In my last article for this site, I expressed frustration after UConn’s loss at Kansas and said the team would have to address essential issues to defeat North Carolina and ultimately end its nonconference schedule with momentum. Immediately the Husky players shut me up and then some. They were impressive in a double-digit win against UNC and for a majority of Saturday’s blowout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. UConn is now 9-1 and remains in the top five of the national polls, and can earn a final signature win in Seattle against Gonzaga on Friday night.
UConn was impressive in their 87-76 win against North Carolina, particularly offensively, and led nearly the entire game. After struggling at times against Kansas’s switch-heavy defense a few days before, the Huskies burned the Tar Heels defense consistently on switches for layups and open perimeter shots. They averaged 1.23 points per possession and made nearly 69% of their 2-pointers. Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban, who were hobbled against Kansas and had poor performances, bounced back and scored a combined 41 points while shooting 16-31 (I discuss the importance of the pair’s performances last week more below). Tristen Newton had a typically well-rounded performance, recording 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and freshman Solomon Ball had a breakout performance, scoring 13 and draining three 3-pointers. Ultimately, UConn had 25 assists against just 8 turnovers.
North Carolina scored effectively against the defense, with R.J. Davis (26 points) and Harrison Ingram (20) burning Husky defenders consistently in the first half and early in the second. The defense struggled to help and close out on the perimeter at times, but the Huskies upped their pressure and intensity as the game wore on. After the Tar Heels cut the deficit to 65-60 with 11 minutes remaining, UConn went on a 18-6 run. During this stretch, the defense consistently forced UNC into tough shots and forced multiple turnovers and blocks. Newton, Diarra, and Clinigan and Johnson played strong defense up top and in the paint to shut UNC down, and Stephen Castle played excellent D in his first game back from energy.
While UConn slept walk through the first few minutes of Saturday’s game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the offense woke up in a big way. With 3:54 left in the first half, the Huskies led the Golden Eagles just 31-29. After that point, they outscored Arkansas-Pine Bluff 70-34. After his 3-point shot had deserted him for a few games, Karaban had much better touch, draining six threes and finishing with a career-high 26 points and 7 assists. Newton had 16 points and 6 assists, and Spencer hit five treys and earned 4 assists. Clinigan was very effective on both ends, putting up 11 and 7 and blocking three shots in just 21 minutes. Finally, Castle looked very good in his second game back, scoring 7 points and recording 4 blocks and rebounds. UConn shot 56% and went 13-28 from deep, and got to the free throw line 31 times, making 22. It had 21 assists and outrebounded the Golden Eagles 42-28. On defense, the Huskies blocked nine shots and stole the ball five times. They held Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 35.6% shooting overall and 31% inside the arc.
UConn is now 9-1, and these two wins solidified its place as one of the best teams in the country and at the top of the Big East pecking order, along with Creighton and Marquette. Defeating Gonzaga in Seattle Friday will further demonstrate to observers that UConn can win against elite nonconference opponents in hostile environments. Below, I further discuss my thoughts on the UNC and Arkansas-Pine Bluff wins and the positives and negatives I drew from them.
Karaban and Spencer Come Back to Life
Against Kansas, it looked like injuries were heavily limiting Karaban and Spencer on both ends. Karaban’s shot was ineffective against the Jayhawks due to a finger injury, as he was just 2-7 from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Spencer had hurt toes on both of his feet, making it difficult for him to get good lift on his shots and move effectively on both ends. Spencer scored just 6 points while shooting 2-12, and both he and Karaban struggled to keep up on the defensive end. Prior to the North Carolina game, both men were a game time decision, and it was thought they would have minutes restriction. Because of this, it was easy to understand the skepticism myself and others shared about UConn being able to beat UNC at less than full strength.
Among the pair, Spencer was the first one to break out offensively against the Tar Heels. The senior scored 16 of his 23 points in the first half of the win, getting on the board via a series of layups, free throws, and 3-pointers. Spencer did not look stiff or slow in any shape or form. Rather, he showed off his ability to find open shots from anywhere on the floor, while still creating scoring opportunities for others. Against Kansas, Spencer had looked frustrated and angry at himself throughout. Against North Carolina, he played with that same intensity but instead fed off of it and showed their players he wouldn’t back down, even earning a technical after a little too much trash talking. While a lot of players had solid games against UNC, Spencer, who also earned 7 rebounds and 6 assists, was their MVP. After again playing well against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, my worries about Spencer have subsided.
Karaban found ways to contribute against UNC around the basket and by moving the ball. He ultimately shot 6-8 inside the arc (mostly on cuts to the basket and on putbacks) to finish with 18 points, and had 9 rebounds and 5 assists. As discussed somewhat earlier however, the win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff was the first time Karaban’s shot has looked 100 percent for a while. Karaban was 6-9 from deep and did an excellent job of moving without the ball and off screens to get open 3-point attempts in the corner. He was also successful again at getting to the rim for baskets and rebounded and passed the ball well, finishing with 3 assists. Finally, while the competition wasn’t high level, Karaban was strong on the defensive end against the Golden Eagles. It will be important to see if Karaban can keep his offense going against another strong defense in Gonzaga. What Karaban needs to remember is to not fall into a pattern of just taking3-pointers against the Bulldogs if his outside shots aren’t falling, and to be aggressive going to the basket when appropriate to create plays for himself and others.
Freshman Continue to Contribute the More They Play
After difficulty acclimating to the speed of the college game or just finding minutes at all in such a talented rotation, Ball and fellow frosh Jaylin Stewart made a big case for themselves against UNC and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. With Castle making valuable contributions in both wins in limited movements, it seems like UConn and Dan Hurley is getting closer to deciding that Castle, Ball and Stewart will get the large majority of minutes played among the freshman, barring more injury.
Ball averaged 11 points between the two wins, shooting 7-15 overall and 4-11 from deep. The shooting guard is showing a strong ability to finish around the rim using his athleticism and has demonstrated a nice touch on floaters. While Ball’s shooting from deep is inconsistent and he has a tendency to rush 3-pointers, I’ll give him praise for not being afraid of the big shot and forcing defenders to challenge him beyond the arc. Ball certainly came up big against North Carolina from there, making a trio of 3-pointers that gave UConn momentum at essential times. He also has done a good job of handling the ball well and playing with high energy on both ends during his starting stint with Castle injured and then on minute restrictions. Hopefully, Ball’s improvement during this stretch increased his confidence and will allow him to make an immediate impact off the bench when Castle moves back to the starting guard spot in the next game or two.
Prior to the game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Jaylin Stewart had played intermittently this season. Against the Golden Eagles however, the forward was aggressive on the offensive end and rewarded with a season-high 15 minutes. Stewart scored 7 points, making all three of his 2-pointers, and had 2 rebounds and an assist. Stewart also got to the line for three shots, though he only made one. He demonstrated the ability to beat defenders off the dribble and shoot over them, as well as strong athleticism. Stewart will have to keep his defensive effort up and shoot better at the charity stripe to consistently get more playing time, but I believe that he can be a solid member of the rotation by the second half of the season.
While I can’t imagine being worried about Castle’s ability to contribute either way, he demonstrated that he could make an impact in multiple ways in limited minutes against the Tar Heels and Golden Eagles. The acclaimed freshman had 3 points, 4 rebounds, and both an assist and steal in just 11 minutes against UNC, and then put up 7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 18 minutes in the second win. It’s clear that Castle can beat defenders in the paint and create offense even when not fully healthy. His strength and reflexes allowed him to rebound well in the wins, and his passing was solid. What was most impressive against the two teams was Castle’s defense. His ability and length can allow him to hassle defenders and create turnovers. As long as he gets fully healthy, I expect Castle to start having a few breakout games in the next few weeks and show why he is one of the best freshmen in the country.
UConn’s Ball Movement and Rebounding is Elite
The Huskies ability to share the ball and get assists, which helps create the team’s depth, and it’s rebounding were big areas of strength last year, and have remained so throughout this nonconference schedule. UConn is running an intricate offense that is great at confusing defenses and finding players for high-percentage shots. Through 10 games, the Huskies percentage of assists on made field goals is 60.8%, which ranks 29th in the country. They recorded 24 assists on 35 field goals against North Carolina, and 33 assists on 69 field goals against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. UConn’s passing is a thing of beauty, and it has helped lead to the balance the team has throughout its lineup. Four players (Newton, Spencer, Karaban and Clinigan) are averaging double figures, led by Newton’s 17 points per game. Castle is just under that at 9.8 points in less than 20 minutes of play.
Rebounding, especially on the offensive end, has been a huge emphasis of all of Hurley’s teams, and it unsurprisingly a huge strength again this season. UConn has consistently outrebounded its opponents, usually significantly so, and is grabbing roughly 42 per game. It is grabbing 38.9% of its offensive rebounds, which ranks seventh in the country. The biggest difference this season is that the Huskies guards are some of its best rebounders, with Newton grabbing 7.2 per game.
UConn Needs to Improve Significantly at Guarding Teams From Deep
The Huskies still have a very strong defense despite losing important talent and athleticism from last year’s roster. Opponents are making just 47% of their 2-point shots, which ranks sixth in the country, and the team is blocking a bunch of shots again. However, their opponents have been getting hot on 3-pointers, making 37% .4% of them, which is one of the highest percentages allowed by any team. While that mark may be a little inflated due to a few opponents shooting significantly better than their normal rates beyond the arc, the UConn players have consistently allowed guys to get free for wide-open 3-pointers, and been burned as a result. There could be a few reasons for this, including miscommunication by defenders, poor decision making, and the Huskies deliberately leaving a lesser perimeter shooter open to guard the paint. I know Hurley puts an emphasis on guarding the rim, but if opponents can stay in games by getting hot from three UConn will be susceptible to upsets, especially in March. Hurley has been emphasizing the need for the team to stop allowing so many 3-pointers, and hopefully they will have made changes to defending from there in practice during this long break that will pay off in games.
Donavon Clinigan Still a Question Mark
Even with the injury issues to his foot and having to play his way back into shape because of a lack of live practice in the preseason, Clinigan has still been an excellent defender. He is constantly altering or blocking shots and limiting opposing big men’s freedom of movement. The sophomore slowed down Bacot against North Carolina and shut down the Arkansas-Pine Bluff bigs, and no opposing center has been completely successful against Clinigan so far this season. On offense however, it is clear Clinigan is more limited than expected. His ability to finish around the rim is inconsistent, partially due to a lack of lift caused by the foot injury. This is also holding Clinigan back from showing the same explosiveness he had as a rookie. In addition, Clinigan’s foul shooting has still not improved, as he is making just over half of his shots there. I am holding out hope that the Bristol native will start living up to preseason expectations in a month or so. The current version of Clinigan, however, is holding back UConn from reaching its full potential as a team.
HUSKY NATION 