was of no help, failing to score in seven minutes and picking up two fouls that forced him to sit the remainder of the game. Considering how great he has been recently, it is easy to wave off his performance as a mulligan. Having Johnson against Oklahoma State and similarly constructed teams will be huge, as it will give UConn another big who is a strong rebounder and an already proven rim protector, which the team does not really have right now. And obviously, it will take a load of Karaban and Sanago. Let’s hope he is back for Big East play as has been reported.

UConn’s Transfer Guards Need to be More Consistent Offensively

While Joey Calcaterra continues to be effective against tough competition (he had nine points and two 3-pointers against OSU) and turning into a folk hero among the fans, Naheim Alleyne, Newton and Diarra have been all over the place recently. Alleyne played himself out of a starting spot the last four games, scoring a combined six points while shooting 0-9 from deep (he was scoreless against the Cowboys in 10 minutes, missing both his shots). Alleyne is now hooting just 23% from three, and he has not made up for it enough by getting quality jumpers or reaching the free throw line, where Alleyne is outstanding. His defense has been his saving grace while his shooting is off, but Alleyne played poorly on defense against OSU when he was in, failing to switch correctly or cut off drives several times. Hurley will give Alleyne plenty of opportunity to prove himself, and he has too much history as a quality shooter to not step up in big moments at some point if he stays healthy. Right now, however, UConn fans have plenty of justified reasons for being frustrated with Alleyne.

Newton has been all over the place with his numbers throughout the season, but the last two games have been especially frustrating the last three games. He did little offensively in the first half against both Alabama and Iowa State and committed eight turnovers in the second game. Against Oklahoma State, Newton scored just two points on 1-5 shooting, did not get to the free throw line, and had just one assist. Jackson appeared to take over many of the major point-guard opportunities as the game went on, but there is still no excuse for Newton to be that little involved on the offensive end, and be somewhat passive early in general. Yes, the Huskies have more talent than it appeared coming into the season, but Newton will be one of the most important players when all is said and done.

While Diarra has been solid as a backup point guard on defense, his offense has been mostly down starting with the Phil Knight Invitational. He went scoreless in eight minutes against Oklahoma State, missing three shots and getting no assists, and scored just a combined nine points at the Invitational while going 2-10. Diarra’s 3-point shot has been off all season, and his ball-handling continues to be inconsistent. Hopefully, Diarra can continue to bring it on defense and get more comfortable offensively once UConn enters Big East play.   

UConn Dominant Across the Board in Winning The PK85 Invitational

Starting with UConn’s coming-out party as a national power in the early 90’s up through Kevin Ollie’s 2014 championship squad, the Huskies had plenty of signature regular season performances over the span of just a few days, with these weeks frequently being a signal of tournament success down the line. These unforgettable weeks dried up in the last few years of Ollie’s tenure, and Dan Hurley had not quite brought them back even as the program improved the last three seasons. Until now.

UConn‘s performance at the Phil Knight Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend was remarkable. The Huskies curb—stomped their way through the competition in Portland to win the championship. They blew out Oregon on Thanksgiving and then wearing down and pulling away from Alabama and then Iowa State in the tourney title game. Ultimately, UConn won the games by an average of 19 points, improving to 8-0 and jumping all the way to No. 8 in the AP Top 25.

As I discuss more below, the games were especially satisfying to watch because of the unique ways UConn won them. Against Oregon, it won 83-59, setting a program record for 3-pointers made in a game with 17 and completely shutting down the Ducks backcourt. It then beat a highly talented Alabama team with more excellent defense and star performances by Adama Sanago and Jordan Hawkins. Finally, the Huskies overcame Iowa State’s relentless defense and foul trouble, relying on their dominance of the boards and great performances on both ends by freshman Donavon Clinigan and Andre Jackson to win 71-53. The team’s depth and cohesiveness were reflected in Clinigan being awarded the tournament MVP.

UConn has won all its games by at least 15 points, and scored over 70 in each while holding opponents under 60 five times. It has shot up to No. 6 in the KenPom standings, and is the only program in the country that is ranked in the top 10 in both the site’s offensive and defensive algorithms. It is also the highest UConn has been ranked in the poll since it was ranked eighth in January of 2012. The team’s start makes a compelling case that it is the most talented team UConn has had since then, and that the Huskies are very capable of winning the Big East and going on a significant run during March Madness. I know that things can change quickly, especially due to injury, but I am sky high on the Huskies right now.      

Here are a few observations about UConn’s play at the Phil Knight Invitational.

Huskies Display Their Ability to Pull Away Against Quality Opponents

Last season, UConn had an ugly habit of getting ahead against good teams, and then allowing them to rally back before losing by a few baskets. It hurt their seeding in the NCAA Tournament and then defined its loss to New Mexico State in the first round. This group is very different however, and eventually put its boot on the neck of Alabama and Iowa State and did not take it off.

First, the Huskies poor shooting early in the second half allowed the Crimson Tide to rally from 14 points down and tie the game multiple times. With less than nine minutes remaining, UConn completely flipped the script when Sanago and Hawkins returned from foul trouble and Newton got hot. Sanago and Newton went on a 16-1 run all their own. Sanago started dominating in the paint and hit a three, while Newton started bullying his way to the line and hit a three, ultimately giving the Huskies a 68-53 lead with less than six minutes remaining. Sanago finished with 25 points, and Newton had 9 with eight assists and four steals. Three other players (Hawkins, Alex Karaban, and Joey Calcaterra) were in double figures.

While UConn led the entire time against ISU, the Cyclones were able to keep it close with their defense, as the Huskies struggled to make shots and committed a lot of sloppy turnovers. ISU got it to within single digits in the open minutes of the second half, and trailed 53-48 with 9:47 remaining and Hawkins on the bench with four fouls (He would never return). Alex Karaban immediately kickstarted a 7-0 run with a three, and the Huskies ability to continue to dominant the boards, attack the basket and get easy looks and free throws for Newton and Clinigan, and most importantly play outstanding defense let them immediately regain control of the game and cruise to the victory. Clinigan had 15 points and 10 rebounds on 5-6 shooting, and Andre Jackson was everywhere on defense and contributed 10 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

The mental toughness and poise UConn so far in not only these two games and throughout the season has been remarkable to see. Even when it has been cold on offense or struggling with foul trouble or turnovers, the players and Dan Hurley have been calm and communicated well with one another, eventually finding a solution to these problems. This is despite incorporating so many new players, who have immediately brought into UConn’s culture and established chemistry with the returnees. These qualities that the team has showed it should be able to keep its cool against any team, no matter the stage.

Offense Shows Remarkable Depth Throughout the Entire Invitational   

Throughout the preseason, Hurley and his staff along with the players were always talking about how UConn would have great depth and more versatility on both ends due to their experienced transfers and the skills of Karaban and Clinigan. Through the first five games, that depth was on display and much needed because of the absence of multiple starters at different times. Still, fans still needed to see that many players could make an impact against quality teams, and the Phil Knight Invitational was a perfect stage to have their questions answered. Suffice to say, the Huskies answered any and all doubters.   

Tristen Newton was the lynchpin of the offense through all three games. Newton averaged 15 points, 5.7 assists and 4 rebounds while also snatching six steals. He shot 52% overall, 8-12 from three and     15-17 at the free throw line. Newton is becoming more comfortable as the team’s point guard, and displayed poise, a strong handle, and the ability to find open teammates for quality scoring opportunities, especially against Oregon and Alabama. While Newton was still inconsistent at making shots inside the arc, his 3-point shot was much cleaner in the tourney and he demonstrated the ability to both shoot from the top of the key and off screens. And of course, Newton continued to be a machine at getting to and converting at the free throw line, especially during scoring runs. Newton has clearly become more comfortable from game to game, and I think he has already established himself as a strong replacement for R.J. Cole.

Adama Sanago did not quite play at an All-American level in the Invitational, but he was still solid offensively against Oregon and dominant at times versus Alabama. Sanago plaid second fiddle to Newton in the quarterfinals bit still had a very efficient day, scoring 12 points on 5-7 shooting with 6 rebounds (2 offensive). In the semifinals, he was a huge handful in the paint on his way to 25 points on 8-12 shooting, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. Sanogo did an outstanding job in that game of both bullying defenders and scoring on jumpers and shot fakes, as well as passing out of the post. His offensive performance against Ohio State was ugly and marred by foul trouble (just 4 points on 1-5 shooting in 22 minutes), but Sanago at least contributed some solid defense to make up for it. Considering how hard-working and intelligent Sanago is, I have no doubt that he will get in the gym and work on what he needs to do to be more efficient against Oklahoma State Thursday and going forward.

The rest of the team made their unique contributions on offense throughout the three games. Hawkins brough some much needed sharpshooting in the first two games, scoring a combined 34 points and shooting 42% overall and 8-20 from three. He showed the ability to knock down contested 3-pointers and help the Huskies go on key runs, while also driving to the hoop and making layups or free throws when needed. Alex Karaban continued to be a Swiss-Army knife for UConn, scoring when needed (especially on the perimeter), getting big offensive rebounds, and doing an outstanding job of moving the ball to teammates for scoring opportunities. Clinigan, who we will talk about more later, was a nightmare for the three opponents as a substitute for Sanogo. His height and bulk made it almost impossible for the defenders to contain Clinigan on alley-oops or putbacks, at least without fouling. The Bristol freshman also averaged 3 offensive rebounds in the tournament. Joey Calcaterra continued to be deadly on the perimeter, shooting 6-10 from three and averaging almost 10 points, and recorded four assists against Oregon. While Jackson’s scoring did not show up until the championship game, the junior still had five assists both in that game and against the Ducks, and grabbed three offensive rebounds against Alabama and ISU. Finally, Hassan Diarra came up with seven huge points in just 15 minutes, in addition to his usual strong defense.

UConn’s offensive depth is reflected in all the analytics they have recorded this season. It has assisted 65.9% of field goals, which ranks 10th in the nation. The team is 13th in offensive rebounding percentage (38.1), 19th in effective field goal percentage (56.8), 23rd in 2-point percentage (57.7), and 59th in 3-point percentage (37.1). The Huskies bench outscored its starters against Iowa State, and came close to doing so in the other two games. With the improved shooting and ball movement and handling of this year’s squad, UConn can have good offensive nights against any opponent, something which certainly not the case last season.

Defense and Rebounding Continues to be Outstanding Against Big Time Programs      

Over the last few seasons, UConn has been defined by its consistently strong defense and proficiency on the boards. So far this season that has not changed, especially with the added depth the team has. In the Phil Knight Invitational, the Huskies held Oregon, Alabama, and Iowa State under 45% shooting and 31.8% from three overall. Alabama and Oregon committed 21 and 17 turnovers respective, resly, and all three opponents had more turnovers than assists. Finally, UConn outrebounded Oregon and came close to doing so against an excellent rebounding Crimson Tide Squad. It then whipped Iowa State on the boards, outrebounding the Cyclones 46-19!, leading to a ton of second-chance points and fastbreak opportunities.

While the Huskies team defense was ultimately what stood out, there were a few individual players who had great performances. Newton did an excellent job of pressuring ball handlers up front and forcing difficult passes, and had a combined seven assists against Oregon and Alabama. The 6-5 Newton’s defensive rebounding was also excellent as always. Hawkins was a little too aggressive at times, resulting in foul trouble, but ultimately continued to demonstrate his improvement as an on-ball defender. The duo of Sanago and Clinigan shut down the frontcourt frequently. Sanago was great on the defensive boards and consistently altered shots. Clinigan completely blocked shooters from getting to the rim, and grabbed a combined 14 defensive rebounds in the three games and had four blocks against Oregon. Ultimately however, UConn’s great defensive performance was captured through the incomparable work of Jackson.

Jackson established himself as arguably the best defender in the Big East last season, and despite playing just four games so far, he may be the favorite for that crown. The junior’s on-ball defense was spectacular in the tournament against both guards and forwards. Jackson constantly forced difficult passes and altered shots, and helped set up steals and blocks for both himself and teammates. He also did an outstanding job of rebounding on defense and recorded several contested rebound opportunities. Jackson had two steals against Oregon and Iowa State, blocks against Alabama and ISU, and averaged six offensive boards per game, including 10 against the Cyclones. Jackson’s athleticism and hustle was constantly on display in the three games as he leapt off the TV screen, and impressed both the announcers and opposing coaches. The Invitational was another reminder of why Jackson can be one of UConn’s most valuable players even when he is not scoring much.

Dan Hurley Continuing to Come into His Own as a Head Coach

After UConn’s first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament last season, there was a lot of grumbling about Hurley’s ability to take UConn to the next level. That grumbling kicked into overdrive after the Huskies had four players transfer in the offseason. Hurley blocked out these criticisms and immediately set about looking for quality transfers who could address the program’s shortcomings last season (inconsistent outside shooting, ball-handling, quality defenders on the perimeter and small forward with size), and be a good fit alongside the remaining roster as well as Karaban and Clinigan. Hurley seems to have hit the jackpot with his portal additions, and made adjustments to UConn’s playing style which have turned them into a more well-rounded squad. Factor in all of this as well as Hurley’s calmer demeanor on the sidelines, and you have a squad that is looking like one of the best squads in America after this past weekend.

At the PKI85, Hurley did a great job of making substitutions which had an immediate impact on both ends, especially offense. This was especially apparent in the finale against Iowa State when Hurley took out Hawkins with nearly 16 minutes remaining when he got two fouls (the second a technical for arguing the first call), and did not put him back in for the rest of the game. This sent a message to Hawkins about he needed to better control his emotions and be more disciplined on defense. Hurley also recognized that Sanago was struggling and rode Clinigan as a result, being rewarded with a dominant performance that helped the Huskies pull away. Other examples of smart decisions in the final included Hurley recognizing that Diarra matched up well against the Cyclones and using him heavily in the first half with Newton in foul trouble, giving Jackson significantly more minutes, and maintaining his cool when the referees were making very questionable foul calls. The ability to effectively substitute, maintain composure and allocate minutes was consistently on display against both Oregon and Alabama as well. Throughout the tournament, Hurley also switched up defenses when needed, with examples being occasionally using zone and relying on the high hedge regularly against the Crimson Tide.

The maturity and adaptability Hurley has demonstrated from the beginning of his UConn tenure until now has been remarkable. He will make poor decisions and deal with significant challenges as UConn plays more close games and must face quality Big East opponents at least two times, but this is a mature team that appears to be more prepared for those challenges than last season. If Hurley can keep these  Huskies as one of the best teams in America, Storrs will continue to be a destination for great recruits and transfers as long as he is there.  

Observations on Last Week’s Win: A Dominant Sanogo, Strong Defense and Sensational Freshmen

It was a fun but tense first week of the season for UConn. The transfer-heavy Huskies, who were already missing Andre Jackson for the first few games due to a finger injury, had to endure Jordan Hawkins suffering a concussion early in its opener against Stonehill (Hawkins is progressing well and should make his return against UNC-Wilmington Friday). Despite the big loss and 3-point shooting struggles, UConn defeated Stonehill handedly 85-54, as freshman Alex Karaban and Donavon Clinigan immediately impressed.

On Tuesday, the team learned that Samson Johnson suffered a foot injury in the win and would be out indefinitely, leaving the Huskies down three starters for Friday’s matchup against Boston University. The players remained resultant however, with Adama Sanogo putting them on his back. After a strong first game, Sanogo was a monster against the Terriers, scoring 27 points on 12-15 shooting and grabbing 15 rebounds while also playing excellent defense. The offense improved and shot 10-21 from deep, and the Huskies again mostly played disciplined defense to win 86-57.

 Overall, UConn navigated the challenges of injury and a roster that lacked experience playing together in games with aplomb. Sanogo showed why he is a star, and each transfer and freshman who played demonstrated that they could bring unique skills to the table that make the team tougher to contain on both ends. The Huskies were sloppy on offense and lost focus on defense occasionally, but were largely in control throughout both games.

Below, I have a few observations on the positives and negatives I saw in the games as well as on the injury issues UConn’s experiencing:

  1. Adama Sanogo flashes new skills and shows why he was named pre-season Big East Player of the Year

After a breakout sophomore campaign, fans were excited to see what new skills Sanago showed and if he could step up when new players were struggling. Well, mission accomplished. Sanago averaged 23 points and 10.5 rebounds in the two wins while shooting 77%, and had a block and steal in each game. These numbers earned Sanago the Big East Player of the Week award. The junior center took advantage of the opponent’s small frontcourts to bully his way into the paint and get easy shots and rebounds. Sanago did an excellent job of finishing around the basket and displayed his remarkable footwork. Most importantly, he stepped out and hit jumpers outside of the paint in both wins, including two threes against BU. Sanogo’s form on these shots was impressive and bodes well for his ability to expand his range this season. Finally, Sanogo did a strong job of passing the ball out of the post and finding teammates, making impressive passes in both games.   

Sanogo also played strong defense against the overmatched Skyhawks and Terriers. His footwork was strong and he consistently altered shots. Sanogo was especially strong on the defensive boards and had 11 defensive rebounds against BU. If Sanogo can avoid foul trouble and stay healthy, he can be the lynchpin of an imposing defensive frontcourt.  

  • Transfers Show Strengths and Add Depth

It was a lot of fun to see the quartet of Tristen Newton, Naheim Alleyne, Hasson Diarra and Joey Calcaterra finally on the big stage for the Huskies, as I had no knowledge of them before they came to Storrs.

Diarra, a junior combo guard formerly of Texas A&M, probably had the best week of the quartet. He ran the point at times and averaged 8.5 points, 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. He was especially good against Stonehill, scoring 11 to go along with 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. The speedy Diarra did an excellent job of attacking the basket in both games and made some excellent passes for assists. He was particularly effective in the fastbreak. Diarra, who was known as a strong defender coming in, used his strength to body up players and force challenging shots. His active hands forced deflections and turnovers and eventually led to fastbreak points.

Alleyne, a guard whom played at Virginia Tech for three seasons, easily slipped into the role of a strong perimeter shooter and defender. Alleyne averaged 9.5 shots on 40% shooting. He had 11 points and drained three threes against BU, and was able to score on floaters and layups against Stonehill when his 3-pointers were not falling. Alleyne played lockdown defense in both games, and his constant pressure led to 4 steals against Stonehill. The maturity and smoothness that Alleyne was said to play with was consistently on display in both wins.

Newton, a senior combo guard, was up-and-down in his opening games at UConn. The former ECU star averaged 10 points but surprisingly struggled with his shots, making just 27% of them. However, he did go 10-14 at the free throw line. While Newton certainly did not have trouble getting open shots and attacking the basket, he just was not able to finish at times or took ill-advised shots. Newton did grab an impressive 11 defensive rebounds on the week. While Newton mostly looked comfortable running the offense, his ball-handling was inconsistent. He had three assists in the opener but committed four turnovers against the Terriers. While Newton wasn’t known for his defense at ECU, he was solid on that end in both games and able to mostly stay on players. While fans may have had higher expectations for Newton entering the week, his inconsistency was understandable considering Newton was filling a different role than he did at ECU and playing in a different offensive system. As he gets more accustomed to the role Hurley wants him to play and his new teammates, I am confident Newton will be a strong guard at UConn and have some big games this season.

Finally, senior Joey Calcaterra, aka Joey California, offered some much needed 3-point shooting in his limited minutes. Calcaterra, who previously played for the University of San Diego, shot a combined 3-6 from deep in the two games and averaged 5.5 points. While his defense was shaky, he came up with 2 steals against BU and grabbed 4 boards. While Calcaterra will likely play limited minutes when Jackson and Hawkins return and must improve his defense, his 3point shooting can offer the Huskies some key scoring off the bench this season when necessary.

  • Freshman are fun!

While expectations were certainly high for Alex Karaban and to a lesser extent Donavan Clinigan entering the season, it is safe to say that fans didn’t expect the pair to have such good performances in their first two games for UConn. With injuries allowing the pair more playing time against Stonehill and BU, they took advantage and then some.

Karaban was touted as a big with a lot of offensive versatility and basketball IQ since arriving on campus, and he showed these skills off consistently last week. The freshman forward from New Hampshire averaged 11.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2 rebounds, and had a steal in each game. His performance earned him Big East Freshman of the Week honors. He showed the ability to both score in paint and hit the occasional jumper. Karaban, who scored 13 points against the Skyhawks and 10 against the Terriers, made up for his troubles from deep by attacking the basket for buckets and free throe opportunities. Karaban’s passing stood out more than his shooting, however. He had a combined 7 assists against just one turnover, displaying great court vision and ball handling. Karaban made excellent passes, especially in the paint. His basketball IQ was on display both with his passing as well as ability to move without the ball and execute pick-and-rolls.

On defense, Karaban occasionally lost players but played good team defense and guarded the basket occasionally when needed. Overall, Karaban displayed a ton of confidence and smarts on the court and the ability to make contributions wherever they were needed. His versatility should allow him to consistently make contributions even against tough competition.

As great as it was to watch all the Huskies last week, the most fun player to see was by far Donavon Clinigan, and I believe most fans would agree. In just 31 minutes, the gigantic Bristol native averaged 9.5 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Clinigan mostly subbed for Sanago, but occasionally played alongside him to create a highly imposing frontcourt. Clinigan did an excellent job of finishing shots and getting putbacks. He had four offensive rebounds against BU and reached the free throw line six times, making four shots. On defense, Clinigan did a strong job of anticipating shots and avoiding fouls. He had 4 blocks in the opener. Clinigan looked much quicker than expected while still displaying lots of muscle, showing the weight loss and strength training he put in during the preseason has been paying off. Clinigan will have a lot of ups and downs like any freshman big, especially against high-quality opponents, but he already looks like much less of a project than anticipated. And it is so much fan to have a Connecticut native to root for again.   

  • Defense and Rebounding Again Key to Team Identity

 For the last two seasons, UConn’s biggest strengths were their defense, especially in the paint, and rebounding, particularly on the offensive end. Stonehill and BU were not exactly Creighton and Villanova, but the Huskies looked pretty much the same last week. On defense, Alleyne, and Diarra pressured guards relentlessly and forced turnovers, and Sanogo, Clinigan and Karaban took terms altering shots and protecting the rim. UConn got a ton of put-backs and limited the opposition to very few second-chance opportunities. If it can consistently be strong in these areas when Jackson and Hawkins return like last year, the Huskies will have a chance to win pretty much every game.

  • Team Needs to be More Disciplined on Offense and Consistent from Deep

The largest areas of concern against Stonehill and Boston University was UConn’s sloppiness and lousy 3-point shooting against the Skyhawks and in the first half against the Terriers. The Huskies committed 29 turnovers against 33 assists in the wins. Newton’s ball-handling was surprisingly, as he had 6 turnovers and only 4 assists. Calcaterra was also loose with the ball, committing 5 turnovers, and Sanago had 5. Only Diarra and Karaban had strong assists-to-turnover ratios. The turnovers were less the result of strong defense by Stonehill and BU than UConn not protecting the ball well, leading to steals, and playing out of control at times. I am confident that Hurley will work with the players in practice to improve their ball-handling. When Jackson and Hawkins return and Newton hopefully gets more acclimated to his role, I believe the Huskies will be smarter with the ball against a large majority of teams.

UConn’s iffy 3-point shooting is a little stranger. Considering Alleyne came in as a proven sharpshooter, Diarra and Newton have been decent from three in their careers, and Karaban entered the program with a reputation as a strong perimeter shooter, and the level of competition the Huskies were facing, there is no reason they should be struggling this much. The team largely took high-quality threes in both games, with many shots rimming out. For now, I will chalk up this hiccup to the law of averages. Once Johnson and Hawkins return, UConn’s 3-point shooting should be better. It will need to be solid throughout the season to consistently stretch the floor and give Sanago more room to operate down low.

  • Richie Springs, Take a Bow

It has been a tough couple of years for Springs, who had to redshirt and then barely play the last two seasons. The junior has continued to work hard and stay upbeat however, and it paid off in the first half against BU when other bigs were in foul trouble. Springs had five points and two assists in 10 minutes while also grabbing a rebound. He looked composed on both ends and played solid defense in the paint. Springs has always looked solid in the very few minutes he’s played, and hopefully Hurley will reward him by giving him occasional minutes while Samson is out and UConn is playing an easy schedule.  

Fans Need to be More Positive About Team

During the few weeks leading up to UConn’s preseason against Stonehill Monday night, I noticed a frustrating trend from the Huskies fanbase: Way too many members of Husky nation are extremely cynical about this team. Yes, there is the small contingent whom are already certain UConn will be lifting the national championship trophy. But many, especially online, are constantly questioning the team’s reliance on transfers and the ability of certain players to live up to the hype. These fans are especially skeptical of Dan Hurley’s ability to adjust as a coach and lead the Huskies to greater postseason success.

I don’t mind reasonable skepticism about UConn’s ability to be successful this season, and share a lot of the same questions and concerns as these fans to some extent. However, this cynicism is misplaced. Yes, there will be growing pains as the team integrates a lot of new faces and probably new styles of play (four-out on offense and a faster pace of play, zone on defense), and the Huskies will eventually have to demonstrate they can consistently win close games against tough opponents. But there will also be more depth and likely offensive versatility than the last few seasons, players are primed to take large steps forward, and the transfers each offer clear strengths already. The beginning of the UConn season is a time for optimism, not worry.

First, I believe the fanbase is expressing too much concern about transfers Tristen Newton (senior guard), Hassan Diarra (junior guard), and Naheim Alleyne (senior guard). UConn has shown already that they can develop transfers from smaller conferences into impact players in R.J. Cole and Tyrese Martin, and that will continue.

Newton, a 6-5, 190-pound combo guard, had a huge season at East Carolina last season, averaging 17.7 points and 5 assists and earning First Team All-AAC honors. He averaged just under 12 points overall in three seasons at ECU. Newton showed last season that he can take over games and be a floor general against strong competition, and brings more size and speed to UConn’s backcourt.

As he gets comfortable against the tougher competition, Newton should develop into a go-to scorer for the Huskies. He does not need to be the guy constantly handling the ball for UConn with Andre Jackson and Diarra also right there, and I don’t expect him to be. Newton just needs to gain the trust of his teammates and Hurley and demonstrate reliable ball-handling. By the middle of the season, I think Newton will be main guy the team relies on to attack the rim and get big-time buckets and free throws in crunch time. Dan Hurley has indicated he has high expectations for Newton and that he needs to work hard to meet them, and I believe Newton can meet Hurley’s demands.

 While Newton’s success will likely depend on his ability to create offense for both himself and others and make baskets when the game is on the line, Darra’s will depend on him being a junkyard dog and doing all the little things, especially on defense. The 6-2, 190-pound combo guard from Queens and Texas A&M is highly regarded as an on-ball defender and can use his size and strength to force turnovers. He showed at A&M that he can be a primarily ball-handler when necessary, and improved his assist-to-turnover ratio tremendously from freshman to sophomore year.

While Diarra is still an inconsistent offensive player, he similarly made strides as a shooter and demonstrated he could be a threat behind the arch, most memorably in the Big 12 Tournament. Diarra was highly regarded by the Aggies coaches for his work ethic and competitiveness, and all reports indicate Hurley and his staff feel the same way. I strongly believe that Darra’s strength and competitiveness could help him develop into a solid rebounder for a guard of his size.

Diarra seems like he is destined to eventually become a fan favorite at UConn. With his defense, ability to play the point, and improved shooting, he could be a sparkplug off the bench or an ideal running partner for Andre Jackson, Newton, and Jordan Hawkins. Diarra showed off his versatility against Stonehill (11 points on 5-8 shooting, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals) as well as his intensity. Reports coming out in the preseason said that Diarra was demonstrating improved shooting and the ability to run the offense effectively, and Hurley seems to get the most out of any player who plays all out. In a few years, Diarra could emerge just like Christian Vital did as a senior.

While Alleyne players shooting guard and not forward, it appears to me his game is a better, more complete version of Tyler Polley. The 6-4, 195-pound senior transfer was a reliable perimeter scorer in three seasons at Virginia Tech and made 37.3% of his threes for the Hokies last season. He is over 38% in his career from deep. While Alleyne missed all four threes, he took against Stonehill, there is no reason to think those numbers will not be similar at UConn. With his size and shooting range, Alleyne should open up the offense for whomever else is on the floor.

Alleyne is more than just a 3-point specialist, however. He is considered a solid defender, and had four steals in the opener. Alleyne can play at small forward against certain teams and has been both a starter and sixth man. His maturity and extensive experience playing in a high-major league can allow him to be a leader for the Huskies, especially in these first few weeks while Jackson and possibly Hawkins are out with injury.

Most of the feedback about Alleyne’s play in the preseason was positive, and Hurley expressed satisfaction with the flexibility he offers UConn on both ends of the court. Alleyne is the perfect complimentary player every good program needs to improve.

I have become even more frustrated over the skepticism fans have in the ability of Adama Sanogo, Andre Jackson and Jordan Hawkins to become more complete and efficient players. All the offseason work Sanogo put in to expand his game, and the team’s efforts to make the offense more flexible, can allow him to be the Big East Player of the Year. Fans have read the reports/stories and seen video about Adama expanding his shooting range and passing ability, and his passing certainly looked much smoother against Stonehill. I expect Sanogo to become a more disciplined defender over the course of the year as well, especially if Hurley fully adjusts the defense so Sanogo must defend the high hedge less. I also think that with the encouragement of Hurley, Sanogo will be more aggressive offensively (more dunks please!). Finally, the likely improvement of the Huskies shooting can make it much easier for Sanogo to score and create offense for others. Fans will have to wait a while to see if he can consistently make jumpers against good teams when the opportunity arises. But Sanogo has told the rest of the Big East for two years that they should not bet against him.

Andre Jackson is already likely the most essential player to UConn reaching its ceiling not named Sanogo, as well as my favorite Husky now that Martin left. He improved tremendously as a defender (I would argue he is one of the best in the Big East) and rebounder last season, and as a ball-handler in the second half of the season. While Jackson’s offensive game was extremely inconsistent and his shooting mechanics remained ugly, he significantly improved his shooting last season and was a 3-point threat, albeit with very few attempts. With all the hard work Jackson put in to improve those mechanics and ability to finish at the rim during the offseason, and the positive feedback Hurley and reporters have given about those efforts, I think Jackson will be a more aggressive offensive player and consistent scoring threat. He may even be able to average double digits.

While I am excited about Jackson’s potential to improve as a scorer, I am way more bullish in his ability to run the offense and create good scoring opportunities for others. Jackson’s speed, vision and unselfishness is unique, especially for a forward. If he can just be more disciplined and not always go for the spectacular pass, he can be a nightmare for defenders, especially on the fastbreak. Throw in Jackson’s eagerness to embrace the role of the Huskies vocal leader, and there is a reason Hurley thinks Jackson is the heart and soul of the team. I need a little time to see if Jackson can really be a point guard like he claims, especially if Jackson is rusty when he returns from injury in a week or so, but the NBA will come calling if he can.

I am a little less confident in Hawkins’s ability to take as big of a leap offensively as fans and pundits are predicting, and that the added muscle and weight he put on in the offseason will still make it easier for him to score and avoid injury. And of course, that fear of him getting injured has only increased since his possible concussion against Stonehill that will keep him out at least one game. Hawkins has excellent shooting mechanics and was consistently praised for the offensive improvements he showed in preseason practice and scrimmages by both Hurley and reporters. While James Bouknight was better as a freshman than Hawkins, Hurley has shown the ability to develop talented freshman into sophomore stars in both Bouknight and Sanago. There is a reason NBA scouts are so high on him and he is already projected to be a first-round pick if he leaves UConn. If Hawkins can improve his ball-handling and ability to score around the rim, Hawkins will be a double-digit scorer and could consistently take over games. And as a result, UConn will likely go on a postseason run and put Hawkins in position to be a possible lottery pick next summer. 

Finally, I feel a small but loud contingent of fans believe that based on the last two seasons, Dan Hurley is incapable of winning a majority of close games against quality teams and taking the Huskies to a Big East Tournament championship and far in the NCAA tournament. These fans have unrealistic expectations for Hurley and can sound ridiculous when saying he should be fired if UConn does not get to the Sweet 16 or further in the next two seasons. I am frustrated by how the past two seasons ended, and feel that Hurley can be too slow to make in-game adjustments and call timeouts, especially in their final minutes. His tendency to always be highly emotional in games also appears from my high to have a negative effect when the players are struggling. Still, Hurley’s strengths fair outweighs his faults. He appeared to make the necessary roster adjustments in the offseason for UConn to became a more well-rounded team.

Hurley is an excellent defensive coach, and his teams the last two seasons have been especially strong at guarding the paint and getting blocks, led by the incomparable Isiah Whaley. With the departure of Martin to the NBA and Whaley and Cole to other professional leagues, Hurley made sure to bring in two well-regarded defenders in Diarra and Alleyne. While Hurley’s offenses have been more limited, he made a concentrated effort to add better shooting and ball-handling through both the portal and recruiting (for this season and next). As already stated, generating improved perimeter shooting should give Sanago more space to operate in the post, which he frequently lacked last season.

In regards to returning players, Hurley has been clear that he plans on playing Jackson at point guard frequently when he returns. While that is an audacious move to make with a guy that was recruited as a forward and has been sloppy with his passing at times, it has a ton of upside. Jackson has outstanding court vision and length and has improved his ball handling, and a point guard with his speed and size could help UConn run a devastating fastbreak. Finally, Hurley has indicated he is willing to play more zones and other defensive styles with this year’s team instead of being so reliant on the high hedge. I think doing so successfully will help the big guys a ton, especially Sanago and Clinigan, and possibly allow the Huskies to have more energy for the end of games.

I am sure I will be plenty critical of Hurley on this blog at times throughout the season, especially if the Huskies continue to lose close games like they did last year. But if Hurley truly can adjust and learn from his mistakes, this is the year the team should break through in March Madness and win a few games. Who knows what will happen in future seasons, but it is nice to have a top-5 recruiting class coming to Storrs next season.

I urge Husky nation to embrace this fun team with so many newcomers. Enjoy the opening slate of games and the opportunity to see less experienced players contribute, and do not freak out if UConn drops a game or two when they start facing powerful out-out conference teams. This group has the talent to seriously challenge for the Big East titles and go on a tournament run, and is showing a lot of promise already despite missing some key players. If UConn has a strong year, it will put them in position to likely challenge for a Final Four in the next couple of years with the talent coming in. Support the players and enjoy the ride!

Observations on Big East Tournament Games and Team Overall: Sanago at a Crossroads, Martin on Fire, and Questions About 3-Pointers

With the best UConn men’s basketball team since the 2014 season (in my humble opinion) ready to enter the NCAA tournament, a lot of fans will want to just completely focus on the tourney results and not dwell on what the Huskies accomplished either during the regular season or Big East tournament. There are a lot of valuable observations and lessons that can be taken from their conference tournament performance as the No. 3 seed, a quarterfinal win against Seton Hall and semifinal loss to eventual champion Villanova. In particular, I learned a lot from the performances of Adama Sanago and Tyrese Martin and how the team used them in the games.

The 62-52 quarterfinal win against sixth-seeded Seton Hall on Thursday was easily one of UConn’s best performances of the season. Its defense was elite, holding the Pirates to 18 points in the first half and just 0.87 points per possession on 35.7% shooting. The defense, particularly Andre Jackson and Isiah Whaley, absolutely shut down Jared Rhoden and Alexis Yetna, holding the dynamic duo to a combined 13 points on 4-21 shooting. While the Huskies were not exactly lighting MSG on fire as they shot 36.1%, they 17 points each from R.J. Cole and Tyrese Martin, outrebounded Seton Hall 46-33 (five players had five or more boards), limited their turnovers and shot 12-14 from the free throw line, all formulas to tournament success.

While the UConn-Villanova semifinal game on Friday wasn’t quite as exciting as the second between the two a few weeks ago, it was close. While UConn came out on the losing end of a 63-60 game, it gave the Wildcats everything they had and led in the final minutes of the first half and early in the second. What ultimately did the Huskies in was their offensive struggles in the paint and beyond the arc and inability to stop Villanova from scoring at the rim in the second. After Jermaine Samuels and Brandon Slater burned UConn on 3-pointers in the first, Samuels continued his excellent play in the second and Colon Gillespie put on an offensive clinic, finding teammates for buckets with bounce passes and finishing with 10 assists. The Huskies inability to finish shots at the rim and find quality 3-point shooting opportunities doomed them as they tried to make a comeback. Martin was their only reliable offensive player on the night, scoring 19 on 7-17 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds and two steals.

While UConn may have lost in the Big East tournament semifinals for the second consecutive year, their outstanding win against Seton Hall and solid performance against Villanova, which is a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, bode well for how compeubjtitive they can be in March Madness. The Huskies, whom are seeded No. 5 in the West Region, will play No. 12 New Mexico State in the first round and should be solidly favored. After the Big East tourney, fans and the medica can feel up about the play of Martin and Andre Jackson, UConn’s excellent rebounding, especially on the offensive end, and overall defense on the interior. However, there are legitimate concerns about the play of Adama Sanago, UConn’s inconsistent shooting and the thinness of the bench. I address these subjects and more below, as well as my overall positivity about the team’s ability to go on a tournament run.

The Curious Case of Adama Sanago

There are two versions of Adama Sanago. One is the Sanago that is scoring effectively and aggressively around the basket, getting teammates involved on offense and dominating on both the boards and defense while avoiding foul trouble, even if these elements aren’t all happening at the same exact time. The other is the Sanago that is hesitant on offense and missing easy shots at the rim and or not sharing the basketball with teammates when well-guarded, struggles with foul trouble and gets lost on defense, leading to easy baskets for opponents. Good Sanago is the extremely gifted sophomore who was named First-Team All-Big East and nominated for the Kareem-Abdul-Jabber Award, which recognized the top five big men in the country. Unfortunately, the Huskies got Bad Sanago on offense at the Big East Tournament, and it especially cost them against Villanova.

After consecutive games where he didn’t play well offensively and struggled on defense against Creighton, Sanago ended his regular season on a high note against DePaul with a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds, giving fans hope that he would have strong games against Seton Hall and then Villanova. Sanago had been excellent against both teams in UConn’s most recent games against them. Instead, he had ugly offensive performances against both teams. Sanago shot just 2-11 against Seton Hall and scored just six points, and then had 15 points on 6-15 shooting against the Wildcats and went 3-7 from the free throw line. Sanago committed two turnovers in both games and had a single block between the two, coming against the Pirates. There were bright spots, as Sanago grabbed a combined 24 rebounds against the teams and generally avoided foul trouble while playing solid defense.

Against Seton Hall, Sanago did not obtain a lot of high-quality shots, as the Pirates did a very good job of not allowing him to get position deep in the paint and playing him aggressively without fouling. However, there was still no excuse for Sanago not to make at least a couple of more shots. While his performance was concerning, it was less of an issue with the Huskies ahead virtually the entire game, and I was pretty confident that he would have a better game against a Villanova defense that wasn’t quite as good or had the length of Seton Hall. I was very wrong. Despite being able to establish strong position in the paint and getting a decent amount of open looks against the Wildcats, Sanago consistently missed shots within five feet of the rim, a few times even badly. While he was able to get to the line seven times, Sanago missed four of the shots. The sequence that summed up his struggles came when he got the ball on four straight possessions and scored just one point, missing free shots and a free throw during the stretch. Sanago still ended the game with a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds and was far from the only UConn player that had an ugly offensive day, as Isiah Whaley went scoreless and R.J. Cole 1-6 on 3-pointers. However, his team probably would have won if Sanago had hit just two or three of his open looks at the rim.

For Sanago, who played poorly in last season’s first-round NCAA tourney loss to Maryland, it is time to step up Thursday. He should have a big advantage against New Mexico’s state front line and if the Huskies most likely face Arkansas in the second round, a favorable matchup as well. Sanago needs to start either using the backboard or dunking the ball more on his shots to make it easier for him to score, and absolutely needs to involve his teammates more when well-guarded against the high-quality defenses he could consistently face in March Madness. At the same time, he needs to show a killer instinct offensively every second he is on the floor. I am expecting Sanago to rebound well against any opponent he faces and play good defense against most of them as long as he avoids foul trouble. If he isn’t efficient and smart offensively however, UConn will be in trouble and games could turn ugly.

Tyrese Martin Emerging as a Star on the Biggest Stage

My man crush on Martin is well-documented, and every UConn fans knows how important his versatility on both ends of the floor has been to the team’s success this year. He still seems to be overshadowed by Cole and Sanago and not fully appreciated by the media however, as he was snubbed for each of the All-Big-East teams despite averaging 13.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2 assists per game despite missing four games due to a wrist injury and dealing with lingering effects to his wrist throughout the season. Martin, whose big personality and competitiveness has always been a treat to see, was sufficiently motivated by the slight and said he would get back at it by trying to earn the conference tournament MVP award. While he didn’t quite reach that goal, Martin still earned a place on the All-Tournament team by averaging 18 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2 steals and assists against Seton Hall and Villanova.

Martin was outstanding on both ends in each game and especially against Seton Hall. The senior forward spent the whole game trash-talking the Pirates and absolutely shut down Pirates star Jared Rhoden, limiting him to 7 points on 2-13 shooting. Martin made some tough mid-range shots whenever the Huskies needed them, distributed the ball well (4 assists) and was strong on the boards as always with 8 rebounds. Against Villanova Martin was by far the most reliable offensive player, going 4-8 from three, and helped keep UConn in the game in the second half with multiple 3-pointers. As in the first game, his defense and rebounding continued to be strong.

Martin could be a nightmare for New Mexico State and any other NCAA Tournament opponents to content with. His ability to contribute in nearly every facet of the game, as well as his 3-point shooting (43.9%) in Big East play, can allow him to make a difference even if his shot isn’t falling. In addition, Martin is arguably UConn’s emotional leader along with Whaley and can help his teammates get through any struggles and intimidate opponents. As long as Martin is having a strong offensive game and can mostly avoid his issues with fouling and turnovers, it will be very hard for the Huskies to lose to an opponent.

UConn Continues to Dominate the Boards While Improving its Ball-Handling

Everyone already knows the Huskies rebounding prowess, especially when on offense, but there were still occasional games throughout the season when UConn had fewer rebounds than opponents even when the team had a clear advantage in this area normally. This has not been a problem lately, as the Huskies won the rebounding battle comfortably in the final few regular season games and then against Seton Hall and Villanova. This especially made a huge difference against Seton Hall, as their second-chance opportunities helped overcome a poor shooting night. While UConn did not convert on many of its second-chance opportunities against the Wildcats, their offensive rebounding helped to eat up clock and limit Villanova’s scoring opportunities. The Huskies talent on the boards will help nullify New Mexico State’s strength in this area as well. If they advance and most likely face Arkansas, they are better on the boards on paper as well.

While UConn’s struggles where turnovers have been a problem throughout the season, it has improved its ball-handling remarkably since early February, a huge factor in the team’s success late in the season. That continued in the Big East tournament, as the Huskies committed 17 turnovers against 22 assists, and only 7 versus Villanova. As a team, their turnover rate of 17.4% ranks 110th in the country. It is still higher than a team of their caliber should have, but the improvement is a good indicator for NCAA tourney success. New Mexico State forces turnovers just 16.4% of the time and Arkansas 17.4%.

Most of UConn’s improved numbers in the turnover department can be attributed to the improvement of Andre Jackson when handling and passing the ball. After being a turnover machine at times for much of the season, Jackson has not committed more than one turnover in six consecutive games while averaging four assists per game during this span. Jackson has not been as reckless when running the fastbreak and cut down on making risky passes that teammates are not ready far while still showcasing his outstanding his outstanding court vision. While his minutes have been limited, Jalen Gaffney has been more careful with the ball when running the paint recently, and Jordan Hawkins has been more disciplined with his dribble when handling the ball, although Dan Hurley has rarely put him in the position to do so. If these players can continue to limit their turnovers and guys like Martin and Sanago can be more disciplined with the ball, then UConn’s offense can run a lot smoother in the tournament.

The 3-Pointer Conundrum

Entering the season, many fans were worried about how well UConn would shoot from deep after they didn’t get a sharpshooter on the transfer market. It was actually significantly better on 3-pointers than myself and many others thought they’d be, draining 35.3% of them overall (79th in the country) and 35.7% in conference play (fourth). While Cole and Gaffney’s numbers from deep fell, Martin improved significantly, as did Polley to a small extent and Jackson significantly. Add on the contribution of Hawkins (33.3%), and the Huskies 3-point shooting numbers were actually a strength of the time. At the same time, they were pretty inconsistent against high-caliber team and struggled mightily on threes in the last four games of the season (27.3% against Creighton and 30% against Seton Hall). The team also had issues getting Polley open for 3-point opportunities, with an example being him taking no more than three 3-pointers in any of the last five games.

After missing three games due to a concussion suffered against Creighton, Hawkins is expected to be able to play a significant number of minutes against New Mexico State. His presence will help make it easier for UConn to get good 3-point shooting opportunities in the NCAA Tournament. To go on a tournament run, it is essential that the Huskies shoot well from deep. It’s not only a skill that’s been demonstrated to be a barometer for tournament success over time, but will make it easier for Sanago to score as defenders will be drawn away from him. Martin needs to continue to make threes at a consistent clip, Cole needs to be more consistent and another player (likely Hawkins, Whaley or Jackson) will need to contribute at a decent clip. Most importantly, the team needs to find a way to get Polley a decent number of opportunities in every game it plays, particularly shots where he is set, and he needs to do his job and be the sniper he was recruited to the program to be. New Mexico State has held opponents to just 30% from deep (20th in the country), so the Huskies have their work cut out for them.  

While there’s legitimate concern about UConn’s ability to make threes, the bigger issue is allowing threes. It allowed all opponents to shoot 34.5% (233) and conference opponents to make 35.8% of treys). It allowed their last three opponents to shoot over 33% from three, and generally allowed a lot of opponents and players who weren’t particularly good from three this season to have very good nights against its defense (See Brandon Slater and Jermaine Samuels against Villanova). Part of opponent’s success from three against UConn is due to its defensive system, which prioritizes guarding the rim and not allowing ball handlers to beat them off the dribble. While the hard hedge is very successful on defense a majority of the time, it can make it harder for players to close out late on 3-point shooters. As I discuss more below, the Huskies have to be willing to make defensive adjustments to limit quality 3-point opportunities if a player or full team is going off. The players also need to communicate with one another to help limit kickouts and make sure players are capable of closing out efficiently.

New Mexico State and Arkansas are both poor 3-point shooting teams, although Vermont is an excellent one if they managed to pull off the upset against the Razorbacks. While a lot of luck is involved when team’s have especially good games from deep, I could absolutely see that being a big Achilles heel for UConn whenever it loses.

Will Dan Hurley be Flexible?

Hurley had a very good year. He continued to be an excellent defensive coach, tweaked things on offense in the second half of the season that allowed it to become more efficient and began to win more close games as the season went on. Hurley was also instrumental in helping Jackson and especially Sanago make big leaps as sophomores. At the same time, Hurley needs to be willing to make adjustments in a couple of areas in certain situations during March Madness, especially if the Huskies are losing to New Mexico State or another opponent down the round.

The first area UConn and Hurley need to be flexible is with their starting lineup. It has consistently started games out slow and a huge factor in this is the lack of offensive power in its regular lineup with Jackson and Whaley. As elite of a defender as Whaley is, I think that the team would generally be better off starting Polley or possibly Hawkins (although I very much doubt that will happen). Starting Polley involved could help him get going early and allow the Huskies to possibly stretch the floor at the same time, which could be a huge boom for Sanago. I am almost completely sure that Hurley would ride the starting lineup he has all season, but it would be interesting to see him change it and throw a wrinkle into the game plan of opponents, especially considering the strength of New Mexico State’s defense.

A second area Hurley needs to be flexible is making sure to his players that they cannot fall into a habit of feeding Sanago and watching him work, especially if Sanago is struggling. Instead, Sanago needs to be told to pass the ball out or to cutting teammates if he is not in good scoring position and then find methods for allowing Sanago to score more easily. Sanago should be very effective against New Mexico State, but UConn would need to continue to follow this strategy against any opponent it faces. Finally, Hurley needs to be way more flexible with his defense if the Huskies are struggling in the man-to-man and with playing the hard hedge, which would involve practicing it a decent amount in the leadup to Thursday’s game. I’d like to see him throw in some variation of a zone if the defense is shaky. Ditto with a box-and-one defense. If the team is consistently struggling to stop a single player, which in this scenario would likely be Aggies star Teddy Allen, I believe Hurley shouldn’t hesitate to double-team said player. Finally, I would love to see the Huskies press ball-handlers in an effort to get more transition opportunities. When you’re in the win-or-go-home situation of an NCAA tourney game, a team shouldn’t hesitate to try anything that might give them a better chance t

Observations About Last Week’s Games: Sanago is Inconsistent, Defensive Breakdowns Against Seton Hall and Questions About 3-point Shooting

This is the first of two articles I am going to write about the UConn men prior to their Big East tournament quarterfinal game against (likely) sixth-seeded Seton Hall (20-9) or No. 11 Georgetown (6-24), arguably the worst power conference team in the country. UConn, which easily swept the Hoyas and split their contests with the Pirates, suffered a frustrating 64-62 loss at Creighton last Tuesday before playing very well on Saturday’s Senior Day against a feisty DePaul squad in the 75-68 win. With their final win, the Huskies earned the tournament’s No. 3 seed when Creighton fell to Seton Hall later that day. The team officially ends the regular season 22-8, 13-6 in Big East play and having won six of seven games. It is the fewest losses a UConn team has had during a full regular season schedule since 2014, the last year it won a championship.      

No one except for R.J. Cole had a particularly effective game in the 64-62 loss to Creighton, which ended up being the only team to sweep the Huskies in conference play. The senior scored 20 points and had four assists, with the only black mark being his 2-7 shooting from three. Tyrese Martin scored 11 and had 5 rebounds but was limited to 25 minutes due to foul trouble and ended up fouling out, and the only other player with more than six points was Tyler Polley, who hit two 3-pointers. UConn’s offensive line was mostly ugly across the board, as it shot just over 40% and went 6-22 from beyond the arc while getting to the line just five times and making only two free throws. It took care of the ball (six turnovers) but had just seven assists. While it had 12 offensive rebounds, the team was ultimately outrebounded 37-33.

I talk a lot more about Adama Sanago below, but offensively he struggled to finish shots and convert on second-chance opportunities against “7-1” Ryan Kalkbrenner and help defenders, ultimately shooting just 6-16 for 13 points, although he had 16 rebounds. Andre Jackson and Isiah Whaley were left open purposefully by the defense as a gambit to force them to make outside shots and it worked, as the two combined to shot just 3-15 for 8 points. Jackson took a number of ugly jump shots in particular and was 0-6 from three. The Huskies shot selection was iffy throughout the game and Sanago and others could not finish shots at the rim. The inconsistent production by the big men and lack of outside shooting was a big factor in why the team trailed 34-24 at halftime, and even after they got it going early in the second half, that deficit and their defensive deficiency’s UConn was experiencing made a comeback win too steep of a hill to climb. It tied the game a couple of times, the last time at 50 on a Martin jumper with 8:18 to go, but never led.

Now about those defensive deficiencies, which again I discuss further below. UConn allowed Creighton, a decent offensive team that was missing its starting point guard and had gotten blown out by 21 against Providence a few days before, to shoot 49% overall and 53.5% on 2-pointers and earn 14 assists against 10 turnovers. In the first half it allowed big man Arthur Kaluma to go off and drain three treys despite being a terrible shooter from deep, and generally was able to beat defenders off the dribble and score in screen and roll action. The Huskies upped their ball pressure at the start of the second half and were able to force enough poor shots and turnovers to come back and tie the game, but the Bluejays and coach Greg McDermott eventually figured things out. McDermott began going to Kalkbrenner in the screen and roll action at the rim, and continued to feed him when adjustments were made. The rest, as they say, is history, with Sanago being the main player successfully targeted by Creighton. Kalkbrenner finished with 22 points, 20 in the second half, on 10-14 shooting and 10 rebounds. Kaluma put up 15 and Ryan Hawkins 13, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

There was one other big factor that possibly led to the loss. Jordan Hawkins, who had already been hit in the previous game, picked up a concussion on a great screen by Kalkbrenner that the much smaller freshman didn’t see. Hawkins, who was scoreless in five minutes up to that point, had to be removed from the game and is in concussion protocol, meaning he will almost definitely miss the Big East Tournament and could be a question mark for the Huskies first NCAA Tournament game as well. I will talk about the ramifications of this more in the next article, but suffice to say that his absence could cause huge ramifications on both sides of the ball and make it more difficult for the team to hit perimeter shots and space the floor.    

The win over DePaul Saturday went much smoother, as the Huskies controlled the action for most of the game and dominated the paint throughout. Sanago scored 12 of the team’s opening 14 points as he got the ball in excellent scoring position and overpowered defenders, and kept up his dominance on offense and the boards throughout the half, scoring 20 points. Whaley and Martin were also efficient in the first half and Jackson did a strong job of helping to run the offense and on defense. After some lax defense early, UConn tightened up and eventually took a double-digit lead, going into the locker room up 40-29. It continued to play well for most of the second half, with Martin especially doing an excellent job on the board and earning second-chance paints, and led 70-53 with 4:29 to go. Unfortunately, the Huskies continued their habit of taking their foot of the gas and let another inferior opponent make the game closer than it should be. DePaul star Javon Freeman-Liberty finally woke up after being held in check most of the night, and drained multiple threes to help cut the deficit to just five points before UConn closed the game out at the free throw line.

After maybe his most checkered game of the season, Sanago bounced back with 26 points and 11 rebounds on 10-16 shooting. Martin was a wrecking crew with 19 and 16, while Whaley went for 10 and 6. Jackson did a little bit of everything with 7 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. The only concerns on offense were UConn’s 3-point shooting, as it went 3-12, and the struggles of Cole, who ran the offense effectively but shot 1-9 for 3 points. The team outrebounded DePaul 49-31. The Demon Deacons shot just 39.4% overall but went 10-26 from beyond the arc. Freeman-Liberty had 22 and shot 3-5 from three.

Last week’s games offered plenty of exciting moments and reasons for optimism heading into tomorrow night, as well as some frustrating moments and reasons for pessimism entering the Big East Tournament. As I will discuss more in the next article however, overall, I am very excited to see the Huskies compete at MSG and legitimately believe this squad has the chance to win the whole thing if things fall their way. At their best, they have the athleticism and strength on defense to shut down the paint and alter perimeter shots as well as generate turnovers. On offense, they have the best big man in the Big East and one of the best guards and can score in a variety of ways and be dominant on the fastbreak and offensive boards. Certainly, winning the Big East tournament would be a great accomplishment for Dan Hurley and demonstrate that he is one step closer to making UConn a dominant program again.

Below, I discuss how the Seton Hall and DePaul games demonstrated the strengths and weaknesses of Sanogo’s game, the need for Dan Hurley to make adjustments on defense, the rocky but rewarding development of Andre Jackson and the team’s struggles from beyond the arc, among other topics.

The Ying and Yang of Adama Sanago

At this point, devoted UConn fans understand how important Sango is to the team’s success, and the ramifications it has on the team when he struggles on one or both ends of the court. He is one of the best big men in the country and especially on offense and as a rebounder, which was recognized by him being named to the Big East All-First Team on Monday. And yet when he struggles offensively, he can be a black hole and affect the Huskies spacing, and against certain opponents and big men he can struggle defensively, especially with all the hedging Dan Hurley asks his bigs.

Against Seton Hall, he struggled from the start and everything snowballed from there. On offense, Cole and others were able to get the ball to Sanago, but the Pirates defenders did a strong job of pushing him away from the basket without fouling. The sophomore struggled to finish make shots even if they were of high quality, with a lot of his misses just barely rolling off the rim. Sanago earned just two free throws, making one, and could have done a much better job of trying to force contact or attempting dunks. When he got the ball Sanago almost never passed it out even when he wasn’t in good shooting position, a frustrating habit that has consistently been an offensive weakness. Ultimately, Sanago shot just 6-16 to finish with 13 points and was visibly upset by his struggles. To his credit he was still great on the offensive boards, grabbing 5, and finished with 16 rebounds overall.

Even with Sanogo’s offensive struggles, UConn shot over 47% on 2-pointers and was efficient enough on offense in the second half to pull out a win. It was his weaknesses on defense, especially in the second half, that was probably the biggest factor in the Huskies losing. To be fair, Sanago had 6 blocks and was far from the only player that struggled defensively in the final 10 minutes of the game, and much of his defensive weakness was due to the system UConn uses, which I discuss more below. But in the end, the lasting image of the game for me will be Sanago being out of position or late to get back on Kalkbrenner as he easily made layups or dunks on screen and rolls. The defense decided to stick with Sanago doing hard hedges up near the 3-point line instead of initially defending the paint or playing Kalkbrenner one-on-one and it paid the price. By the end of the game, it was completely clear that Sanago, who played 37 minutes, was spent on both ends.

One great skill of Sanago is that he has repeatedly been able to rebound from subpar performances to play very well in the following game or games. I already discussed his play against DePaul above (26 points on 10-16 shooting and 11 rebounds) and Sanago definitely set the tone early and demonstrated UConn could get off to a strong start and dominate the Demon Deacons inside. He will definitely need to demonstrate this ability if the Huskies advance in tournament play. Sanago is the type of player who can carry the team on a run in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments, but his teammates and coach need to put him in position to succeed and he needs to be willing to involve others on offense.

The Creighton Loss Exposed the Weaknesses UConn Can Suffer from on Both Ends of the Floor

Again and again, the Bluejays have demonstrated to fans and opponents the best methods to beating UConn in different ways. Last week, they demonstrated how its inconsistent shooting, how best to attack the Huskies with screens and rolls and their reluctance to quickly change things up defensively.

On offense, the game showed how difficult it is for UConn to score if Sanago and other bigs are held in check and it is not making shots from the perimeter, as Cole cannot do everything himself. The Pirates invited Jackson and Whaley to take 3-pointers and the pair obliged, combining to go 1-9. Much has already been said about Jackson’s ugly stroke and as conference play as gone on his numbers from beyond the arc have predictably gone down. Whaley is inconsistent at best from beyond 15 feet, and if teams are able to effectively guard Polley and Hawkins on the perimeter then the Huskies are in trouble. It would have ben nice to see Cole and Martin pick up the slack against Seton Hall, but the first shot 2-7 from there and Martin took just one three partly due to his foul trouble. Throw in a mix of good defense on Sanago, limiting fastbreak opportunities and rebounding well and rebounding well defensively, all of which the Pirates did, and you are almost guaranteed a win.

As I said earlier, UConn was able to rebound in the second half against Seton Hall because of its effectiveness from midrange and ability to avoid turnovers. However, it was burned from deep by Kulama in the first half, falling behind by as much as 16. After the Huskies fought back to tie the game multiple times, the Pirates figured out how to effectively attack them in the screen and roll repeatedly for baskets, as well as beat them one-on-one when necessary. Because of how frequently UConn hedges, it has occasionally had trouble limiting offenses that have the size and speed to counter them, which Seton Hall certainly does. The defense has also occasionally struggled to defend guards off the dribble or strong big men one-on-one and unfortunately did this in the loss.

While I cannot guarantee whether switching up the defense would have resulted in a win against Seton Hall, I share the belief with many fans that Dan Hurley is too slow to make defensive adjustments. Yes, he has started to make more adjustments in certain games recently, such as playing a zone for short stretches or doubling a player who was giving his defender trouble. And the success of Hurley’s defenses at UConn speaks for itself. Still, he failed to go to some type of zone or double Kalkbrenner to try and limit the Pirates success on screen and rolls in the final 10 minutes of the game and instead watched them score easily again and again. It was inexplicable and Hurley deserved every ounce of criticism he got for these decisions. In tournament play, he cannot afford to fail to be flexible and not give his players as many resources as they need to succeed and win. I just hope Hurley realizes that he will need to roll the dice at times.

Against DePaul, UConn overcame its continued struggles from deep by bullying its opponent inside. However, Seton Hall has at least some of the same qualities as Creighton that gave the Huskies trouble, as does Villanova if the Huskies advance. It will be fascinating to see if they can overcome this and win.

UConn is Again Off from Three

After multiple games where the Huskies shot well from deep and were able to pull off a key win streak, the Huskies crashed back down to Earth the last two games, shooting 9-34 treys (26.5%). With Hawkins almost totally absent due to his concussion, the only other reliable 3-point shooters were Polley and Martin and they only took eight between the two of them, although they hit five. Cole (2-11, Jackson (1-7) and Whaley (1-4) all struggled from beyond the arc. UConn ended the Big East season having hit 35.7% of their threes, good for fourth.

The Huskies will need to be able to hit threes against Seton Hall and whatever opponents it faces in tournament play from there. It is doable against the Pirates, who ranked middle of the pack in the percentage of 3-pointers it allowed in conference play. They were unstoppable in the January loss to SHU, shooting 14-23, but just went 4-18 from deep in the win against it three weeks ago. UConn will need to consistently play inside out, get 3-point opportunities off of fastbreaks and find ways to get Polley open (he has the flu but will almost definitely play). While Sanago and Cole will always be options A and B, the Huskies need to find ways to get Polley open (he had the flu but is going to play as of Wednesday morning) and Martin to take more 3-pointers. With Hawkins out, Hurley may need to sacrifice his defense and rebounding to a small extent and play at times with more shooters such as Akok Akok and Jalen Gaffney until he returns. Considering UConn’s offense is pretty vanilla much of the time, it will need to hit enough 3-pointers to keep defenses honest in its remaining games.  

 We Saw the Best and Worst of Andre Jackson

The sophomore shooting guard demonstrated both how infuriating and fun he is to watch against Creighton and DePaul. Against the Bluejays, he took a few inexplicable threes and missed all six attempts (I find it hard to believe that Hurley gave him the go-ahead to take those shots), likely in an effort to help the Huskies overcome Sanogo’s struggles. While he may have been deliberately left open to take perimeter shots, Jackson would have been better off attacking defenders off the dribble and trying to get to the rim for easy looks and to draw fouls. The size of Creighton and Jackson playing on the perimeter more than usual helped nullify his rebounding skills and he ended the game with just three, all offensive. Jackson continued to handle and pass the ball well and finished with 3 assists against 1 turnover, but his playmaking ability was limited by the sow halfcourt game both teams were playing. Creighton’s focus on forcing Jackson to beat it from outside and general ability to play at a tempo where he is much less effective was the perfect antidote. He needs to realize what he can do offensively if his 3-point shot isn’t following against a similar opponent.

On the other hand, against DePaul Jackson flashed all the skills that make him such a nightmare for opponents to prepare for. He had 8 rebounds and 4 assists with only one turnover, played solid defense and scored 7 points, getting to the rim for two baskets and knocking down a quality 3-point opportunity. Jackson was in his element throughout the game as he got a chance to run the floor and set Sanago and Whaley up for good looks inside. As always, his passing was a pleasure to watch.

Even if Jackson doesn’t score a ton of points, he could be very effective in tournament play, especially against opponents who haven’t seen him before. His court vision and athleticism are second to none, and Jackson has improved his decision-making and accuracy on passes a ton in the second portion of the Big East schedule. He can almost always be relied upon for some rebounding and dominate on the I boards against the right opponent, and Jackson has legitimately become a strong defender, even if he can sometimes fall into playing “matador” defense. Going forward, Jackson just needs to trust himself and not try to do too much. To me, that means he should be more aggressive attacking the hoop and rely less on his 3-point shot, continue to not force passes to teammates, avoid foul trouble and play with a consistently high motor the entire game. I am not sure Jackson can be a reliable force on the tournament stage. But if he is, he can take over multiple games.