Category: Big East

Observations on Win Against St. John’s: Huskies take Step Forward and Demonstrate the Ability to Come Back, Rebounding and Defense top Notch, and Martin the Man Yet Again

This UConn season has been topsy-turvy from the moment it started, and the last week it was no different. While I am generally going to focus on observations that can be taken from Saturday’s 63-60 win over St. John’s at Madison Square Garden, there were a lot of storylines that could be taken from Friday night’s 74-68 loss at Xavier, including the Huskies poor paint defense and slow start, lack of rebounding, and controversy over foul trouble. While Saturday’s win wasn’t a great effort by any means, UConn (17-7-8-5) answered a lot of questions, especially its ability to come back in a conference road game.

The first half against St. John’s was fast-paced and ugly on offense with UConn entering halftime up 30-29. It shot just 38% and consistently missed open shots at the rim and beyond the arc, shooting 4-13. It also made some boneheaded turnovers, not a big surprise considering its play in recent games. However, R.J. Cole displayed his shot-making abilities and scored well around the rim, finishing with eight points. Andre Jackson committed two turnovers but displayed his ability to do a little bit of everything, earning five points, eight rebounds and two assists. The Huskies were hurt on both ends and especially on offense as Adama Sanago committed two fouls early after scoring six points and had to sit the remainder of the first half, mirroring his first half at Xavier. Tyrese Martin also had foul issues and did not score in the 20 minutes.

The defense was outstanding in the first half, holding St. John’s to 34% shooting and playing excellent D around the rim while earning some memorable blocks. While the Johnnies similarly struggled from behind the arc, it rebounded well and made some tough shots around the rim. Dylan Addae-Wusu was probably the best player on the court in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 12 points and playing well on defense. Star guard Julian Champagne was shut down by Isiah Whaley in the first half, making just two baskets.

Both teams continued to trade baskets in the opening eight minutes of the second half, with UConn holding a 45-44 lead going into the under-12 timeout. Martin immediately woke up and was the offensive catalyst for the Huskies, draining a trio of 3-pointers as his teammates did a good job setting him up. Meanwhile, Champagnie managed to get open in the middle and scored seven points.

With the way things were going a team was bound to go on a run eventually, and unfortunately it was the Johnnies who did it first. Following a Jordan Hawkins three they scored 11 consecutive points over roughly three minutes to take a 55-48 lead. St. John’s was able to beat UConn defenders off the dribble and score at the rim, benefiting from poor communication and help defense by the Huskies. The athletic Montez Mathis made two layups and scored six points during the run, which ended with a Stef Smith three that bounced off the rim multiple times. On the other end, UConn failed to score despite multiple open shots, with Sanago also struggling with his touch at the rim.

I talk about UConn’s 15-3 run in the final 7:46 to take the lead and secure the win against one of its biggest rivals, but it was very impressive seeing the team go on a 15-5 run to finally come back to win a game by fewer than five points. There were a number of heroics during the run, including the continued brilliance of Martin on offense, Whaley’s 3-point lead to take the lead, and the great defense by the Husky big. It seemed like every player on the floor contributed however, and showed great composure.

Martin again showed his ability to catch fire and carry the team offensively for stretches, scoring 17 points in the second half, and draining 4-6 3-pointers. Cole had 14 points and five assists, and Whaley was brilliant on both ends, scoring 11 on 5-6 shooting and recording five blocks and three steals. Jackson committed five turnovers but had four assists and an insane 16 rebounds. UConn had 14 assists. Sanago played just 23 minutes and was largely denied the ball in the second half. He scored just one basket after his hot start and shot 4-13 with three turnovers. The Huskies got just eight points from their bench, with Polley and Hawkins combining to shoot just 1-9 from three. They also continued their ball security issues, committing 15 turnovers against 14 assists.

On defense, the Huskies recorded 13 blocks and five steals. In addition to Whaley’s five, three other players had two blocks. It outrebounded St. John’s 52-41 and dominated the defensive boards grabbing 39 led by Jackson’s 14. Five UConn players earned at least five rebounds.

The Huskies are currently third in the Big East and ranked No. 20 on KenPom, and have a huge rematch against Seton Hall (15-8, 6-7) on Wednesday night at Gampel. They will be looking for revenge against the Pirates, who beat UConn 90-87 in overtime on January 8th after the team’s long layoff due to Covid-19. Before that game is played, there are important observations to take from Saturday’s win below, including the importance of pulling off a comeback win, the play of Martin, UConn’s strong internal defense and rebounding, and continued issues with finishing and bench contributions.

UConn Shows its Toughness and Composure in Final Minutes

When the Huskies came out of a TV timeout and almost immediately allowed a 3-pointer to Smith with 7:46 remaining, they were trailing 55-48 and reeling. St. John’s was in the midst of an 11-0 run and UConn looked fatigued. Its defense had suffered multiple breakdowns that allowed the Johnnies to easily get in the paint and they were hitting tough shots while the Huskies continuously missed open shots. Like multiple rock fights that turned into close losses this season, it looked like poor shooting and shaky defense at the worst time was going to doom UConn.

After Friday’s loss however, UConn wasn’t ready to again live this experience however, especially in front of a loyal audience of fans at MSG. The players, especially the seniors, executed enough in all phases of the game to pull out the win. On offense, Whaley and Martin carried the Huskies on an 11-0 run with their shooting, finishing and offensive rebounding abilities. Whaley demonstrated excellent touch around the rim and his strength, making a nifty layup and earning a 3-point play on his putback to give the team a 56-55 lead with 3:46 remaining. Whaley earned five points off of putbacks during the run. Meanwhile, Martin had four points, draining a three in his defender’s face, and multiple rebounds. As a duo, Martin and Whaley not only got the offense going doing the run, but gave the team a healthy dose of energy that the other players fed off of. Soon, every player was not only having fun but playing with a lot of composure and focus.

In the final two minutes, Sanago and Cole gave the others some offensive help. Sanago, who had been playing strong defense despite not making shots, scored in transition on a layup, with Cole feeding him a nice pass. Cole then closed out the game with two free throws to give the Huskies a 3-point lead with 12 seconds remaining, making the clutch free throws late that he didn’t in some losses.

It was on the defensive end and the boards where UConn really won the game, however. I will go more into the exquisite play of the defense and the team’s rebounding in the final 7:46, but all fans really have to know is that St. John’s went 2-12 to end the game while committing two turnovers and having two shots blocked. The Huskies were challenging almost every shot while causing the Johnnies to rush them, pressuring the ball and gobbling up rebounds. They seized momentum after a few key stops and displayed more energy and athleticism, and St. John’s looked just overwhelmed, especially since they were getting almost no second-chance opportunities and unable to get out in transition. It was wonderful to see the vintage UConn defense again on display after going missing for the majority of the few previous games.

The Huskies have a lot more talent than St. John’s, and on paper they shouldn’t have had that much trouble with them, especially with Posh Alexander out with injury. All the players and Dan Hurley are aware of how hard it can be to win road games in the Big East and the program’s issue with coming out on top in close games. Being able to see them stay calm and collected down seven and continue to execute their offensive game plan while tightening up the defense was extremely rewarding however. From the energy they showed on the floor and bench it was clear that UConn was resolved to win the game and play all out but smart on both ends of the floor, and that was the formula to success. Bravo. C opponent. I

Tyrese Martin, Swiss Army Knife

For the second time recently, Martin was silent in the first half and then a monster in the second half. After going scoreless in the opening 20 minutes, he had 17 points on 8-13 shooting, including four 3-pointers, eight rebounds and two blocks. The senior’s trio of threes kept the offense afloat and the team in front despite its slow second-half start. As already discussed, he made some big offensive plays during the team’s comeback, including the final field goal of the game and rebounded very well down the stretch, including his own misses. Martin also played his usual energetic defense while avoiding foul trouble in the second half and earned two blocks in the process.

Just as important as his actual statistical impact in the game was Martin’s emotional one. With his technical in the first half after some jawing with a St. John’s player, Martin signaled that both he and the team could not be pushed around. In the second half especially, it was easy to see how Martin’s intensity and words of encouragement were inspiring his teammates to up their energy level and execution. And even when Martin didn’t execute well himself (i.e., missing shots at the rim), he did his best to make up for it. Martin and Whaley are clearly UConn’s emotional leaders, and the more complementary players need to match their intensity and effort if the Huskies are to reach their full potential.

Defense and Rebounding Operating on Full Cylinders

UConn’s biggest strengths are supposed to be its defense, particularly in the paint, and rebounding, as well as its depth to a lesser extent. And yet that hasn’t been a consistent feature, even in wins. Entering the St. John’s game, UConn’s defense had played poorly against Xavier and especially Villanova, and even in the win against Marquette it wasn’t quite up to the Huskies usual standards. The Huskies did not communicate well or provide necessary help at times, and the team was being beaten 1-on-1 inside more than myself and other fans expected. Even Whaley, the team’s best defender and one of the best in the Big East, was not playing defense at the level expected of him and admitted as much. Combine all this with Hurley’s reluctance to rely heavily on non-man-to-man defenses or double-team, and the defense was in a tough place when not executing well. Hurley certainly noticed the inconsistency, saying defensive improvement was the biggest need for UConn.

From the opening tip, UConn’s defense was overwhelming. It consistently altered shots at the rim and did a good job of pressuring the ball while mostly keeping St. John’s off the offensive glass. The Huskies were rarely beat off the dribble or allowed open shots at the rim, and challenged a large percentage of the Johnnies perimeter shots (to their credit, they made enough tough shots to stay right with UConn in the first half). Even with the absence of Sanago for most of the first half, Whaley, who was particularly suffocating on defense, and multiple teammates picked up the slack.

After continuing to play strong on defense early in the second half, it had its lull midway through the second half that allowed St. John’s to take a 7-point lead. The defense eventually found its bearing however, and played its best stretch to end the game. It seemed like they come close to blocking every inside shot, made it difficult for players to handle the ball and closed out well on the perimeter. With the Johnnies unable to knock down shots and open up the offense, they were stuck and Whaley, Martin and a rejuvenated Sanago were there to reap the benefits. With UConn playing a mid-tier Seton Hall offense on Wednesday night without Bryce Aiken, there is no reason it cannot play close to the same level.

While UConn had still usually been outrebounding opponents most games, it did not against either Xavier or Villanova and hadn’t been winning the rebounding battles at the same margins as it did earlier in the season. The Huskies needed to return to not only controlling the offensive but especially the defensive glass, and it did against the Johnnies. They were almost always limited to one shot, rarely of high quality, and the Huskies did an excellent job of boxing them out and outmuscling players for rebounds. UConn players appeared to do a strong job of reading bounces off missed shots well and getting in position for rebounds, and it was clear that St. John’s players were frustrated by their second opportunity. Considering one of St. John’s biggest strengths is their skill on the offensive glass, UConn players need to bring the same concentration and execution Wednesday night.

Sanago Limited Yet Again

Adama had his worst offensive game since November against St. John’s by shooting just 4-13 for 8 points in 23 minutes while committing three turnovers. Sanogo’s foul trouble in the first half killed his solid start, and the sophomore struggled with his touch all night. He also again committed multiple travels when double-teamed due to waiting too line to pass the ball back out. Sanago was still a net positive with his defense, but his willingness to pass out of the post has seemingly diminished after he had started doing it more a few weeks ago. As far as the fouls, Sanago needs to be smart with how physical he is playing defenders far from the hoop and learn to moderate his physicality. Early foul trouble limited Sanago’s contributions last year, and if it continues to be a problem every opponent will be gunning to take him out early. Seton Hall will be a good opportunity for Sanago to get back on track and demonstrate he can shot down a strong big man in Alexis Yetna.

Observations on Villanova and Marquette Games: The Huskies Show Their Best and Worst Qualities Against Tough Opponents

I am not going to waste a lot of time going into full details about how UConn’s loss at Villanova and win over Marquette played out, as I am sure readers (and me myself as well) are more interested in my more direct observations on these two games and how the Huskies performances contrasted each other, as well as other observations. Suffice to say, I felt very down on the team after the Villanova loss and the win over Marquette somewhat renewed my confidence in them. I’ll have a much clearer picture of my feelings after tonight’s contest at Xavier.

While UConn “only” lost by 11 (85-74) against the No. 15 Wildcats last Sunday, the game was nowhere near that close. They possess one of the best offenses in the country and are a particularly tough matchup for the Huskies due to playing with four guys on the perimeter, shooting and ball movement. Despite possessing more size than Villanova and top scorer Justin Moore being out with an injury, UConn was helpless to stop the Wildcats inside, particularly Eric Dixon (24 points and 12 rebounds), and had defensive breakdowns there as well as on the perimeter. Once Isiah Whaley and Adama Sanago each picked up two fouls in the opening minutes and UConn shot 36% in the first half, it was clear that it was on its way to being blown out against the Big East’s premier program.

The Huskies were visibly desperate to win at home Tuesday after consecutive losses to Creighton and ‘Nova and facing an opponent that had won eight of nine. This paid off with an 80-72 win, their most important of the season and one of their most complete efforts. The offense was very efficient in the first half, shooting 59% percent as the team went up 46-36. While the offense slowed down in the second half, UConn continued to dominate the boards and their defense was solid. The Huskies outrebounded the Golden Eagles 46-27 and had 20 second-chance points to Marquette’s 11. They closed the game out well after Marquette got within three points twice in the second half, going on a 9-0 run with six minutes right to take a nine-point lead and essentially lock up the win. As discussed more below, Sanago and Tyrese Martin had big games, two players who needed to get going for UConn.

As the Huskies look to maintain momentum against Xavier, let’s examine observations I had about the two most recent games pertaining to both overall performances as well as those of certain players.

It’s Amazing How Different a Team Looks When It’s Knocking Down Shots, Isn’t it?

The UConn offense looked pretty putrid in the first three quarters, scoring just 44 points to fall behind by 19. In the first half and much of the third quarter, it chose poor shots and the offense looked sluggish, featuring very little ball movement or well=executed sets. With the Huskies again struggling from the perimeter for the third consecutive game and Whaley and Sanago dealing with first-half foul trouble, UConn could not stretch the floor and operate inside efficiently. With the frequent absence of Whaley and Sanago and others not picking up the slack, it did not get its usual putback opportunities and got killed on the boards overall against a Villanova team that focuses much less on getting rebounds, grabbing just 20 boards to the Wildcats 28. The Huskies offense finally woke up in the fourth, scoring 30 points and shooting over 60% against a Villanova squad that had taken their foot off the gas. It did a better job of sharing and handling the ball and finally began to hit perimeter shots, with Jordan Hawkins knocking down three. Cole would finish with 25 points and Martin and Sanago 14. Still, UConn had no shot on winning after such a bad start and allowing Villanova to shoot 59.2% and have three players score 16 or more points.

The Huskies offensive performance to end Sunday’s game was a harbinger of things to come against Marquette, especially in its first half. The offense was excellent from the opening tip and especially caught fire 10 minutes in when UConn established control with a 17-3 run that gave it a 38-24 lead. The Huskies moved the ball very well and were able to open up space for Sanago to operate by getting Hawkins and Tyler Polley going (the pair each knocked down multiple 3-pointers). Sanago bullied defenders to the tune of 14 first-half points, and UConn’s excellent defensive rebounding allowed it to get down the floor quickly and score 15 fastbreak points.

While the offense slowed down in the second half as the game became much more physical and it had cold stretches, Sanago and Martin continued to score effectively and the Huskies managed to go on valuable runs. They especially did an outstanding job of forcing contact and getting to the free throw line and knocked down 20 of 23 attempts (87%), including 6-8 by Sanago.

UConn ended up shooting 47.4% and had five players score at least nine points. Martin, who was a beast on the boards and did a great job of maneuvering through the defense to get good shots, finished with 18, 15 rebounds and 3 assists on 8-15 shooting. Sanago went for 24 and 15 and Hawkins and Polley each scored eight. While the Huskies finished with 14 turnovers, six were by Sanago and they generally did a better job of handling the ball and finding open teammates at the rim or beyond the arc. Considering the level of the opponent, this was arguably the team’s best offensive performance so far.      

Owning the Glass

While Villanova is no slouch at rebounding, UConn’s inability to win at or least be competitive on the boards Sunday was extremely surprising. The rebounding gap of -8 was the largest UConn has had this season. A lot of different factors played out in these struggles. Villanova did an excellent job of boxing out despite the Huskies height advantage and consistently beat them to long rebounds or loose balls, resulting in many more second-chance opportunities for the Wildcats (they had 20 offensive rebounds to UConn’s 13. The foul troubles of Sanago and Whaley meant there were less opportunities for putbacks, and neither Andre Jackson or Martin stepped up and earned offensive rebounds. Most importantly, Villanova just looked stronger and more athletic than UConn and the effort level just wasn’t there for the Huskies, especially as they fell behind a ton. Hurley was extremely frustrated by UConn’s poor rebounding and overall effort after the game and he had good reason to be.

As I already wrote, UConn had a huge advantage on the boards against Marquette (46-27), a quality rebounding time with good size. While the Huskies were strong on the offensive boards, where they beat the Golden Eagles 14-10 and got five each from Sanago and Martin, it was the defensive boards where they made the biggest difference, beating Marquette 32-17. Behind Sanago and Martin, who had 10 each on that end, the Huskies were consistently able to limit Marquette to one shooting opportunity. Even more than with offensive rebounds, their defensive ones led to fastbreak baskets or quality shots and opportunities at the free throw line. It was clear that UConn’s rebounding neutralized the Golden Eagles fast paced offense and eventually wore them down. Outside of the team’s 17-3 run, the signature sequence of the game for the Huskies came late in the second up eight with 1:47 remaining when the Huskies grabbed three consecutive offensive rebounds before Jackson was finally fouled and made one of two. That sequence basically clinched the game and demonstrated the effort and toughness Hurley has been looking for the past few games. Hopefully it will be present against Xavier as well.

Starting and Ending Games Well is Critical to Success

While UConn actually started the game OK at Villanova, trailing just 15-12 when the second TV timeout came 8:29 in, the foul trouble of Whaley and Sanago and UConn’s poor shot selection and inability to hit a jumper weighed on them. Villanova began dominating the Huskies inside and Gillespie closed out the first half with two 3-pointers.  The Huskies started the half OK and cut the deficit to seven, but the Wildcats went on a 12-0 run to seal the game with roughly 12 minutes to go, dominating the Huskies on both ends.

I’ve already gone into detail about UConn’s solid offensive start against Marquette and their ability to go on a big run to establish a decisive first half lead. However, it was its ability to counter every run Marquette went on in the second half that won it the game. When Greg Elliot and Daryl Morsell hot threes and Oso Ighodaro made two free throws to cut the Huskies lead to 53-52 with 11:56 remaining, the team made six free throws and Martin hit a jumper while forcing 11 consecutive Marquette misses to push their lead back to 11 with 7:39 to go. The Golden Eagles answered quickly with eight straight points, but a hook shot by Sanago and three from Martin gave UConn a nine point lead, with it closing the game out at the 11. The Huskies showed great composure and found scoring opportunities to maintain the lead. It’s only one game, but this demonstrated to the players, Hurley and fans that they can execute to win games late against quality conference opponents.   

Observations on UConn’s Win Against Georgetown: An Unforgettable Offense, the Front Line Continues to Own, and Hawkins Comes Alive

It’s fun to watch offenses dominate in all facets of the game, isn’t it? More than anything else, that’s the observation to take away from UConn’s 96-73 beatdown of Georgetown on Tuesday night at Gampel. It was one of the Huskies most complete wins of the season, and ultimately by several metrics one of the best offensive games any D-1 team has had this season and one of the five best by the program since 2002. The game also again showcased the impressive chemistry and joy the team has displayed in January. One thing is certainly clear: UConn has absolutely owned Georgetown since returning to the Big East.  

The UConn offense was firing on all cylinders from the get go as they pushed the pace off Georgetown turnovers and missed shots and found Adama Sanago for open shots in the paint. Sanago opened the game with a dunk off a beautiful pass with Andre Jackson, who then had a spectacular fastbreak dunk a few possessions later. After Georgetown called its first timeout following a layup by Tyrese Martin, the Huskies began to expand their shooting range. With the help of some crisp passing, Akok Akok, Jordan Hawkins and Tyler Polley made consecutive three pointers (all assisted open), to push UConn’s lead to 28-19 with 9:28 remaining in the first half. Each trey was taken before the Hoyas defense could get set to challenge the shot.

Even as UConn was hitting everything however, Georgetown was doing a good job of keeping pace with them offensively, scoring 15 consecutive points on 3-pointers, two by Donald Carey to cut the deficit to 36-31 with 4:54 to go. The Hoyas were on fire from deep the entire first half, shooting 8-13. The defense did a poor job rotating and did not sufficiently challenge 3-pointers despite this being by far Georgetown’s biggest offensive strength.

In the last five minutes of the half the Huskies again put some distance between them and the Hoyas.  Whaley scored multiple baskets off of offensive rebounds and UConn scored multiple second-chance points, taking advantage of quality ball pressure and loose handles by Georgetown players. Polley ended the half by making all his free throws after being fouled on a three to give the Huskies a 52-40 halftime lead. Martin scored 12 points in the half and his team had 11 points off turnovers. Still, the Hoyas managed to stay in the game by shooting 53.3%, with Aminu Mohammed dominating UConn inside and out to score 13.

Both offenses started slow in the second half as the game became more physical and there were unforced turnovers. UConn missed multiple shots around the rim and Georgetown struggled from the perimeter. The Huskies slowly stretched out their lead, and a fastbreak dunk and putback by Whaley putback gave him 13 points and made it 62-46 with 13:37 to go. Eventually, an open 3-pointer by Hawkins off a pass by Gaffney put the Huskies up 69-52 just before the 12-minute mark. They eventually figured out how to break the press the Hoyas started the half with to get quick shots, and focused on attacking the paint and scoring at the rim. Meanwhile, the defense, led by Whaley, did a much better job of challenging shots and rebounding at the rim to start the half and benefited from Georgetown finally getting cold from the outside.

Over the next few minutes UConn slowly built its lead. The got a great open look for Hawkins out of a timeout and he drained the three to push the lead to 20 points. Sanago then took over with six consecutive paints deep in the paint, with the final two baskets coming on pinpoint passes by Jackson from the top of the key, extending UConn’s run to 12-0, which lasted just over three minutes. During this run, the Huskies kept the Hoyas out of the paint as they missed jumper after jumper.

After a couple of baskets by Georgetown, UConn went on one last run with 7:48 to go. Sanago had a putback before it scored four points with the help of a flagrant foul, with the 9-1 run ending on a beautiful 3-pointer by Cole. The Huskies extended their lead over 30 in the final minutes as both teams emptied their benches and the Hoyas went on a scoring spree to make the final score look closer than the game was.

UConn ultimately shot exactly 50% and 41.7% 10-24) and 78.3% (18-23) from the free throw line, and the offense as a whole scored 1.45.9 points per possession. This was the best PPP mark by any team in the country this season and  Five players (Sanago, Whaley, Hawkins, Cole, Martin) scored at least 13 points, with Sanago leading the way with 19 and Whaley and Hawkins tying season highs with 15. Sanago had 18 points and 8 rebounds as well as 2 blocks and steals. Whaley went for 15 and 7 and Martin 14 and 8. Cole added 7 assists and 6 rebounds, and Jackson had five dimes. Hawkins went 4-7 from three. UConn had 21 assists to 7 turnovers and 27 fast-break points, it’s best number against high major competition. It had 19 offensive rebounds to Georgetown’s 12 and outrebounded them 40-28 in total.

Georgetown shot 4% and 11-21 from three. Mohammed had 15 points and 7 rebounds and shot 3-4 from deep and Colin Holloway and Donald Carey put up 11 and 10, each making two threes. After a poor defensive effort in the first half, UConn held the Hoyas to 37% shooting in the second half. Led by Whaley, they defended much better around the rim and rebound better, and improved their rotations on the perimeter, allowing the Huskies to consistently contest outside shots. They had 6 blocks and 5 steals.      

There are a lot of fun thoughts to take from UConn’s win against Georgetown. Here are a few significant observations I experienced.

UConn Has Legendary Offensive Performance

I’ve already gone through most of the remarkable offensive numbers, from the 1.45 points per possession (one of the best program marks this century) to having five players score in double digits and eight at least five to the shooting splits (50%/41.7%/78.3%). In addition, every player who played more than five minutes had an offensive rating over 100 on KenPom. Even without these numbers however, any fan watching could see this performance represented all of UConn’s players at their very situational best.

The players did an outstanding job of moving the ball and attacking the defense off of turnovers and missed shots. UConn’s acclaimed offensive depth was completely on display, from Hawkins (and Akok’s) ability to be a sharpshooter off the bench to Sanago and Whaley’s ability to dominate in the paint and on the board to Martin’s versatility on both ends to Cole and a lesser extent Jackson’s ability to beat defenders and create plays. At their best, there are so many ways the Huskies can score that a team can only contain them so much. That’s even more true when they are avoiding turnovers and unforced errors, as the team has mostly done the last few games.      

Adama Sanago and Isiah Whaley Continue to be a Potent Duo

Sanago continued to be a dominant force against Big East opponents, scoring 19 points in just 23 minutes due to foul trouble. The Georgetown defenders were helpless to stop Sanago when he established good position, as he shot 8-14 and 3-4 from the line. The sophomore also showed off his athleticism with a fastbreak dunk, passed well out of double teams and played solid defense, earning two blocks. Sanago is now averaging 18.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in the past five games, and no Big East team has shown they can contain him when Sanago is healthy.

While Sanago is the big man who aways looks smooth, Whaley is currently doing the dirty work. After a tough stretch where he underperformed and dealt with health and injury issues, Whaley has averaged 13 points and 8.5 rebounds in the past two games while shooting 12-20. He is currently doing a great job of boxing out defenders and grabbing offensive rebounds for easy putbacks. Whaley was by far UConn’s most effective defender against Georgetown and did a great job of altering shots and grabbing defensive rebounds. Whaley’s energy and leadership ability seems like it is returning to the level Husky fans are used to. If he can continue to be a high-quality defender while getting his outside shot going again, Whaley will be even harder to stop.  

Jordan Hawkins is the Microwave Man

The freshman who came in with big expectations has had a very topsy-turvy year, marked by confidence issues and inconsistent ball handling and shooting. As UConn has gotten deeper into Big East play however, Hawkins is finally starting to show the offensive skills fans were expecting from him. After demonstrating the ability to score in the paint against Butler, Hawkins finally came alive beyond the arc against Georgetown by going 4-7 from three to help the Huskies pull away. Hawkins 3-point shot has usually looked very smooth even when he is off, but recently it appears that he is doing a better job of moving without the ball and getting open opportunities with his feet set. When you combine his abilities from deep with his quality free throw shooting and ability to beat defenders at the rim, Hawkins can provide instant offense off the bench. Hawkins also avoided any turnovers against the hoyas, a issue that has plagued him all season.

Like a lot of talented freshmen, Hawkins has shown a lot of inconsistency and been unable to record multiple strong games in a row (he was scoreless in the second game against Butler). The Georgetown win has a great one for him to build on, as it was the best he’s shot from three in a long time and Hawkins avoided turnovers and played solid defense. After strong performances in two of the last three games, I would hope that he can build some momentum and at least begin shooting well from deep game to game. It’s clear that Hurley and his teammates will do their best to put Hawkins in a position to succeed, as they have been emphasizing playing better defense and working on his ball-handling technique. Now it is on Hawkins to fulfill his promise as UConn begins playing tougher teams.

@@Observations on Huskies Pair of Wins Against Butler: Struggling Players Get Going, Sanago Stays Dominant and UConn Shows Versatility

With UConn having back-to-back games against Butler last Tuesday and Thursday (the result of the December game against the Bulldogs being cancelled and then rescheduled due to the Huskies Covid-19 issues), it had a great opportunity to get two comfortable wins against a weaker opponent. UConn had been unable to do so before last week against mid or high-major conference teams, with most of its wins instead being nail-biters. While the wins were very different, the Huskies succeeded in their task and extended their winning streak to three games. The games also showed UConn’s versatility and their ability to win in multiple ways.

UConn defeated Butler 76-59 Tuesday night before winning 75-56 at Hinkle Fieldhouse two days later. It improved to 13-4 overall and 4-2 in the Big East with the wins, while the Bulldogs fell to 9-9 and 2-4 in conference play. Both wins were the team’s biggest since a rout of Grambling State in early December. As of Sunday night, the Huskies were ranked 18th on KenPom, and moved up to No. 20 in the AP Poll on Monday. Tuesday’s win was also the first time they have held a team under 60 points since December 4th.

In Tuesday’s win at the XL Center, UConn quickly demonstrated the talent disparity between it and Butler, leading nearly the entire game and never allowing the Bulldogs to go on a second-half run to get within striking distance. While the Huskies started slow offensively their defense was excellent from the get go, and they eventually caught fire in the final five minutes of the first half, establishing momentum that would last for a long time.

After the Bulldogs hit two free throws to cut the deficit to 25-16 with six minutes remaining in the first, UConn would flip the script with three consecutive 3-pointers (two by Andre Jackson and one by Tyler Polley), giving it a 17-point lead. Ultimately, the Huskies ended the half on a 14-8 run to take a 39-25 lead into the break, allowing just a single field goal in the process. This stretch was fueled by outstanding interior defense and ball movement, with the Huskies pushing the pace and consistently getting open shots. Jackson and Polley were the primary beneficiaries of these looks and took advantage.

After a poor first half, Adama Sanago came out of the locker room firing and made two baskets to open the second half and give UConn a 19-point lead. Butler made a spirited 13-4 run when the Huskies got cold from the outside, and a tough layup by Simas Lukosius cut their lead to 47-36 with 14:39 to play. This was the last sustained run the Bulldogs would go on until garbage time however, as R.J. Cole and company began to attack the paint for baskets and find one another for quality looks inside. UConn pushed their lead to 15 and eventually 20 at 65-45 on a 3-point play by Jackson with 4:49 to go before going on to win by 17. Its defense in the paint continued to be suffocating for much of the second half, ultimately finishing with 10 blocks, and Butler does not shoot well enough from outside or the midrange to make up the difference. In the final minutes the Huskies were finally able to get their young benchwarmers into the game, with freshman Samson Johnson and redshirt sophomore Richie Springs making baskets.

Cole was the standout offensive performer in the win, scoring 17 and shooting the most efficiently he had in a while (4-7 from the field and 8-9 at the line) while adding six rebounds and three assists. Four other players scored in double figures and Sanago had his third consecutive double-double with 13 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks). Jackson was everywhere with 12 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, Jordan Hawkins had his best game in a long time with 14 points on 5-9 shooting, and Polley scored 10 to round out the double-digit scorers. On defense, the Huskies bottled up Butler to the tune of 31% shooting and shut down their top scorers Bryce Golden and Bryce Niz, allowing the pair just 10 combined points on 3-16 shooting in 56 minutes. In addition to the four blocks by Sanago, Akok Akok had three and Isiah Whaley two. UConn outrebounded Butler 49-39.   

After UConn had dictated tempo two nights prior, Butler did so in their home gym during the first half Thursday. It played a methodical and physical style, and it worked as the Huskies couldn’t score anywhere besides right at the basket and struggled with ball security, committing seven turnovers while shooting 28.6%. They went scoreless multiple times for long stretches, and the trio of Cole, Jackson and Tyrese Martin were defended very well and had poor shot selection, going on to shoot 2-15 in the first 20 minutes. It was Sanago and Whaley who carried the offense to their 24 first-half points, combining for 16 on 7-11 shooting to get UConn to get 24 points. Sanogo’s footwork around the basket was excellent and Whaley crashed the boards to earn multiple putbacks. Despite the lack of offensive firepower, the Huskies managed to trail just 28-24 at halftime due to their aggressive defense and poor shooting by Butler, who made 39.9% of their looks and committed seven turnovers.

 As the second half started, UConn regained the lead roughly three minutes in and claimed it for good when Martin hit a jumper with 11:55 left to make it 40-38. The Huskies continued their outstanding defense in the first eight minutes and Martin, who had struggled offensively for a few games and during the first half, suddenly woke up and anchored an 11-0 run. Martin scored eight points in this run, including two 3-pointers, and was just warming up.

After going up by two, Martin and UConn began attacking the paint, sharing the ball efficiently and pushing the tempo, when possible, to establish a commanding lead. However, Butler refused to go quietly despite continuing to shoot poorly, instead doing their best to live at the free throw line. Jalen Gaffney and Martin scored consecutive baskets off Bulldogs turnovers to go up 10 with 6:16 to go, but they quickly answered with a three and free throws to cut the deficit to 57-52. The Huskies stayed calm and Cole, who did a strong job running the offense despite offensive struggles, found a wide-open Martin for a three with 3:;59 to go, and Polley solidified the win with a three on the next possession, again set up by Cole. In the final 4:18, UConn outscored an exhausted Butler 18-4, with eight curtesy of Martin.

Martin, who scored just two points in the first half, put up 25 in the second to finish with 27 on 7-11 in 15 and 11 points. Whaley grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Sanago just missed out on a double-double with nine and added three blocks. Jackson struggled mightily with his shot but still earned seven rebounds and five assists. Cole had a season-low four points on 2-8 shooting but ran the offensive effectively and committed just one turnover. The Huskies improved their perimeter defense on Thursday and held Butler to 4-19 from three and 38% from the field, and outrebounded the Bulldogs 39-25 after struggling on the boards early.

As discussed more, the two wins last week were very encouraging, no matter the level of competition. They continued to show how formidable UConn’s defense can be at its best, its depth, and that certain players can take over when necessary, among other signs. Beating Butler by nearly 20 points twice gives me the confidence that the Huskies will play well against low level Big East teams in Georgetown and DePaul this week, and be in good position to play well during the team’s tough early February schedule. Below, I look at the most encouraging observations from last week’s performances as well as important developments fans possibly saw in players and the performance of Dan Hurley.

Once Again, We Were Reminded That UConn Can Win in Multiple Ways When Needed

There were plenty of lessons for myself and other fans to learn and see from both wins over Butler. In the first win, I saw that UConn could be in control from start to finish against major conference opponents, which it had not done all season beforehand. At the same time, the Huskies demonstrated that their depth, though sometimes overstated, can come from less obvious sources at times. In addition to the strong games from Cole and Sanago, Jackson’s first career double-double, 3-4 shooting from long distance, three assists against one turnover and strong distance showed how dangerous he can be on both sides of the ball at times. As raw as Jackson is, the fact that he can already put together games like this shows how indispensable the sophomore is to UConn’s success. Combine all this with the 14-point game from Hawkins (more about him below) and 10 by Polley, and it was just too much for Butler to deal with. UConn’s ability to establish a comfortable lead quickly also allowed Hurley to distribute minutes more evenly and get his least experienced players into the game, both of which the team needed desperately.

There were even more lessons to take from the second win. First, it reminded fans that UConn can recover from lousy offensive performances in the first half if the defense can play at high-caliber level and just one or two players are able to keep the team in the game offensively. This is exactly what happened with Sanago and Whaley. In the second half, the Huskies reminded Butler that it has more players than just Sanago or Cole who can go off and take over a game. Martin’s performance was the best half any Husky has played offensively this season. I talk about him more below, but the shot-making ability and strength Martin showed against the Bulldog defenders is a reminder that he is a great compliment to Sanago and Cole.

This was the best job UConn has done in closing out a game this season by far considering it was only up by five with four minutes to go. It avoided the turnovers, defensive mistakes and poor offensive execution seen in the team’s close losses or overtime wins. The Huskies put their foot on the necks of an opponent and made it impossible to stop them. Hopefully, they will be able to build on that momentum in the next week. Finally, it was wonderful and surprising for me to see how decisively UConn was able to win with Cole making no impact as a scorer (although he still ran the offense well when not dealing with foul trouble). This was the first time Cole did not reach double figures in two months, and yet Martin stepped right into his role of offensive leader and Gaffney at point guard (more on him below) while the bigs still produced. I don’t know if the Huskies could survive Cole scoring so few points against a formidable opponent, but it was a great learning experience.

At the same time, the Butler wins was also evidence of things observers already know. UConn has a consistently strong defense that can be elite. The Huskies are one of the best rebounding teams in the country, especially on the offensive end. And of course, they do not give up on a game even after a tough stop or if they are not executing one on side of the ball. UConn consistently demonstrated all these skills in both games, and with their athleticism and strength Butler could not keep up for 40 minutes.

Martin and Whaley Have the Bounce-Back Games They Desperately Needed

When Martin returned from his wrist injury by scoring a combined 40 points against Providence and Marquette on 15-30 shooting, I was certain that he was close to being fully recovered and could reliably continue to be part of a dangerous trio with Sanago and Cole. But after UConn returned from their 17-day delay on the 8th at Seton Hall, Martin was largely ineffective in the next three games, averaging just a combined nine points on 10-27 shooting and five rebounds while play a ton of minutes a game. I am not sure how much the layoff and or a case of Covid-19 and a lack of full practice hurt Martin, but it was clear starting with the Seton Hall game that Martin’s wrist was still bothering him and that it was affecting his shooting, especially close to the rim. At the same time, Martin didn’t seem to be showing the same energy and toughness on both sides of the ball against Seton Hall, St. John’s and the first game against Butler. Combine all this with Martin not rebounding at the same rate and occasionally struggling with turnovers (five against Seton Hall), and he had seemingly temporarily lost his status as the team’s third banana to Jackson.

I am not sure what adjustments Martin exactly made or what was said in the locker room to him before coming out in the second half, but he was aggressive from the opening tip and never let up. Martin used his agility and strength to bully the weaker Bulldogs inside and found ways to get open on the perimeter for threes, which were all right on the money. He used every opportunity to push the action and attacked unprepared defenders and found open teammates for good opportunities when appropriate. Martin seemed to realize that the UConn offense was stuck in the mud at halftime and needed him to take over the shot creator role Cole usually occupies with pleasure. Martin is so versatile that he can contribute well even when shooting poorly, but having a third player alongside Cole and Sanago who can carry the offense at times is a huge luxury.

For Whaley, he entered Thursday’s game determined to up his defensive play and contribute more on offense and the boards after being called out by Dan Hurley as someone who needed to step up and be more efficient and energetic. Whaley has had myriad health issues all season and was reportedly the player who took the longest to recover from Covid-19. Before Thursday, the super senior had scored just 10 points and six rebounds in three January games, albeit with eight blocks. Whaley showed fatigue on the court at times, part of why Hurley played him for just 10 minutes on Tuesday. Most worryingly, Whaley’s defense had visibly slipped, as he was getting beat one-on-one at the rim more and not providing help defense as efficiently. Add this all up, and “The Wrench” was missing.

        It was clear before the game that Whaley knew he had to play better and he answered Hurley’s challenge Thursday. Along with Sanago he carried the offense in the first half as the guards struggling, crashing the glass and earning putbacks with a ferocity he had rarely demonstrated this season and stepping out for a pair of jumpers. Whaley ultimately finished with 12 points and had 10 rebounds, six offensive, for a double-double, his first of the season. This was also the first time Whaley pulled down multiple offensive rebounds since the loss to Providence. On defense, Whaley looked very quick and strong and consistently altered Butler’s passing and shooting at the rim, even if he was credited with only one block. With the confidence boost from his showing and a few days off, Whaley can hopefully keep up his mojo, especially on defense, for the rest of January before the schedule gets tougher. Let’s just pray for no injuries.

Another Awesome Week for Adama

A new week, another two signature performances from Adama. The sophomore has been money since returning as a starter against Seton Hall, and averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds against the Bulldogs along with a combined seven blocks. Sanago was smart about picking his spots in the two wins. In Tuesday’s home contest, he focused on crashing the boards and playing tight defense in the first half while struggling on offense and then got some easy looks at the rim in the second half courtesy of his teammates. In the second game, he was unstoppable around the rim in the first half before stepping back in the second as Martin took over, while playing good defense throughout. Sanago has a ton of energy in both games and got back on track at the free throw line on Thursday, making all five opportunities. He should continue to feast on opponents against Georgetown Tuesday night, as the Hoyas are very poor defensively in the frontcourt.

Hawkins and Gaffney Remind Fans of Thir Talents

Before last Tuesday, Hawkins had been in a prolonged shooting slump and was still struggling with ball security and on defense. These factors had all combined to lower his minutes significantly and Hawkins entered the night having not played more than 12 minutes since December 11th against St. Bonaventure. In the four games since, he had scored just nine points on 3-14 shooting and 2-9 from 3-point land and one assist against five turnovers, including three versus Seton Hall in nine minutes. Hurley was pulling Hawkins at the first signs of ball-handling or defensive issues instead of preferably sticking with the freshman and setting up good opportunities for him to score, but Hawkins was also shooting himself in the foot by missing open shots and assignments and committing turnovers at the worst time. It was a no-one situation for Hawkins, Hurley and the team, one that Hawkins could only escape from.

And that he did. Hawkins scored 14 points in just 18 minutes, going 4-5 inside the arc and 3-4 at the free throw line. While the guard continued to struggle with his deep shot, going 1-4 from three, all of Hawkins looks were of high quality. Instead of settling for threes like he has demonstrated a tendency to do at times, Hawkins used his athleticism to attack the basket and get open mid-range and layup opportunities while also forcing contact. He showed better handle than normal and the ability to get himself open for teammates instead of standing around and watching. Hawkins also showed more defensive intensity than fans have been accustomed to, a trait that will earn him a lot of points in Hurley’s book.

Hawkins reverted back to his previous struggles in seven minutes on Thursday, missing both shots he took while picking up two fouls. However, if Hawkins can have two or three games in a row where he shoots and handles the ball effectively, particularly if he is making shots from behind the arc, I can see him experiencing the late freshman year development as the last star recruit the Huskies brought in, James Bouknight. He can start by learning from his mistakes and not getting down when he commits one, as all great players are able to do.

Gaffney did not put up a highly impressive line in Thursday’s away win, scoring six points and going 4-5 at the line, grabbing three rebounds and dishing two assists in 17 minutes. What stuck out to me however, was how he did this.

Gaffney appeared disengaged on offense recently, not scoring more than four points since December 11th, and the 3-point shot that was such a big weapon last season had almost disappeared from his arsenal. With Gaffney at the paint instead of Cole, the offense had been looking very methodical and uncreative, and the junior himself seemed to always spend way too much time dribbling around instead of setting himself or teammates up for good scoring opportunities. Alongside the inefficient offense Gaffney had been playing uninspired defense and consistently beaten off the dribble by quality guards despite his height. After a long period where Dan Hurley continued to play Gaffney heavily despite fans’ protests, he began to call out Gaffney for his performance, urging him to step up as a primary ballhandler and secondary scorer, and reduce his minutes and instead give more ballhandling duties to Jackson. Hurley made it clear that it was on Gaffney to be more dynamic and efficient on both ends of the ball to become a primary member of the Gaffney again.

Against Butler, Gaffney finally did not shy away from the challenge of picking up minutes when Cole was struggling with shooting the ball. When running the offense, he clearly pushed the tempo more than normal and began running plays earlier in the clock then we’ve seen before. This helped Gaffney find the UConn bigs and Martin for quality looks right at the basket. Gaffney also seemed to avoid dribbling with his back turned more than normal, a tendency that I just hate to watch and makes it take longer for him to either find teammates or avoid defensive traps. With the ball in his hands, Gaffney attacked the basket more than he has in a long time and earned the most free throw attempts he has had since December 11th, ultimately upping his percentage to a 78.3%. Finally, Gaffney demonstrated improved footwork on defense and helped teammates out effectively, earning a block and steal in the process.

I would really like Gaffney to get his 3-point shot going again even if he is used less as a scorer this season. If he can do this and then run the offense efficiently when needed wile playing improved defense, then there is no reason Gaffney can’t become a reliable backup guard again and put himself in position to take on a bigger role next season. We’ve all seen flashes of Gaffney’s talent. Now he just needs to demonstrate it more frequently.  

Observations on the Win Over St. John’s: A Dynamic Duo and Strong Defense Allow UConn to Capture Another Overtime Win

I already wrote a more traditional game article instead of my regular game recap that I write to these pieces for my game coverage of the 86-78 victory over St. John’s on Wednesday. However, I still wanted to write my normal game observations article on the positives and negatives of UConn’s overtime triumph. It was certainly a stressful and frustrating game, but at its best UConn was excellent on both sides of the ball. And

Adama Sanago is a Bad MOF

A year ago, when Sanago played St. Johns in mid-January, he was an inconsistent freshman who looked brilliant at times and overwhelmed at others. A year later, the sophomore center is one of the best big men in the Big East and probably the nation.

While it seemed possible that Sanago would be limited for a few games after returning from his abdominal injury, the time off due to UConn’s first COVID-19 layoff was a blessing in disguise. Sanogo’s first game back was outstanding (18 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks), and he topped it with his effort against thue Red Storm, which was definitely the best all-around performance of his career. Sanago had 26 points on 10-17 shooting, 18 rebounds and 6 blocks in 40 minutes of play, never once showing fatigue. As usual, Sanago was unstoppable close to the rim and on the boards and seemed to get a big basket whenever UConn needed it, as well as the tying free throw to send the game to overtime. It’s the areas where he has shown the most improvement in that is most exciting, however.

Sanago is improving tremendously from nearly game to game on both sides of the ball. On offense, he is slowly increasing his shooting range and drained multiple jumpers against St. John’s. Since returning, Sanago has slowly shown a newfound tendency to pass out of the post and it worked well on Wednesday, with Sanago earning two assists. Sanogo’s defensive footwork and ability to recover without fouling is making him an even more effective shot blocker. I doubt Sanago will have another two-game stretch as good as this one, but he is certainty capable of it.

It’s hard to measure Sanogo’s stats up to other Big East players this season when he has only competed in three games. Still, Sanago rates first in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentages according to KenPom and third in block percentage at 11.3%. Hard to believe this man wasn’t nominated to either preseason All Big East team in November.

R.J. Cole Remains the Heart and Soul of This Team

Sanago may be an unstoppable force at times, but its Cole who makes the team go on offense and is its primary creator, while also being a force on defense in his own right. Cole was at his best against St. John’s on both ends, scoring 19 points on 6-15 shooting and dishing eight assists and shutting down Posh Alexander. The sophomore, one of the best guards in the Big East, was held to 11 points on 4-13 shooting and committed four turnovers. Cole drew three charges on plays by Alexander and others.

Cole had the offense humming for a significant portion of the game and made some tough shots both inside and from behind the arc where he went 3-8, tying the second-highest number of threes he has made this season. Cole was especially great in overtime, as he got pretty assists on baskets at the rim by Sanago and Martin and iced the game at the free throw line.

While his shooting hasn’t been the most consistent, Cole has gotten off to an excellent start in conference play, improving substantially on last season. He is averaging 16.5 points and just under seven assists, and is shooting 90% at the charity stripe and 34.3% from three. Cole ‘s assist rate of 40% is first in the Big East and his free throw percentage is third. The senior’s turnover rate, 3-point percentage and true shooting percentage are in the top 25 of all conference players.

While Cole’s stats are impressive, they can’t completely measure his impact on the Huskies. Simply put, they are a different team without him. Cole can manage the offense smoothly and is comfortable creating plays for himself and others at the end of games, something the other guards and forwards cannot do efficiently. The team is much more composed and effective when Cole is on the court and can enter an offensive funk and struggle on defense without him. The last two games are a perfect example, as UConn let the Seton Hall game slip away when Cole fouled out and St. John’s began to gain momentum only when he experienced foul trouble. More than any other player, UConn’s success in the Big East and NCAA tournament is dependent on Cole’s play and health.

The UConn Defense Gets Back on Track and Holds a Block Party

In the previous two games against Marquette and Seton Hall the Huskies defense was underwhelming, especially in their struggles against the Pirates and lack of adjustments to stop Kadary Richmond. It was a different story against St. John’s, especially when defending the interior. UConn had an amazing 14 blocks, many of them spectacular, and almost always managed to earn them without fouling. Their defense around the rim was consistently strong led by the two-headed monster of Sanago and Whaley, Cole shut down Posh, and the Huskies did a decent job of slowing the Red Storm in the midrange game. It was especially rewarding to see Whaley play so strong for all 36 minutes and block five shots while showing a lot of athleticism after the criticism he received after struggling against Richmond.

UConn’s defense wasn’t perfect. It allowed too many open looks on the perimeter and slipped in the final minutes of regulation when St. John’s got out, allowing the game to go overtime. And the Huskies struggled with defensive rebounding all night. When it counted the most however, they held the Red Storm to 3-11 shooting and seven points in overtime while improving their rebounding. That ability to shake off a bad stretch and clamp down when necessary is the hallmark of a quality defense, and UConn’s is just that most of the time.  

UConn Nearly Loses the Game due to Turnovers

There’s not really much to say about the 16 turnovers, most unforced, other than them being absolutely embarassing. A strong squad which has an even higher ceiling should not be losing balls out of bounds without being pressured, dropping passes and throwing balls out of bounds to no one at such a high rate. St. John’s did not play high-caliber defense and were not heavily pressured on many of the turnovers. They were just unresponsible with the ball.

Andre Jackson was the biggest culprit with four turnovers as well as others that could have easily turned into ones. The sophomore has seemed to revert to taking unnecesary risks with the ball and delivering passes players aren’t ready for or capable of catching. Hopefully Jackson goes back to slowing down and being more careful, but with how dynamic he is the Huskies can live with the turnovers. It’s when guys like Sanago (3) and Jalen Gaffney and Jordhan Hawkins (both two turnovers in very little time) are having the same issues that UConn really gets into trouble. The Huskies can do a lot of things to cut down on their turnovers, such as working on ball-handling and passing drills in practice, communicating better during timeouts and playing at a slower pace when appropriate. But ultimately, it is on the players to minimize mistakes and maximize efficiency. You can get away with heavy turnover trouble against St. John’s, but not most Big East teams.

The Killer Instinct is Still Mostly Missing

It was awesome seeing UConn beat down on the Red Storm in overtime. But any decent team can have awesome 5-minute spurts like that. The fact remains that the Huskies have not shown the ability to decisively defeat a power conference team . They have blown leads twice in games they lost in regulation and gone to overtime three times due to surrrending late leads, losing the Seton Hall game in the process. It is easy to make the case that UConn should have three more wins than it does. Right now, the Huskies seem to slow down and get sloppy and hesitate any time a team makes a run on them in the second half, and they should not fold that easily or play into inferior opponent’s hands. There is no excuse for such a veteran-laden and balanced team to have these issues game after game, especially when your head coach is preaching the importance of a killer instinct. Hopefully, these experiences will allow the Huskies to eventually develop one. In the meantime, they can take advantage of this week’s two games against mediocre Butler to playing their best and being unmerciful against an opponent that does not match well with UConn.

Game Recap: Adama and RJ Carry UConn to Another Overtime win Against St. Johns

UConn doesn’t want to make it easy for fans, do they?

Through the first 25 minutes of the Huskies home win against St. John’s Wednesday, I was confident they would win by double-digits, likely around 15. They were playing great on defense and generally looked very flued on offense, with Adama Sanogo dominating the Red Storm on both ends. But a combination of foul trouble, stilted offensive possessions, missed free throws and Julian Champagnie and his fellow shooters going off from the permitter put UConn down in the final seconds and sent the game to overtime. In the timeout before overtime, I definitely wondered if UConn would come out flat and scared at the beginning of overtime, and how devastating it would be for the team to again blow a game to a team it should be significantly better than. I needn’t have worried.

The Huskies were outstanding in overtime, outscoring St. John’s 15-7 while going on an 11-0 run, ultimately winning 86-78 and improving to 11-4 and 2-2 in the Big East. UConn attacked the lane for layups and free throw opportunities, eventually forcing three Red Storm players to foul out and finally hitting consistently from the charity stripe. St. John’s continued to struggle to score inside and Champagnie finally went cold. It hit just 34.6% from the field overall.

Now that UConn has survived its scare, it can look back on the win and see a ton of positives from it. While it was extremely sloppy with the ball (16 turnovers) as discussed more later, the offense was often very efficient, as the Huskies shot over 47% and 40.9% from three and averaged 1.09 points per possession. Adama Sanago continued his reign of terror in the frontcourt, going for 26 points and 18 rebounds and blocking six shots, while R.J. Cole scored 19 and had eight assists against just two turnovers. The defense was dominant at times, as exhibited by their 14 blocks. And UConn shook off the tough end to regulation and came out with a ton of energy and focus. It stinks that the team wasn’t able to build on the win quickly because of the Providence game scheduled for Saturday being cancelled due to Covid—19, but they will be able to take a lot of lessons into the two games against Butler this week.  

The fast-paced first half was a bit of a mess, with UConn committing a number of unforced turnovers that kept them from getting a large lead. St. John’s also did a good job of responding to runs by the Huskies. They went into halftime up 36-31.

The game started off especially sloppy, as the Huskies committed four turnovers in the first three minutes and both teams struggled with their shooting. UConn was especially careless with the ball, with their turnovers the result of either carelessness or poor ball-handling. It did a good job of moving the ball quickly and getting open looks however, and threes by Polley and Hawkins gave the team a 15-10 lead eight minutes into the game.

St. John’s immediately responded, with two open 3-pointers of their own, a forbidding illustration of what would come in the second. A tough layup by Dylan Addae-Wusu gave the Red Storm the lead at the 9:30 mark, but the Huskies erased that deficit by the next TV timeout with a 7-0 run. It featured two silky shots by Sanago (a layup and jumper), an Andre Jackson off a bullet pass from Cole and Martin flying in for a layup.

The remainder of the half saw St. John’s tie the game one last time before UConn finally ended halftime up five and both sides slow down on offense. The Red Storm quickly tied the game at 27 on a Champagnie 3-point play and another unforced turnover, this time by Isiah Whaley, that set up a dunk by Joel Soriano. Cole answered with an open 3-pointer on the next possession and he would go on to make the Huskies final two field goals as well, with the other points coming on free throws by Jackson. The teams combined for just eight points in the final five minutes of the half as they both went cold from the outside. UConn forced multiple turnovers and blocked shots in the final minutes of the half.

With the play of Sanago and Cole and excellent defense in the paint, it should have had a double-digit lead halftime and not just 36-31, but the nine turnovers (mostly unforced), brilliance of Champagnie and poor defensive rebounding kept it closer. Those issues would return again in the second half with a vengeance.

UConn played an outstanding opening five minutes of the second half, ending the stretch with an 8-3 run to go up 50-39 with 14:55 remaining in regulation. The stretch featured threes from Jackson and Cole as well six points by Sanago and an assist on a dunk by Whaley. The offense was doing an excellent job of spacing the floor and Sanago continuously found ways to get open in the paint. On defense, he was all over the backboard and altered multiple shots alongside Whaley. The Huskies forced multiple turnovers and allowed just two field goals, both off of offensive rebounds. Their efficient and entertaining play on both ends quickly disappeared however.

As soon as Cole and then Martin had to briefly leave the game due to foul trouble, everything changed on offense. In the minute between when Cole earned his third foul at 14:08 and checked back in less than two minutes later, UConn committed multiple unforced turnovers and missed a wide-open 3-pointer and generally ran less smoothly. It also allowed gave up a layup and the Red Storm made four free throws to cut the lead to 50-45, with the second foul forcing Martin to the bench. While the Huskies got decent shots after the under-12 timeout, they came late in the shot clock. And as St. John’s became more physical the pace of play slowed down, hurting UConn’s flow. It ultimately went more than four minutes until a Whaley jumper at the 10-minute mark. Thankfully, the defense held the Red Storm at bay thanks to the block party Sanago and Whaley were having and improved perimeter defense. A 3-pointer by Polley off a kick-out from Sanago put the Huskies up 57-50 with 7:44 to go in regulation.

Despite the continued turnover issues and Sanogo’s struggles at the free throw line, his block led to a fastbreak three by Polley to put the team up 60-50 with 6:19 to go, and every UConn fan began to imagine it could win comfortably. This was premature to say the least. In under three minutes, St. John’s went on a 12-4 run, leaving the Huskies up just 64-62 at the 3:58 mark. They did a poor job of defensive rebounding, leading to five second-chance points for the Red Storm, including a three by Aaron Wheeler. The three by Champagnie that made it a 2-point game was partly the product of a turnover by Sanago. To their credit, the Red Storm did a good job of attacking the basket quickly and beating UConn to rebounds and loose balls and got open beyond the arc before defenders could effectively challenge shots. On offense, the Huskies continued to play slowly and did not look for any 3-point opportunities, instead just attacking the basket and drawing fouls. That would have been helpful if they could of converted on any of these shots or consistently hit free throws. UConn instead infuriately kept making one of two.

The Huskies briefly responded nicely, as a Sanago putback dunk and tough offensive rebound and layup by Cole gave them a 68-62 lead with 2:41 to go. From then on, the offense continuously shot itself in the foot to leave the door open for St. John’s. Cole and his teammates seemed to decide everything should be put on the senior’s back and St. John’s was having none of it. Cole missed three questionable shots in the final 2:27 while using a ton of clock, and Whaley and Sanago each went one of two at the line. The Red Storm happily took advantage of the door UConn left open. Champagnie hit a tough 3-pointer following a three deflected by Wheeler and then found his teammate open in the corner to cut the deficit to 69-68 with a minute to go. Cole and Wheeler missed twin 3-pointers following a timeout and Sanago missed a second free throw. St. John’s was able to get the ball quickly down the floor and Cole was forced to switch onto the much taller Champagnie. He gave a valiant defensive effort, but the much bigger junior drained the trey with four seconds to go to give his team a 72-71 lead, their first since midway through the first half.

It briefly looked like Champagnie would be a hero and UConn was going to suffer another ugly loss, a worry that the players later admitted they had after the game. The Huskies took a timeout before inbounding and it briefly looked like Jackson could end the game with a turnover, as he threw a full-court pass to the right baseline after he could not find an open teammate in the backcourt. A Red Storm player tipped it out of bounds when trying to intercept the pass, giving UConn a second chance and the opportunity to draw up a play after St. John’s took a timeout. To his credit, Dan Hurley drew up a good play for Martin to cut to the basket on the inbound pass and try to get a layup or at least a foul called or putback. Martin did not get the call when he was fouled on his attempt, but Sanago was right there to get the offensive rebound and draw free throws. He did his job, making one of two to send the game to overtime tied at 71.

After gaining a second life, UConn proved to the audience that there was a clear gulf between itself and the Red Storm in overtime once the offense got going. Following a Champagne jumper, Sanago tied the game with a layup and Martin gave them the lead for good on a fastbreak layup with 2:51 remaining off a bullet pass from Jackson. After a pair of free throws from both Cole and Sanago, Whaley stole the ball from Alexander and Jackson pretty much sealed the win with 1:21 remaining on a 3-point play to make it 82-73 and cap the Huskies 11-0 run. They made all six free throws in overtime, causing players to foul out in the process, and did not commit a turnover. Sanago, Martin and Cole each had four points in five minutes. UConn’s defense was also outstanding, hounding ballhandlers and doing a better job of challenging jumpers. It helped force three turnovers and held the Red Storm to 3-11 shooting. From the overtime tip to the buzzer, the Huskies were on a mission to win.

Outside its play in the final six minutes of regulation, UConn’s defense was mostly excellent. While they couldn’t slow down Champagnie, who finished with 27 points on 10-22 shooting and hit four threes, there was no shame in this, especially with the number of contested shots the “6-8” forward hit. Wheeler, who finished with 14 points and nailed three treys, was the only other truly effective scorer for St. John’s. Cole played excellent defense on Alexander, who scored just 11 on 4-13 shooting and committed four turnovers after burning Cole in the Red Storm’s win over UConn last season. While Sanago was praised earlier for his six blocks Whaley was an even more effective defender, blocking five shots and altering countless others and snatching three steals in 36 minutes. Martin also had two blocks. As mentioned before, St. John’s shot just 34.6% overall and 32% inside the arc. The only area it had a clear offensive advantage was in rebounds, grabbing 21 to the Huskies 13.

In addition to Sanago and Cole, who were outstanding on both ends the entire game, two other players finished in double figures and one with nine points. Martin was inconsistent shooting the ball but still finished with 11 points and two assists and played solid defense. Jackson had 11 points and five rebounds, although he returned to the risky passes he showcased earlier in the season and was burnt by it with four turnovers. Polley carried over his excellent shooting from behind the arc for the second consecutive game, knocking down three of four. As stated earlier, the Huskies shot over 47% overall and 40% from three, although it made just 65.4% of its free throws (17-26).   

Akok Akok surprisingly played only seven minutes, going scoreless. Hawkins and Gaffney continued their ballhandling and shooting issues, playing just a combined 19 minutes and both committing two turnovers. Hawkins went 1-4 from three. UConn is struggling significantly with ball security and unforced turnovers right now. It finished with 16 and five players had multiple turnovers.     

While it would have been great to see UConn get a second chance against Providence after the loss to them earlier in the season instead of it (likely) getting postponed to later in the season, it can hopefully build on the overtime win in its home-and-home games against Butler tomorrow and Thursday. The Bulldogs are 9-7 overall and 2-3 in the Big East, but just got smoked at Villanova Saturday by almost 40 points. The Huskies match up very well with Butler, and these same like the perfect games for them to get double-digit wins and build momentum heading into the last week of conference play.

Inspiring Performance is Only a Hollow Victory in Loss to Seton Hall

Entering the 2021-22 season, every fan and pundit was eager to see which player or players could be UConn’s go-to-player in close late-game situations and create scoring opportunities in these situations when plays broke down. It’s January 10th, and we are still no closer to having a clear answer to these questions.

In their first three losses, the Huskies had chances to come back or take leads in the waning minutes of the game and blew these opportunities due to both poor execution and puzzling play calls. Now, add Saturday’s 90-87 overtime loss at Seton Hall to that group. While UConn, returning from a 17-day pause due to COVID-19, led the majority of the game despite it being its first contest in 18 days, the team was never really able to slow down Kadary Richmond and the No. 24 Pirates in the second half and overtime. Combine this with sloppy ball-handling and inconsistent shooting during the game’s final 20 minutes, and the stage was set for a heartbreaking loss.

There’s a lot of positives to take away from the conference loss. The Huskies (10-4, 1-2) were more competitive after such a long layoff than myself and many others thought they could be, especially with multiple players (most prominently Isiah Whaley) being on minutes restrictions due to contracting the virus. It was their most impressive offensive performance since the win against Auburn, including UConn shooting 60! percent and Adama Sanogo going for 18 points and 16 rebounds. It had significantly more assists (18) and rebounds (40 to 25) than Seton Hall. And yet the Huskies also played very poor defense, gave up 27 points to role player Kadary Richmond and lost. Your record is what you say you are.

UConn had one of its best starts to the season despite its layoff. After trailing 13-11 five minutes into the game, it slowly but surely took the lead and began a 13-8 run midway through the first half, eventually taking a 36-28 lead on a jumper by Whaley with 4:35 remaining. This run was fueled by 3-pointers by Akok Akok and Polley as well as a 3-point play from R.J. Cole. The Huskies made six threes in the first half against a Pirates squad that defends very well from deep, with Akok and Polley draining two. Sanago also was a focal point of the offense and got excellent looks at the rim, scoring eight points. Despite forcing 10 Seton Hall turnovers UConn did a poor job of defending in the half and especially at the rim, ultimately allowing the Pirates to shoot 51.7% and get within four at halftime at 41-37.

After Bryce Aiken opened the second half with five points to give Seton Hall a 42-41 lead, UConn quickly responded with a 13-3 run to go up 54-45 and force a Pirates timeout four minutes in. Andre Jackson was the catalyst for this run, scoring eight consecutive points on two open 3-pointers and free throws.

Richmond and the Pirates weren’t going to go quietly however. The 6’6’ sophomore guard, who transferred from Syracuse and was pursued by UConn in the portal, scored 17 consecutive points in just over four minutes to put his squad up 62-61 with 11:48 to go. Richmond, who had just two points at the half, used his size and strength to make layups and get to the line against a succession of Husky guards and forwards. Seton Hall was content to keep feeding Richmond during the run, and UConn allowed him to go 1-on-1 while rarely sending help. Richmond did a good job forcing contact, but the Husky defenders again and again failed to stay on the ground at the rim to make it easier for him to do so. During this stretch, UConn went cold from the field and made multiple turnovers, including two by Jordan Hawkins that sent him permanently to the bench.

The remainder of regulation was a back-and-forth affair, with the squads regularly trading baskets. After a few more points, UConn and Hurley finally began to double-team Richmond and mostly kept him quiet from there. A pretty jumper by Sanago briefly put the Huskies back up and then a three by Cole off a nice pass by Martin tied the game at 68. Ike Obigau, who made multiple clutch blocks on UConn late in the second half, gave the Pirates a 74-72 lead at the 5:04 mark, but Martin answered with a wide-open three a minute later to finally give UConn the lead again at 75-74. The teams traded free throws in the next three minutes and Cole made it 77 all at the line with 1:48 remaining. After both teams missed 3-pointers, Hurley called a timeout to set up UConn’s final play of regulation with 32 seconds to go.  I discuss the play in more detail below, but Cole dribbled the air out of the ball before throwing up an ugly layup with seven seconds left that failed to hit the rim. Aiken missed a last-second three to send it to overtime. In the final four minutes, the Huskies failed to make a field goal, going 0-4 with two turnovers and a air ball from Jackson.

UConn put up an impressive effort in overtime in rallying from multiple 4-point deficits, but again failed to make a play in the game’s final seconds. After Rhoden and Aiken each beat their man off the dribble to score on layups to put the Pirates up 81-77, Sanago kicked the ball out to Martin for an open trey to get within one. With two minutes to go, Polley drained a three to cut the deficit to 84-83. Gaffney answered a Rhoden layup with two free throws and Aiken missed a well-defended layup attempt with a minute remaining, causing Hurley to call a timeout. The Huskies executed the play call perfectly, as Gaffney found Sanago at the rim on a pick and roll to give the team an 87-86 lead with 45 seconds remaining. Richmond stepped up and was again Enemy No. 1 for UConn, predictably backing down Whaley and scoring over him for a layup as his teammates left him out on an island on defense. The Huskies final quality scoring opportunity was again a disaster as Martin was trapped into the left corner and forced into a turnover. Sanago missed a desperation three at the buzzer as Pirates fans celebrated their impressive victory.

The trio of Richmond, Aiken and Rhoden carried Seton Hall to the win, scoring 64 points in all. Richmond went a remarkable 10-13 from the field and 9-10 at the line and had three assists, while Aiken had 22 and seven assists. Obigau was a monster in the paint, eventually earning six blocks The pair got to the line at will, where the Pirates went 20-24. Sanago managed to play 32 minutes and had his best all-around game of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds. Cole struggled in the paint but still finished with 15 points and four assists, and Jackson scored 10 points and grabbed six boards.    

While all of UConn’s losses have felt like an ugly version of “Groundhog Day”, there are a lot of positives to take from Saturday’s effort that should make them feel confident heading into Wednesday’s home game at St. John’s, which will be the first Big East conference matchup at Gampel with fans in a decade. Both my positive and negative observations on the crazy game are below.

UConn Gave Seton Hall Everything it Could Handle With the Odds Against Them

After a 17-day layoff caused by nine players and Hurley getting Covid-19 cancelled two games and caused no full team practices until Thursday myself and a lot of fans would have been satisfied with a competitive road loss by single digits, the result I thought would be most likely. Instead, the Huskies looked strong from the jump and controlled the game for the first 25 minutes.

As discussed more below, UConn got strong offensive contributions up and down the lineup despite several players being on minute restrictions and scored in a variety of ways. After a few games where it underachieved on the boards, the team dominated the glass and consistently got second-chance opportunities. The Huskies consistently fought back from deficits late and competed hard on both ends through all 45 minutes despite visibly being gassed late.

Ultimately, the Huskies lost for two reasons in addition to their layoff. One, they played poor defense and did not make adjustments on that end when being burned in the paint. And two, UConn did not have ball-handlers who could break down the defense and take over when necessary, in contrast to Seton Hall. Moral victories are mostly hollow and I am sure the players were very frustrated with the loss. But the Huskies have no reason to hang their head, and hopefully the strong performance will give them momentum heading into an easier stretch of opponents in the next two plus weeks.

The Offensive Comes Alive

At the tail end of November and in early December the offense hit a relative dry spell. Much of this could be attributed to tougher competition and the absences of Sanago and Martin for much of this time, but the Huskies still didn’t do a quality sharing job of sharing the ball much of the time and multiple players failed to step up. UConn began to get out of this funk in their 78-70 win at Marquette on December 21st and smashed through it on Saturday.

UConn burned Seton Hall, an excellent defensive team, both in the paint and behind the arc and scored 1.18 points per possession. Five players scored in double figures (Sanago, Cole, Martin, Jackson, Polley) and eight with at least five points, shooting 47% overall. The Huskies shot 14-23 from deep (60%) and five players had multiple threes. They only made more threes against Auburn in a double-overtime game and the percentage was the season’s highest. The team continued its recent outstanding performances at the free throw line, going 11-12. UConn did an excellent job of responding to Seton Hall’s run, including after Richmond’s scoring streak and in overtime.

The Huskies shooting was not an adnominally. The players did an excellent job of sharing the ball, as evidenced by their 19 assists (six players had multiple dimes). UConn was able to efficiently run pick-and-rolls and find Sanago and others open at the top of the key and consistently earned players open looks from behind the arc, something they probably should have tried to do even more. Jackson provided valuable playmaking duties at times, despite some poor decision making. It was especially entertaining seeing Akok and Jackson continuing their hot streaks from deep and Polley regaining his ability to drain threes in clutch situations.

Sanago especially deserves accolades. Originally expected to play just 20 minutes, he gave 32 and made big plays every minute, eventually finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Sanago dominated defenders down low, stepped out for a few shots and moved well without the ball. He was a monster on the boards, outmuscling opponents for balls to earn second chance opportunities. Sanago defended well, blocking three shots and altering more. His stamina was remarkable after a layoff and injury and calmed my worries about his reliability. Sanago can feast on lesser opponents in the next stretch of games.

Turnovers Defining Factor in the Loss

God knows I am sick of talking about UConn’s ballhandling issues, especially its lack of secondary ballhandlers. However, it’s impossible to avoid the subject when it’s been the biggest contributing factor in all four losses. The Huskies 19 turnovers, 11 of which came in the second half, helped Seton Hall rally from their 9-point deficit early in the second half and prevented them from going on a sustained run in the half or overtime. Every time UConn seemed like they were ready to get back on track, they shot themselves in the foot with an unforced turnover. Some of it was poor passes or players losing control of the ball. Some of it was players either dropping passes or not being ready for them. And some of it was just good-old fashioned defensed by the Pirates. The Huskies have a habit of being sloppy with the ball at times every game, but Saturday was a new low. UConn now ranks 187th on KenPom in percentage of turnovers that are not turnovers at 9.7%. The only Big East team worse in this category is Georgetown.

Four players had four or more turnovers, with Martin and Jackson being the primary culprits with five and four respectively. Martin had multiple travels and of course the turnover that basically ended the game. Meanwhile, Jackson had the ball stolen from him multiple times and was burned by risky passes. After a good start to the game, Hawkins disappeared midway through the second half after three quick turnovers, all of which were preventable.

The game again highlighted why Cole is the only reliable ballhandler on UConn, and even he had three turnovers. Hawkins handle is poor and he is struggling with a lack of confidence. Jackson can still take too many risks at times and his teammates aren’t always ready for his passes. Martin’s handle is also way too shaky And Gaffney takes the air out of the ball on offense when playing paint and cannot pick up the scoring role for Cole. Cole was making plays for teammates, especially Sanago and Martin, but when he fouled out with 2:19 remaining in overtime the offense ground to a standstill and Gaffney and Jackson didn’t efficiently initiate sets. It was a mirror repeat of the Michigan State loss where the Huskies let the game slip away after Cole fouled out on a questionable call. If UConn cannot develop another reliable ballhandler/secondary point guard and consistently execute late, there will be more close losses to teams at Seton Hall’s level.  

UConn Losing Identity on the Defensive End

After a mediocre defensive performance in the 78-70 win at Marquette, the Huskies had their worst showing of the season against a major conference team on that end. Seton Hall shot 59% inside the arc and 40% from three for the game and their shooting on 2-pointers was even better in the second half and overtime, and added 20 free throws at an 83% success rate. The Pirates ended the first half strong and once Richmond got going, they were off to the races for the remainder of the game. No matter which defenders UConn threw at Richmond and Aiken, they couldn’t keep the pair from beating defenders off the dribble or backing players down and scoring over them, as well as getting to the line. UConn stuck to its man-to-man defense for almost all 45 minutes and did not make adjustments to slow down Richmond and others (more on that below) and the help defense was lacking. Seton Hall took care of the ball with just 12 turnovers and had both more steals and blocks than UConn, a very rare occurrence. In the end, Seton Hall looked stronger, faster and more determined than their defenders. It makes you worry any time the Huskies play opponents with multiple quality guards that rely on speed.

A special space should be reserved to talk about Whaley and his defense. I know Whaley has struggled with injuries and was one of the last players to recover from COVID-19, giving him less time to prepare for Saturday. And we know how much of a warrior Whaley has always been. Ultimately though, he looks less athletic and strong this year than last and not the same elite defender, especially one-on-one. If Whaley continues to not play at his past defensive level, then UConn is in trouble unless others step up in his place, especially with providing help defense.

Defensive Strategy and Late Game Execution Lacking

After touching on it throughout the article, I am going to finally focus on the questionable decision making of Danny Hurley. I am not sure if UConn could have stopped Richmond during his run or the other guards late. The trio did an outstanding job of shot-making and using touch to finish layups, as I cannot remember the last time an opponent made so many of them against UConn while not having any layups rim out. There’s always one or two times a season that an unheralded player like Richmond goes off on the Huskies and they are not prepared. But there’s no excuse for Hurley allowing Richmond to go off and score on every possession and embarrass the defenders while not making any adjustments. Doubling…zone…box-and-1…there’s a bunch of different defenses Hurley could have tried to get the ball out of Richmond’s hands and make someone else beat them instead of letting him define the game. Ditto for sticking with man-on-man for all of overtime when Aiken was getting to the line constantly and not having bigs like Sanago or Akok help more.

itscoring opportunities on out-of-bound plays and out of timeouts. At the end of regulation and after Cole fouled out in overtime however, I thought that the play options he set up for UConn were baffling.

On their last possession of regulation, Cole dribbled until near the end of the shot clock and then fired up a floater that had no chance of going in and ended up being a shot clock violation. It seemed like UConn was either trying to get Sanago open rolling to the basket off of a screen or try and give Cole the chance to either make a floater/layup or just have his attempt give teammates a shot at a putback or tip-in. Cole still spent too many seconds dribbling in place and not getting the play going to give him multiple options for either a catch-and-shoot play or for him to get to the hoop, ideally for either a layup or at least a foul. Not telling Cole to start the play earlier and give his point guard more options is on Hurley.

Similarly, the final play of overtime with Seton Hall up 88-87 was a mess with both the call and execution. It appeared that the goal was to get the ball to Martin and have Sanago set a screen that would allow him to have a passing lane to the basket. Obigau shut down the passing lane to Sanago and Richmond played excellent help defense to trap Martin at the top of the right corner to force the turnover near the end of the clock. Martin tried to clear Sanago out for him to drive, but instead Sanago trapped Martin even more by coming over and trying to help by setting a screen.

Hurley again had the players wait way too long to start running the play and he was right to say that Martin should have started his drive quicker. However, Martin should have been given more options, such as a pick-and-pop play or getting to the middle of the floor and either passing it out or driving it into the lane to get a layup or force a foul. If Hurley had had his team run a quick play, they would have had more play-making opportunities or more time for a chance at offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities. It makes sense to want the ball to go to Adama on final possessions, but UConn needs to have other options in its pocket, including looks behind the arc, as opponents are going to be geared towards keeping the ball away from him. Hopefully, Hurley and his players are learning from his losses and would have two or three plays in their back pocket available for similar late-game game situations going forward. The Huskies lunch has to change, right?

UConn Takes Big Step in Conference Road Win Against Marquette

Hello, loyal readers! After taking a few days off to spend the holidays with family/friends, I have returned my game observations/recap on last week’s 78-70 win against Marquette. I admit I took my time to publish it when I saw that the team’s game against Xavier was cancelled due to COVID-19 (will likely be scheduled to be made up soon). While the Huskies (10-3, 1-1) played far from perfect, especially on the defensive end, it was reassuring to see them defeat a squad at home that has earned multiple impressive wins this season. Bolstered by the duo of R.J. Cole and Tyrese Martin, who scored 45 points between them, and the return of Adama Sanogo, UConn responded to adversity and the crowd when the Golden Eagles (8-5, 0-2) rallied and solidified the win. Martin and Cole each reached career milestones in the win, with Martin surpassing the 1.000-point mark and Cole the 2,000-point mark.

The Huskies played their best offensive half in nearly a month (since aghast Auburn) in the first half, scoring 43 points to take a six-point advantage into halftime. Led by Martin (15 points) and Andre Jackson (eight), UConn shot 54.5% from the field. With both teams keeping one another off the offensive glass, the Huskies pushed the tempo more than it had in a long time and attacked the basket frequently, especially as the half wore on. After falling behind 16-11 6:26 in, UConn slowly crept back to take the lead and then went on a 10-2 run to take a 5-point lead, and later an 11-4 run with just over six minutes left in the half to take a 7-point lead.  

In just his second game back from injury, Martin was able to get wherever he wanted in the paint and from midrange and showed some surprising athleticism. Meanwhile, Jackson drained a three, did a strong job of finishing at the rim and facilitating for others and played solid defense. After a rusty start, Sanogo made a couple of nice jumpers in the half and finished with six points (also his final total on the day).

Despite its great offensive performance, UConn was only able to take a 43-37 lead into the break because of poor defense themselves. The Huskies allowed a Marquette offense not exactly known for its prowess to shoot over 70% early and over 50% in the half. While the Golden Eagles did a strong job of sharing the ball and attacking the basket, the defense did a poor job of communicating on high screens and pressuring defenders, leading to open shots on the perimeter and easy buckets inside. Super freshman Justin Lewis had nine points at the half.

UConn got off to a solid start in the second half and kicked off a 10-2 run with a Cole 3-pointer at the 15:17 mark, taking a 58-47 lead two minutes later on a 3-point play by Cole that featured a tough layup. Unfortunately, the Huskies quickly pulled their Jekyll-and-Hyde routine, allowing Marquette to go on an 11-2 run over the next four-plus minutes to cut the deficit to two. The Golden Eagles run featured five free throws as well as an easy layup right at the rim, as the defense had multiple breakdowns and was bullied at the rim. On offense, UConn’s ball movement became stilted when Jalen Gaffney briefly took over for Cole at point guard, and it began committing unforced turnovers and missing from the perimeter.

While the Huskies bent, they finally did not break, with RJ and Tyrese making sure to secure the win. After Marquette’s run made the score 62-60, the teams traded baskets and free throws the next few minutes, and Lewis’s layup made it 66-65 with 4:15 remaining. After Martin made one of two at the line, Kur Kauth blew a dunk, and the rest was history. Martin went on a 6-0 run by himself to give the Huskies a 72-65 lead and they would secure the win. He and Cole combined to score the last 14 points of the game, driving into the teeth of the defense again and again and earning acrobatic layups and free throws. UConn did a good job of handling the ball in the final minutes and finally made the choice to good scoring opportunities.

Martin led the team with 25 points on 9-16 shooting, going 6-8 at the line, and added six rebounds. Cole bounced back from a few tough shooting games to score 20 on 7-12 shooting and dropped seven assists. Jackson stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists and steals. Akok Akok made two threes and drabbed six boards. Lewis led the Golden Eagles with 20 points and Oliver Maxence-Prosper added 13 on 6-9 shooting.   

After blowing a chance at a huge road win at West Virginia and then the ugly loss to Providence, it was awesome to see UConn earn a strong road win and lead for a large majority of the game. While the loss to the Friars looms large, it seems like the team is heading in the right direction and will be able to get off to a strong start in the Big East against a tough schedule as Sanogo returns to full strength. Below, I look at all the positive observations the Huskies can take from this win as well as where the game showed they need to improve.   

Cole and Martin Demonstrate How Dangerous of a Duo They Can be

While Cole and Martin have gotten plenty of attention in their year-plus at UConn, the seniors had been overshadowed by Sanago earlier in the season when the trio played together. They shouldn’t be. Cole and Martin are the best all-around players on the team, and the emotional leaders of the team along with Isiah Whaley. They both have a lot of experience and poise, and are capable of generating offense and carrying the scoring load, even when they are not necessarily shooting their best. The pair’s games match up perfectly. Cole, who is averaging 16.3 points and 4.7 assists and has scored in double figures in nine consecutive games, is the natural scorer who can make tough shots at any time and stretch the floor. Martin, who is averaging 14.4 points and 7.2 rebounds, can beat defenders for easy shots in the paint as well as step out and hit jumpers, all while owning the boards.

I am not sure if the average UConn fan appreciates how valuable Cole and Martin are to the program. Both were already accomplished college players who have taken big steps forward this season and helped take on the scoring load vacated by James Bouknight. They have each shown that they can succeed as transfer players coming from mid-major/lower conferences, particularly Cole. While fans were frustrated about the lack of transfers added to this year’s squad, imagine the state the Huskies program could be in right now without the pair agreeing to come to Storrs. I look forward to seeing how much Cole and Martin can continue to grow and the further milestones they will reach going forward.

Andre Jackson and Akok Akok Continue to Show Their Bonafides

Over the last few games, Jackson has begun to consistently show the versatility and playmaking that has gotten fans so excited and writers to product that he can be an NBA draft pick. Jackson constantly pushed the pace in the game and created transition layups and great scoring opportunities for teammates. He continues to improve at handling the ball, a skill UConn desperately needs, as well as work effectively off it. It’s really exciting to see Jackson cut down as his turnovers and (somehow)become an effective 3-point shooter, and he is emerging as essential cog for the Huskies, especially on offense and the boards. I can’t wait to see the player he will become by the end of the season.

While Akok isn’t quite the all-around player right now that Johnson is, he is slowly demonstrating strides as the season advances. Akok’s two early threes kick-started the UConn offense and he had six rebounds while also playing strong defense and recording a block. Akok’s rebounding and defensive skills and ability to score both at the rim and behind the arc allows him to make a valuable impact against almost any opponent, even if the matchups aren’t quite favorable. With Akok improving, I hope Hurley gives him consistent minutes against every opponent and uses him in the right spots. Akok has earned his faith.  

Welcome Back, Adama Sanago

The sophomore was far from his vintage self in his return from an abdanomal injury, but Adama played solid in his 12 minutes, making a couple of tough jumpers and recording two rebounds and a block. Sanago wasn’t as effective defensively as offensively, but this was understandable considering he had less stamina and game legs in general. My only big knock on Sanago is his three turnovers, which were caused multiple times by his reluctance to pass out of the post and instead force shots. As Sanago gets back into game shape and becomes a focal point of the offense, Hurley needs to emphasize the importance of Sanago sharing the ball better.

Defense MIA in Action at Times

It’s been rare that UConn’s offense has been better than the defense, especially against the best opponents, but it was definitely the case against Marquette. The Golden Eagles did a good job of creating shots and being aggressive at the rim, but that’s no excuse for all the miscommunication on screens or the Huskies being bullied at times inside, even Whaley (I never would have thought Whaley would have struggled that much with Lewis, as good as he is for a freshman). Some of the defensive inconsistency can be chalked up to lineup changes Hurley made and the ineffectiveness of Sanago, as well as his stubborn refusal to cut back on using the hard hedge or double-teaming. But the players need to realize that they cannot play defense like that against upper-echelon Big East teams and win.

Still Not Enough from the Bench

While Akok seems to be making a consistent impact in certain areas, the rest of his bench compatriots continue to underperform. The trio of Tyler Polley, Jordan Hawkins and Jalen Gaffney combined for just seven points on 2-8 shooting, with none playing over 11 minutes. Hawkins continues to struggle with his shooting and seemingly his confidence and Polley was again unspectacular from beyond the arc (1-3) and didn’t contribute in any other meaningful way. Gaffney played seven minutes, missing a 3-pointer and committing two turnovers, and the offense was inefficient with him manning the point. As usual, Samson Johnson and Rasool Diggins didn’t play at all.

Ultimately, Gaffney has played poorly this season against high-level competition, and you have to believe that Hurley was sending a message to him by demoting minutes. What I hope is that Hurley challenging Gaffney will light a fire under his ass, and that he can be motivated to address his game and become more disciplined and dynamic. Otherwise, Gaffney is going to lose minutes and duties preeminently to Johnson and Hawkins. UConn was able to get away with a quiet night from its bench due to the brilliance of Martin and Cole. This needs to change however, especially if Sanogo is slower to return to form than expected and other guys wear down. Guys like Gaffney and Polley need to demonstrate their strengths so that the Huskies depth is utilized best.

UConn Finally Shakes Off the Pressure

All season, opponents have been using full-court pressure to terrorize the UConn offense, which did a poor job executing against it and experienced extensive turnover trouble. Against Marquette, the Huskies finally looked patient and collected against the Golden Eagles 2-1-1 three quarters press. They were able to break it quickly and get the ball to open players, and Cole, Martin and Jackson all seemed to understand what to do to escape trouble against the press. Credit goes to Hurley for getting the players ready for dealing with the defense and Marquette’s strategy. Hopefully, that shows UConn will be able to respond to all defenses opponents throw at them going forward.

As discussed before, we don’t know when UConn will play next, with the game against Butler on Friday up in the air as scheduled right now depending on how players and coach’s test. Hopefully the Huskies won’t be rusty when they next play, but defeating Marquette is a huge win to build on.     

Observations on Providence Loss: UConn’s Offense is MIA at Home in Flat Performance

It’s hard to call a loss a worst-case scenario when the team you are rooting for only loses by four points.  UConn’s performance against Providence was pretty ugly at some points however, and exposed the biggest weaknesses the Huskies currently have without Adama Sanogo, even after the return of Tyrese Martin. They had a terrible stretch at the end of the first half and beginning of the second to fall behind by 15 points, and their admirable comeback effort was eventually foiled by poor execution on both ends. Poor shot selection, terrible perimeter shooting, overreliance on one player, weird substitution patterns, costly defensive mistakes…. you mention it, Saturday’s57-53 defeat at the XL Center had it.  It was a crappy way to start the program’s first home schedule with fans in two years and their first ever in the new Big East.

To ensure that this article is not too long, I am going to mainly just briefly focus on the most important stretches of the game before I get to the meet of the article, my observations on the game. After UConn took a 9-5 lead into the first TV timeout, the game entered a very ugly stretch, as it did not score a field goal for more than nine minutes after a Martin layup at the 15:20 mark. As already discussed, the Huskies and Tyler Polley and R.J. Cole in particular were struggling to make perimeter shots despite many of their opportunities being good looks, while blowing opportunities at the rim. UConn’s defense on the Friars was good enough that it managed to have a 21-20- lead with 3:09 remaining in the half. In its final stretch however, the Huskies fell apart on both ends and ultimately trailed 31-21 at the half. A.J. Reeves and Ed Croswell each made multiple 3-pointers and dunks, while UConn failed to score off multiple offensive rebounds.

After a poor start to the second half, a Martin three 4:35 in got UConn back within 10 at 39-29. The Friars shook off the trey and continued to execute well on offense, dominating the Huskies in the paint to go up 48-32 with 10:41 remaining. During this stretch, Croswell and Watson pushed around defenders and set up scoring opportunities through strong screens. UConn was doing a poor job of pressuring ball-handlers, and the lack of Sanogo or teammates to help out Whaley (calling out Akok Akok) made it very difficult for him to keep Watson and Croswell consistently in check. Meanwhile, the Huskies were forcing shots both outside and in the paint and looked to lack confidence on offense. They were also struggling with making adjustments to Providence constantly switching its defense. To the Huskies credit, they slowly clawed back after falling behind by 16. They executed a series of beautiful backdoor passes and shots at the rim that led to either baskets or fouls. UConn also finally begin hitting a few threes, with Andre Jackson of all people hitting two treys. The team tightened up its defense and forced the suddenly cold Friars into tough shots, while also benefiting from Providence’s poor free throw shooting. Polley’s 3-pointer (his only one of the day) made it 55-53 with 1:58 remaining and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

I will go more into UConn’s ugly performance on offense in the final two minutes, but let’s just say that it brought back memories of previous losses to West Virginia and Michigan State. The Huskies missed four 3-pointers in this stretch as well as a scoring opportunity off of an offensive rebound, and played poor defense on the Friars one basket during this stretch. It was a heartbreaking loss for the fans to stomach, and showed just how far UConn is right now to living up to its potential. UConn fell to 9-3 overall with the loss, with all these losses occurring with the team having at least one major player out and by a combined 11 points.

Below, let’s look at a series of observations about the Huskies third loss of the season and its first in conference. Why the tone of this story has been pretty negative so far, I promise all my observations are not.

The Offense is Ugly Right Now, especially on the Perimeter

Any loyal fans who read that headline will probably immediately reply, “no shit, Sherlock”. UConn shot 32.1% overall and 27.6% (8-29) from three, while also going just 7-13 at the line for good measure. In arguably six of the last seven games (notwithstanding the 88-59 win against Grambling State), the Huskies have arguably underperformed offensively and from deep, admittingly against quality teams. In the last three games against West Virginia, St. Bonaventure and Providence, UConn has shot 19-77, adding up to 24.7%. That’s an epic slump, and it’s almost impossible to believe things won’t average out to some extent.

Against the Friars, UConn’s struggles on the perimeter had large similarities to those in the previous two games. Providence deserves a lot of credit for their strong defense on the opposing shooters. Ultimately however, the Huskies either rushed or forced a lot of shots, including at the end of the game and consistently missed open shots, wasting good ball movement. Everybody joined in on the struggles, including the teams so called best shooters (Polley and Tyler Hawkins), Cole and a rusty Martin. As the crowd saw, UConn seemingly continues to hoist threes that are forced instead of performing the ball movement necessary to set up the best perimeter opportunities, and then hesitates when having quality open shots from the outside.

I know Dan Hurley is committed to having the Huskies shoot a lot of threes every game, and it made since somewhat to attack the paint less against Providence due to the Friars imposing front line. However, maybe it is time to be so heavily reliant on treys and look to score near the rim more, especially with Sanogo returning against Marquette. Let’s hope the tide starts to change by the end of the month with everyone healthy.

Poor Production from Most Experienced Members of the Lineup

Starting with Tyler Polley, UConn’s starters and main bench players almost all struggled against the Friars for a large percentage of the game. Polley has been catching a ton of flack lately and it is deserved, even if it may go over the top at times. Polley went just 1-7 against Providence, missing his first six attempts. Since the Auburn game, the senior forward seems completely lost, especially against the toughest competition. Part of the issue against Providence may have been that Polley seemed to take almost all his shots off screens and without being set, arguably making them tougher to make. If Polley again takes multiple threes against Marquette as part of the game plan, Hurley and UConn needs to do its best to make sure they are set shots. With Polley not contributing on the boards or supplying efficient defense despite his size, there is no reason he deserves the amount of playing time he gets unless he is on a hot streak and making attempts. Otherwise, give more time to Akok and Samson Johnson in place of Polley to help solidify the defense and provide additional perimeter threats.

It’s easy to gang up on Polley, but none of the most experienced team members have looked great in the last two weeks (besides Martin, obviously). With Martin and Sanogo out and the struggles of Jalen Gaffney, Cole has been asked to do way too much on both ends of the court while getting little rest. Cole has found it more difficult to score at the rim without the spacing Sanogo and Martin provide, and is going through one of his cold streaks shooting outside of the paint, which Cole showed he was susceptible to last season as well. While Cole has averaged just under 16 points per game in the last four contests, it has taken him 65 shots to do so. Against Providence, Cole shot 5-19 overall and 2-10 inside the arc, and many of these shots were forced or came late in the shot clock. When Cole is asked to pick up a huge load of the scoring slack he cannot focus as well on point guard responsibilities, and Gaffney hasn’t shown him consistent support.

 Speaking of Gaffney, he may be the player who I have been most disappointed with this season. The junior guard went scoreless in 24 minutes against the Friars while committing three turnovers. In the team’s six games against major competition, Gaffney has scored just 32 points, made no threes, and committed 13 turnovers against 14 assists, but played at least 20 minutes in most of these games. Across the board, a majority of Gaffney’s offensive numbers are worse than last season. While Gaffney’s defensive ratings are mixed, his weaknesses are visible against tough competition, such as his difficulty staying in front of quick guards and tendency to sell out for steals, which can lead to huge baskets by the player he’s supposed to be guarding. For example, Gaffney was out of position and late on Alijami’s Durham’s layup in the final minute against Providence, a basket that more or less sealed the game. Everything about Gaffney’s game-his reluctancy to attack the basket despite his athleticism and free throw shooting, commit inexplicable turnovers and waste way too much time bringing the ball up the court when playing point-is designed to frustrate me to death. At this point, Gaffney should start to lose minutes to Hawkins and Rashoul Diggins should be given the opportunity to play 5-10 minutes per game so Hurley can see his ball-handling and passing abilities. Maybe making such a move will light a fire under Gaffney and motivate him to reach his potential.  

While I don’t have much negative to say about how Isiah Whaley has played on either end recently, even he played inconsistent defense against Providence. The return of Sanogo should take some pressure off Whaley and give him more freedom to focus on playing defense and controlling the boards.

Please Come Save us, Adama Sanogo

UConn is a solid team without Sanogo, but they need him back and playing to full or almost full strength as soon as possible to get off to a strong start in the Big East. Sanogo is expected to play limited minutes tonight against Marquette, and the Huskies luckily will have a week off afterwards until playing at Xavier. The sophomore can immediately give UConn the potent scorer they need inside, improved rebounding and more reliable post defense and blocking, while allowing Whaley and Akok to be used more flexibly. With Sanogo, I am certain UConn would have won against Providence. Even if Sanogo can be a bit of a black hole on offense, he will make it better and more consistent. With a healthy Sanogo, the Huskies are one of the top teams in the conference and a Top 25 team.

Bring on Akok Akok and the kids

Despite getting two key blocks and rebounding well early against Providence, Akok was used less as the game went on and ultimately attempted just one shot in 16 minutes (a 3-pointer that he missed). After the loss, Hurley said that Akok had looked tentative on offense and got lost a few times on offense and I certainly don’t dispute those statements, especially in regards to the offensive end. As inconsistent as Akok is as he returns from injury and gets more up to game speed however, he is already showing offensive rebounding and shot blocking abilities that the Huskies are desperately in need of. Factor in his 3-point shooting success (8-14) this year and ability to stretch the floor, which no other big on UConn really has, how well he had just played against St. Bonaventure and the enthusiasm Akok brings to the team, and I think Hurley needs to be willing to give Akok more leeway if his body is up to it. Akok’s speed and size makes him a good fit against Marquette, so hopefully he will get more consistent minutes tonight.

Regarding Samson Johnson and Rashoul Diggins, what more can I say? Johnson has apparently been playing decent in practice and has occasionally shown solid scoring skills and rebounding in the limited minutes he has played. It would have made sense to give Johnson more of a chance to play with Sanogo out, and yet he was DNA against Providence and only played two minutes against St. Bonaventure. Hurley indicated Johnson may play some against Marquette, and there is no reason he shouldn’t get at least 5-10 minutes in the next few games as Sanogo gets back to full strength. I imagine Diggins must look poor (at least on defense) in practice if Hurley is not giving him any playing time against non-cupcakes, but with Gaffney struggling so much and Cole overwhelmed, it makes a world of sense to at least give Diggins five minutes or so to display his ball handling and passing abilities against Marquette. Finally, Hawkins needs to get more consistent minutes in the next few games with Polley in a shooting funk. IF Hawkins playing patterns made more sense, I would hope he would be more confident and able to get into a groove at times.

Kudos to Jackson and Martin on Their Play

For the second straight game, Jackson was probably UConn’s best player. He scored eight points and snatched down 14 rebounds (12 defensive) and knocked down two 3-pointers. Yes, Jackson again missed a few easy shots at the rim (stop trying to tip in the ball with one hand already). But he continues to look like the most energetic player out there and a great facilitator while slowly becoming more disciplined. Meanwhile, Martin got more up to speed as the game went on and finished with 15 points and five rebounds. I am confident he will be close to the same player he was early in the season within two weeks or so.   

UConn Looks to Make Big Splash in Front of Home Crows in Conference Opener

In a very real way, UConn’s Big East opener against Providence late this afternoon at the XL Center is the most impactful game the Huskies have played in a few seasons. Obviously, there is the factor of the program just playing a home game with fans for the first time since early March in 2020, but then you those fans being able to be part of a Big East game for the first time in a decade, and it takes on a whole other dimension. With the opponent a long-time rival that is again having a solid season, the environment at the XL should be raucous. Best of all, Tyrese Martin is guaranteed to return for the Huskies and there is a chance Adama Sanogo will make his return for a few minutes. It will almost definitely be a highly competitive game, and a win would be important for the program, especially considering the Friars resume. UConn is favored by KenPom to win 73-65 and is a -7 betting favorite.

Below is a brief look at how Providence is playing this season and how they will match up with the Huskies.

Performance So Far:

Providence has had an excellent showing in its non-conference slate, as its 10-1 record is tied with Xavier for the best in the Big East. It has three wins against top-40 teams in the KenPom rankings (Wisconsin on the road, Northwestern at a neutral site and No. 18 Texas Tech), and has also beaten a strong Rhode Island squad. All of the Friars wins against power conference teams came in regulation by five points or fewer, as they have clearly demonstrated the ability to close games, something UConn is still struggling with. Providence’s lone loss was a 58-50 neutral defeat to Virginia, which is currently ranked 58th by KenPom. Overall, it’s non-conference schedule was ranked 143rd by the site, more than 150 slots higher than UConn. While Providence’s rankings on various stats-based websites are not quite as high as you’d expect based on performance (the team is ranked 57th on KenPom for instance), it received a lot of votes in the AP poll last week and will surely be ranked if it defeats UConn.

Strengths and Weaknesses

While the highly experienced Friars (five graduate students) have not been dominant in any areas, they have been solid on both sides of the ball in a number of categories. On offense, they are ranked 63rd in the country and shoot well (effective field goal percentage of 51.4, ranking 115th in the country and a two-point percentage that ranks 74th). Providence also rebounds well on the offensive end and are above average at avoiding turnovers. Luckily for UConn, which has been inconsistent with defending the 3-point line, Providence shoots just 32.2% on threes, 215th in the country. While it does not shoot free throws particularly well, the Friars get to the free throw line a lot and heavily rely on it, scoring just under 23% of their points from the stripe. Providence does an excellent job of sharing and distributing the ball, as their assist rate of 61.3 on the Bartovik stat website is 22nd in the country. Despite their solid offense, the Friars average just under 71 points per game due to the very slow tempo they play at. Their adjusted tempo and average possession length rank 206th and 266th in the country, with this style partially due to the team’s reliance on big man Nate Watson, who is discussed just more below.

Providence’s offence revolves around 6-10, 260-pound senior center Nate Watson, one of the best players in the Big East. The senior center is an absolute beast inside, scoring 15.3 points per game on 64.3% shooting, and his same effective field goal percentage ranks 61st in the country. Watson is a very disciplined offensive player and has committed just 13 turnovers while avoiding huge foul trouble. While Watson’s rebounding numbers are not huge for a player of his size, he still pulls down 5.5 boards per game. Watson’s biggest weakness is his free throw shooting, as he has shot just 54.5% at the line. Watson has a great senior running mate in the backcourt in Noah Horchler, who brings a reliable inside-out game and is the Friars best rebounder. Horchler is averaging 10.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Horchler, an excellent shooter, has a true shooting percentage of over 60 and is shooting 40.5% from three. He has four double-doubles this season and made multiple threes in five games.

Providence also has two other double-digit scorers in point guard Al Durham (13.5) and small forward AJ Reeves (10.7). Durham, who had scored in double-digits in every game prior to the last two contests, is a somewhat flawed offensive player. His true shooting percentage is just over 40% and Durham has made just 10 threes in 44 attempts (22.7%), a huge drop from last season’s 38%. While Durham averages just under four assists per game, he has also committed three turnovers per game. However, Durham has shot over 80% at the charity stripe. Reeves is a solid overall shooter and has shot 36.4% behind the arc. He has been the team’s hottest player in the last week, scoring a combined 41 points against Vermont and Central Connecticut. Besides the core four for Providence, senior forward Justin Miniya has been a valuable bench piece, averaging 5.6 points and 5.1 rebounds.         

 The Friars also have a solid defense, ranking 71st in adjusted efficiency on that end according to KenPom. Opponents have averaged 60.5 points and been held under 60 for three consecutive games. With a strong front line anchored by Watson (averaging a block per game), they limit teams to an effective field goal percentage of 45.4 inside the arc, four percentage points under average and ranking 54th in the country. They also defend the three reasonably well. While Providence forces turnovers at a low rate, its block percentage of 11.9% is 76th in the country. UConn will have to return to rebounding at a high level on the offensive end, which could be a challenge against a Friars team that is capable of controlling the boards. The Friars are skilled at defending without fouling, as opponents reach the line more than two percentage points below average (15.3). Providence forces opponents to play at its slow tempo and their average possession length ranks 294th in the nation.

Assessing how UConn Matches Up

Offense

While it’s hard to know his stamina level and how effective Martin can be offensively in his first game back from injury, he has the ability to tilt the advantage towards UConn on the offensive (and defensive end). Martin adds another player who should be able to drive to the hoop and create matchup problems against Providence’s guards and front line. Martin is a solid passer and 3-point shooter, a weapon that UConn desperately needs. His presence will help create more driving lines for the UConn guards, particularly R.J. Cole.

Whether or not Sanogo is able to give any minutes, the Huskies will have their hands full scoring against Watson, who averages a block a game. Isiah Whaley, Martin and Akok Akok will need to find a way to get some points matching up with him, whether that comes in the half-court or off the glass, and UConn’s guards must find a way to neutralize Watson as well. The obvious thing to do would be to get him in foul trouble, but the Huskies can also neutralize the Providence bigs by running efficient ball screens and pick-and-rolls and getting out on fastbreaks. It would also be huge if Whaley and especially Akok could knock down a few perimeter shots and open up space for the rest of the offense. If Sanogo does play, I am just looking for him to give 5-10 reliable minutes where he can hopefully use his size to score over Watson and put him in danger of getting into foul trouble.

In the end, I think UConn’s biggest offensive keys to winning will be to press the tempo, shoot well from the perimeter and get a solid number of offensive rebounds. With Bynum possibly out and Providence not having a ton of depth as a team in general, I believe Martin can help the Huskies wear the Friars out by running off of offensive rebounds and turnovers, with Cole and Andre Jackson leading the way in this regard. UConn has shown over the last two games that it can consistently get open shots against good teams, I am confident they can again do so and that Cole, Jordan Hawkins and Tyler Polley can knock down threes and other perimeter shots with the spacing Martin and possibly Sanogo provide. I am hopeful that Hawkins can build on his performance from three in the last game, while not getting down if he struggles. Finally, the return of Martin will hopefully boost the Huskies offensive rebounding performance, which has been disappointing the last couple of games. It is critical that Whaley and Akok block out and anticipate well and make quality opportunities at the rim. Finally, as always, UConn must take care of the ball and maintain composure if the game is close late.  

On defense, UConn’s success will start with slowing Watson down to at least some extent. As great of a defender as Whaley is, it will be a big challenge for him bodying up against a player the size of Watson while avoiding foul trouble. Ditto Akok, whose body type is not well-suited to covering a player of Watson’s size and length. If Sanogo plays, he can hopefully at least keep Watson in check for a short time, even if it leads to some fouls. Samson Johnson, who has the same height if not girth of Watson, could be huge for UConn in giving extra frontcourt minutes if Sanogo does not play. The Huskies do benefit from the fact that Watson is a very poor free throw shooter even if he forces them into foul trouble. In the end however, the Huskies will need to at least consistently alter the shots of Watson and the Friars other bigs even if they do not get blocks and keep them off the offensive boards, which requires improved boxing out by UConn and a good showing by Martin.

Besides slowing down Watson and to a lesser extent Horchler, UConn’s biggest key to defensive success will be shutting down Reeves and especially Durham. As discussed before, Durham is especially susceptible to turnovers, and good ball pressure will put the pair in danger of committing turnovers and make it more difficult to get the ball to Watson. It will also limit their ability to kick out passes to an open Horchler on the perimeter. While I have generally been happy with Cole’s defense, Jalen Gaffney, Jackson and Hawkins need to keep the Providence guards from blowing past them or getting easy looks at the rim. If Jackson can stay disciplined, his length and athleticism could make ball-handling a nightmare for the Friars guards.

Final Verdict

This game is going to almost definitely be ugly. Providence will do its best to slow the game down, and we know that UConn can be bogged down by opponents and go into stretches where they cannot hit a shot to save their lives. Add that there will be a lot of fouls, and Dan Hurley is going to have to get creative with his lineups and adjustments, especially if Sanogo is not available. Ultimately however, I believe that the return of Martin and the impact he can have in so many different phases of the game and as a leader, coupled with the home court advantage, will allow the Huskies to pull this game out Sanogo or no Sanogo (if he plays, I’m almost certain they win). As long as UConn can limit the Providence guards, they should win by roughly 8-10 points. Can’t wait for tonight!