tristen newton – HUSKY NATION

The Unforgettable Experience of UConn vs. Creighton

When I entered Gampel Pavilion Wednesday night to see UConn take on Creighton, I admit that I was apprehensive about the top-ranked Huskies ability to defeat the experienced Blue Jays, even at home. They have a strong offense that scores very effectively around the rim and can regularly knock down 3-pointers and is one of the best defensive teams in the country in many categories. Meanwhile, UConn was very inconsistent on offense in the preceding few games, struggled badly on the boards, and was not sure what it would get from Donavon Clinigan in his first game back from injury. Finally, Creighton had been the Huskies kryptonite since they rejoined the Big East, winning every game but one. I expected a close game in which UConn needed to limit Creighton in the paint and execute well on offense to win.

Instead, I saw UConn win comfortably 62-48 against one of the Big East’s top programs. The Huskies played absolutely suffocating defense, dominated the boards, and made clutch shots when needed in front of a rowdy crowd. The game, which was obviously a sellout, was one of the most memorable regular season wins for UConn in a long time. It was a joy and privilege to watch in person.

Instead of writing my traditional detailed observations about one or multiple games, I have decided to cover the Creighton win. Instead, I am going to list and do a short discussion of what I enjoyed the most about UConn’s performance up close. I hope you enjoy it!

Being able to see Donavon Clinigan in his first game back from injury was a lot of fun. In 16 minutes, Clinigan was running the floor maybe the best he has had all season and was in better shape. Clinigan was excellent on defense, blocking two shots and denying Creighton the ability to take the ball to the rim and find star center Ryan Kalkbrenner. While Clinigan was rusty shooting the ball, going just 3-8 from the field for 6 points, he snatched five rebounds and recorded 2 assists. Finally, Clinigan fueled multiple runs and brought a ton of energy when out on the floor, including a memorable sing-along to Taylor Swift. If this was what the big fella looked like in his first game back, I could see him dominating opponents soon.
UConn’s defensive performance was remarkable, especially when observing it up close. The unit never allowed Creighton’s players to get comfortable. The Huskies constantly pressured ball-handlers and rarely allowed the Blue Jays to run effective offensive sets. Their players were forced into taking difficult shots inside the arc or kicking it out for 3-pointers, with Creighton shooting just 6-26(23.1%) from there. UConn’s ability to fluster their ball-handlers led to 14 turnovers. Somehow, the Huskies limited the Blue Jays to 6 foul shots despite their aggressive defense. The 48 points were the fewest an opponent has scored in more than two seasons.
In addition to Clinigan, Stephen Castle and Hasson Diarra were especially great to see in person on defense. Castle, who covered multiple players but was on point guard Trey Alexander the most, hounded everyone he guarded and refused to let ball-handlers get downhill. The freshman forced a lot of poor shots and although he had only one steal, Castle was partially responsible for multiple turnovers. He is on another level defensively than most freshman. Diarra has always been an excellent defender and was all over the place in his 17 minutes on the floor. I also commend Samson Johnson for his defensive effort, as he was able to defend multiple players by hard hedging while still defending well. Hopefully the win will give Johnson, who had 4 points, 3 rebounds and a block, more confidence as a defender.
After a few games without Clinigan in which UConn struggled badly to rebound, it was dominant on that end throughout the game, kicking Creighton’s ass on that end 48-32. The Huskies were more physical and athletic than the Blue Jays players up front and did an excellent job blocking out and reacting to where the ball is coming off the rim. Six Huskies had at least 6 rebounds, led by Tristen Newton’s 8. By grabbing 21 offensive rebounds, UConn was able to offset its lousy shooting to some extent and control the clock better. The team won’t rebound this well every game, but having Clinigan back to handle center with Johnson will allow players to play their regular positions and make it easier to rebound.
UConn’s offensive performance was ugly. They shot roughly 35%, had only 13 assists and pretty much stopped scoring in the last six minutes of the game. Creighton was mostly able to keep the Huskies from attacking the rim or scoring in the paint effectively when playing half-court offense, and missed a lot of open midrange jumpers and 3-pointers. When they needed a player to step up and make a basket or create offense they turned to Newton, just as they’ve done all season. He hit tough jumpers, especially in the first half to give the team early momentum. The senior also was the only Husky that could consistently make threes, hitting two of four and having a third waved off due to a foul. Newton scored 16 points and was more efficient than either Alex Karaban or Cam Spencer, who each finished with 13. He may have not have gotten off to the best start in Big East play, but Newton has been one of the top players in the country this year, and the Huskies will go as far as Newton can lead them.
The crowd was outstanding all night against Creighton. Their energy and enthusiasm gave the UConn players a ton of energy and propelled runs, and the fans also helped to rattle Creighton. Everyone was loud and celebratory, and the students were very engaged. UConn gets good crowd support wherever they played, but the Gampel experience is a lot more fun because of the intimate setting and students leading the way for the rest of the crowd.

There’s No Such Thing as a Good Loss

To all UConn fans, I say don’t believe what you here. While the team showed a lot of toughness coming back and almost winning in a hostile environment in Friday’s 69-65 loss at Kansas, there is ultimately no such thing as a “good loss”. UConn did not play well against the Jayhawks, with no player having a strong all-around game besides Tristen Newton. In fact, if it wasn’t for an amazing performance by Newton, the team would have been blown out. The Huskies did a putrid job with penetrating the defense and creating easy scoring opportunities for much of the game, looked significantly less athletic than Kansas, and continued to have defensive lapses that ultimately allowed the Jayhawks to go on a decisive rally to end the game. Throw in a lousy performance at the free throw line (8-15) and Cam Stewart injuring both his toes and having it badly affect his shooting performance, and it was all too much for UConn to overcome. While this issues may have been for just one game, they are definitely ones that could affect the team’s performances against North Carolina and Gonzaga.

The Huskies are in a very vulnerable position heading into their game with the Tar Heels at MSG Tuesday night. With Spencer hobbled (the pain in his feet clearly affected his shooting accuracy against Kansas), Donovan Clinigan still dealing with a foot that continues to hurt him and affect his athleticism, and Alex Karaban ‘s injured finger possibly affecting his shooting accuracy as well, it isn’t an ideal time for the team to be facing such tough back-to-back opponents. Dan Hurley even admitted on Monday that Spencer, Clinigan and Karaban have been limited in practice, and that it is not a guarantee that Spencer will play. While Stephen Castle is likely to return against UNC, I am sure he will be on a minutes restriction. Considering that North Carolina has an elite offense that likes to push the ball, you have to hope that one or two of those aforementioned guys as well as Castle can keep up on both ends and be effective. Otherwise, there is a very good chance the Huskies will lose. It would help if Hurley was willing to play any freshman besides Solomon Ball if those players are struggling, even if he is reluctant to. The group did not play one minute against Kansas.

Below, I provide a brief analysis of the areas UConn struggled in against Kansas, and the possible steps they can take to get back on track against UNC. I still believe that the Huskies can be an elite team and beat anyone at their best. Now, it’s time to prove it against the Tar Heels and then Gonzaga.

UConn’s Offense Was Ineffective Against Kansas

There are ugly offenses, and then there was the Huskies offense against Kansas. While the team was ultimately able to get to 65 points and average 1.08 points per possession, those numbers do not tell the whole story. UConn started very cold, allowing Kansas to get out to a 16-5 start, and it remained very inconsistent from there. While a lot of the struggles can be attributed to the Jayhawks suffocating defense and the intensity of the crowd, the Huskies still could have done a lot of things better. Players did not try hard enough to move the ball on the perimeter or help Newton and Spencer by coming to the ball. UConn rarely pushed the ball off rebounds, and took to long to get into offensive sets, leading to low-percentage shots. While players were forced to take a lot of challenging perimeter shots because of Kansas’s ability to pressure the ball, they were still able to get enough open shots that everyone besides Newton should have been a little more effective from beyond the arc. The remainder of the roster shot 5-19 from three, with Karaban and Spencer combining to go 3-14. As tough as it may have been, the Huskies should have tried to attack the basket more and get more opportunities for offensive rebounds and free throws. Only three players reached the line. Finally, UConn had Clinigan setting too many screens instead of focusing on him playing in the low post. The sophomore took just seven 2-pointers and was unable to get enough easy shots, ultimately going just 3-7. UConn should have an easier time scoring against North Carolina. The Tar Heels have allowed every power conference team to score 70 points, struggle at defending the 3-point line and foul frequently.

The Defense Was Poor at the Worst Times

Like its overpowering defense, the Kansas offense was surprisingly efficient, especially at the beginning and end of the game. The Jayhawks jumped out to a 16-5 lead, making everything, and leaving the UConn players gob smacked. While they cooled off somewhat from there, they still went into halftime shooting over 50%. After shooting hot and cold for much of the second half, allowing the Huskies to briefly take the lead, Kansas seized it back by going on an 11-0 run starting with 6:53 remaining that featured three consecutive treys by Kevin McCullar, a subpar 3-point shooter, and Hunter Dickinson. McCullar hit one more backbreaking three to seal the game as UConn furiously tried to come back. Kansas, which had been inconsistent offensively against the best teams on its schedule and does not have great depth and shooters, definitely played its A game offensively at times. Shooting 9-14 from three is an obscene percentage, for instance. Still, the Huskies could have done a lot more to try and slow down Kansas.

My biggest frustration with the defense was that it just didn’t throw in enough wrinkles to try and slow down Kansas. Hurley didn’t have his players ramp up the ball pressure significantly and did not try and trap the Jayhawks until the final two minutes of the game. With the Huskies struggling so much to get good shots and allowing regular fastbreak opportunities off their poor shots, trying to play a defense that could hopefully lead to turnovers and easy baskets would have been a godsend. UConn also never played zone defense when Kansas was hot, and the one time it experimented on D by playing Clinigan and Sampon Johnson together, it blew up in the team’s faces, as the Jayhawks picked the moment to go on the 11-0 run that sealed their win.

While the Huskies decision to focus on guarding the paint instead of the 3-point line made sense at the beginning of the game because Kansas does not take many treys and the defense wanted to slow down Hunter Dickenson, UConn should have began playing the perimeter tighter earlier in the game. Even when they began doing so, players were consistently late on closing out. The defense had a habit of losing guys they were assigned to guard, leading to open jumpers, and were beaten off the dribble way too frequently, especially in the first half. The injury to Spencer did not help, as he is not particularly athletic or a good-on-ball defender even at full strength.

However, Karaban was by far the worst defender. He was abused off the dribble by the bigger and stronger KJ Adams, who finished with 18 points and was probably Kansas’s best all-around player. Once again, Karaban showed that he can be burned defensively by bigger guys, and his inability to keep his hands up while guarding ultimately led to Karaban fouling out. The one player I will give kudos for his defense is Clinigan, who did a great job of denying Dickinson the ball and altering his shots, holding the All-American to 3-8 shooting in the paint while blocking three shots. Hopefully, Hurley came up with some wrinkles to slow down North Carolina in practice while still protecting his hobbled players.

The Injuries Held Back UConn on Both Ends, and Stephen Castle is not Going to be an Immediate Solution

UConn was blessed to not have any long-term injury issues outside of the loss of Johnson, who would have played very little anyway. Maybe the gods are cursing them for their good fortune right now, as the current starting lineup looks like a MASH unit. The most concerning injury is to Spencer. As we saw against Kansas, his injured toes were a big factor in the senior’s 3-pointers constantly being short, affected his ability to play defense and drive to the basket, and even hindered his free throw shooting, as Spencer missed his first two attempts of the season. Spencer is a gamer and I expect him to play at least a little bit against North Carolina, but if his shots aren’t falling and his mobility is limited, I can’t expect Spencer to give UConn much on Tuesday.

While Clinigan has done a valiant job of playing through a foot injury that his still not fully healed, it is still limiting his athleticism and ability to grab rebounds and finish around the rim. Clinigan will again have to face an elite big man Tuesday in UNC’s Armando Bacot, and hopefully UConn’s guards will do a better job of getting him quality shots in the paint. Karban’s hurt finger is seemingly hurting his shot more than expected, as he has been terrible from beyond the arc in the last three games, including 2-7 against Kansas. Hopefully, it will recover quickly and Karaban will be smart by trying to score more at the rim and on free throws instead of 3-pointers. Finally, while I have high expectations for Castle and am glad his knee healed quickly, I don’t expect him to play a ton against North Carolina or to even be highly effective, at least as reflected in the box score. Castle has not yet faced a high-quality opponent, and it is going to take him a little while to get adjusted and get back up to game speed. Hopefully, all these injuries won’t be long term. In the meantime however, UConn will demonstrate their mettle if they can overcome them to beat North Carolina and then Gonzaga.

Extend the Rotation, Coach

This is more of a general issue I have with Hurley than just being focused on the Kansas game. I am never going to understand his reluctance to play most freshman extended minutes, even when it makes sense. UConn had one of the best recruiting classes in the country. With Spencer hobbling around, Karaban struggling on both ends and Solomon Ball mostly invisible against the Jayhawks, why didn’t he bring in Jaylin Stewart and possibly Jayden Ross, even if it had only been for three or four minutes at most. There wasn’t anything to lose, and Stewart has shown promise so far this season and Ross is a quality 3-point shooter. Yes, the freshman might not have been able to handle the intense environment of Allen Fieldhouse. But you don’t know until you try, and Stewart possibly could have made an impact at all against North Carolina and possibly Gonzaga, and will be unprepared for the rigors of conference play when it starts late this month. Hurley has to be willing to give a little rope, especially when the situation calls for it, and the Husky freshman deserve the opportunity to prove themselves. This is not a particularly deep team. Give the freshman consistent minutes as the season goes along, or Hurley may have most of them transfer.

Despite how frustrated I was after the Kansas loss, I believe UConn will beat North Carolina Tuesday. They match up with the Tar Heels better, and I cannot imagine the team will perform so poorly offensively outside of Newton for the second consecutive game. No matter what though, it will be a close game, and the Huskies still must prove they can win those. UConn has a lot of talent on both ends and is an elite offensive team and solid defensive one. It definitely lacks the depth or defensive ability last year’s squad had right now however and is not as good as that group was at this time last year. Against UNC, the Huskies have the chance to prove me wrong.

UConn Huskies Season Preview: The Returnees

After UConn’s unforgettable run to the program’s fifth national championship last season, the program’s offseason and the Huskies athletic department didn’t have a fun offseason. The team lost heated recruiting battles to Duke for blue chip recruits Cooper Flagg and Patrick Ngonbga, and UConn athletics just missed out on being accepted to the Big 12 starting in 2024. These setbacks somewhat obscured all the talent men’s basketball is returning from last year. This is before you even consider an incoming freshman class that could be the best the Huskies has had in more than a decade, which will be discussed in a later post. UConn is sixth in the AP preseason Top 25 poll and has a serious chance at winning consecutive national championships.

After the departure of Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson, UConn will rely on the versatile trio of Tristen Newton, Donavon Clinigan and Alex Karaban. After playing a sidekick role in his first year in Storrs last season, Newton is expected to take on a much bigger role both offensively and as a team leader this year. The fifth-year senior guard is looking to be a much bigger offensive threat, similar to his role at East Carolina before transferring, while continuing to be one of the Huskies main facilitators. Newton averaged 10.1 points, 4.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 36.6% from three last year. Newton is specifically looking to improve his overall shooting and ball handling, work ethic and defense this season. Dan Hurley was pleased with Newton’s performance in the preseason and during UConn’s games in Europe and scrimmages. At the same time, Newton will need to be a strong leader for the team both vocally and through both his work ethic.

Clinigan made a huge impression in limited minutes as a freshman backup center last season. The 7-3 monster from Bristol averaged 6.9 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 15 minutes. He had a true shooting percentage of 63.4 and grabbed 29.4% of offensive rebounds and blocked 14.4% of shots. Clinigan, who showed much more athleticism than expected last year and was elite as a rim-runner, is seen as a lottery pick next spring by NBA scouts and has the potential to be one of the best big men in not only the Big East but the entire country. To do so, Clinigan will have to continue to be an elite rebounder and shot blocker while expanding his finishing ability at the rim and displaying a decent shooting touch outside the paint. If Clinigan does all this, the attention paid to him should provide quality scoring opportunities for his teammates.

It is also essential that Clinigan improve from the line so that opponents don’t employ the hack-a-Shaq method against him and get better at avoiding foul trouble. Ideally, Clinigan will average around 25 minutes per game. In the summer and preseason, Clinigan worked on improving his core strength and foot speed as well as shooting and was extremely effective in practice and game situations. Clinigan also worked on becoming a more vocal leader and being even more aggressive on offense. As long as Clinigan stays healthy and continues to improve, all of UConn’s opponents will struggle to contain him and the sky will be the limit for the fan favorite.

While Newton and Clinigan are a ton of fun to watch, my favorite player on the Huskies continues to be Alex Karaban. The sophomore forward was a virtual Swiss Army Knife as a freshman, averaging 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 47.6% from the field and 40.2% from deep. Karaban’s 125.9 KenPom offensive rating in Big East play was third in the conference, while his effective field goal percentage of 57.5% was seventh. Karaban showed remarkable basketball IQ and versatility on offense from the moment he stepped in Storrs. In addition to his shooting ability, he was a consistently a strong passer and rebounder and did an excellent job of screening for teammates to provide easy scoring opportunities. Karaban improved significantly as a defender over the course of the year and particularly at guarding at the rim. He also showed impressive stamina, regularly playing for over 30 minutes. Finally, Karaban displayed a clutch gene quickly, with 3-pointers at the end of the first half becoming a signature play for him.

Karaban was praised for his work ethic and leadership skills by Hurley and others last season, both traits that made him stand out compared to most freshman. Karaban is applying that work ethic to becoming a more aggressive player on both ends this season as well as a more vocal leader. On offense, Karaban will try to attack the basket more and average double-digit in points. On defense, the team hopes he will stop players off the bounce more effectively and be even better at defending opponents at the rim. Karban had a strong preseason and is fully capable of being one of the best players in the Big East and the team’s best player overall. If Karban does so, he will put himself in position to be an NBA draft pick this season or next.

Outside of UConn’s Big Three, the bench will rely on senior transfer guard Cam Spencer, backup junior transfer guard Cam Spencer, junior backup center Samson Johnson and backup senior point guard Hassan Diarra. Spencer will likely be the only one of the three that starts at least early in the season. The transfer from Rutgers averaged 13.2 points, 3.1 assists and 2 steals in his one season with the Scarlet Knights after transferring from Loyola of Maryland. He is expected to replace the 3-point shooting skills of Jordan Hawkins and Joey Calcaterra, while adding another strong ball handler and defender to UConn’s backcourt. Spencer shot 43.4% from deep last season, good for 44^th in the country, and ranked eighth in the Big Ten at 42.7%. He made 89.4% of his free throws, 23^rd in the country. During his college career, Spencer has shot 40.5 percent from deep, and 50.8% on field goals overall. Spencer was an excellent defender for the Scarlet Knights, recording a steal percentage of 3.9 overall and 3.4 in conference, ranking third. Spencer decided to transfer to UConn because of the opportunity to play against talented guards in the Big East and the competitiveness of the Husky players, and especially Hurley. Spencer has been praised by the team for his versatility and ability to open up the offense.

Johnson may not be a starter like the Big Three (barring injury), but he is every bit as essential to UConn. The “6-10” junior center is an enigma, as he has played just 15 career minutes in 25 games due to injuries and ineffectiveness. Now, Johnson will be thrown into the fire as the backup to Clinigan. He was a four-star recruit out of New Jersey who grew up in Togo and was described by Hurley as having the talent and potential to be an NBA lottery pick. Johnson, who has a ‘7-5’ wingspan, has shown a lot of athleticism and speed when he’s played, and could be an effective shot blocker. However, he has looked uncertain on the court at times in games and has been prone to foul trouble. In the preseason and especially in the Huskies scrimmages, reports indicated Johnson was one of the top performers. In addition to his athleticism and speed, Hurley said Johnson is an excellent ball-screen offensive and defensive player because of his effectiveness in the lob game and ability to disrupt other big men. If Johnson lives up to expectations, he can play for15-20 minutes a game and combine with Clinigan to form a similar dominant duo like he had with Sanogo last season.

Diarra will be UConn’s main backup point guard. The ‘6-2’ senior from Queens had an up-and-down first season in Storrs, establishing himself as a high-energy defensive stopper but struggling offensively in a conference distinguished by hard-nosed defensive guards. Diarra had a stealing percentage of 3.6 last season and steven games with multiple steals. However, he averaged just 2.1 points and 1.8 assists while playing 12.1 minutes per game. Diarra shot just 30.1% overall and 18.9% from three after making 32.4% from deep as a sophomore at Texas A&M. He also was terrible from the free throw line for a guard after being solid as a sophomore, draining just 51.4 of his free throws. These offensive struggles outweighed Diarra’s value as a defender and ball handler come tournament time. In UConn’s run to the championship, he scored no points in 31 minutes.

Diarra will have the opportunity to get valuable minutes at guard as Stephen Castle acclimates to the challenges of playing at an elite program. He already is an excellent defender and will be an important leader to the young Husky guards. All reports have indicated that his shooting was improved across the board in the preseason. If Diarra can improve offensively, especially at finishing at the rim and developing a reliable jump shot, he will consistently be the first gusard off the bench and possibly push Castle for the starting job at point for at least the first portion of the season.

Sophomore Apostolos Romoglou is the one other scholarship player returning. Romoglou, the 6’8’ hybrid guard who appeared in 20 games last season playing garbage-time minutes and made two shots, has been praised for his shooting in practice and appeared to have solid ball-handling skills last season. However, don’t expect him to play any serious minutes unless he improves as a team defender.

UConn’s upperclassmen are very capable of taking UConn to a Big East title and on another Final Four run with the help of the freshman class. They have all the tools, from an elite big man and a pair of guards who are well-rounded and skilled ballhandlers and passers to the incomparable Karaban. They and a solid group of backups have good leadership abilities and a great coach to help them improve. If Castle lives up to his potential, then the Huskies will have one of the best starting five in the country. I expect everyone discussed in this article to improve and UConn to be a top 10 team for a solid portion of the season. Buckle up, everyone!

Starter Grades With a Month Left in the Regular Season

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

Jordan Hawkins: B+

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adama Sanogo: B+

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tristen Newton: B

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alex Karaban: B+

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

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

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

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

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

My Exciting, Memorable and Disappoint Return to Gampel to See UConn-Xavier

This January has been four weeks of heartbreak for Huskies fans, and probably the most challenging month the program has experienced since the final years of Kevin Ollie’s tenure. At this time last month, fans were rightfully believing UConn was the best team in the nation and would win the Big East. Now, the Huskies are 5-6 in conference play after Wednesday’s home loss to Xavier, and both Husky nation and the wider college basketball fanbase are wondering if the team is capable of pulling itself together in February, or will instead stumble into the conference and NCAA tournaments.

Together with an electric crowd, I got to see UConn up close at both its best and worst in at Gampel Wednesday against Xavier in an 82-79 loss. In the first half which ended with UConn down 15 points, I saw a team that is a mess both offensively and especially defensively. This collection of players is incapable of both stopping opponents one-on-one and making high-quality shots, and does not communicate well with one another on either end of the floor. In the second half, the Huskies became a completely different team. They constantly both attacked the basket and scored on layups and free throws, while hitting both open and challenging perimeter shots. On defense, they used both multiple zones and constant ball pressure to force turnovers and generally just make a formidable Musketeers offense uncomfortable (and yet they still scored more points in the second half). As a result, UConn came roaring back into the game and almost made an unforgettable comeback. It cut the deficit to one multiple times, but a few costly mistakes on multiple ends in the final moments thwarted a comeback, resulting in the Huskies falling to 5-6 in the Big East and still searching for answers on how to beat the best teams in the conference.

It was very sad to see UConn lose in person at Gampel, especially sense you could sense how eager the fans were to see the Huskies get a win they desperately needed. Still , I loved the experience and will remember the game for a long time. Despite losing to Xavier, there were a few positives both the team and the fans could take from the games, which they can hopefully learn from and use to get back on track in February. At the same time, there were weaknesses that continued to present, which UConn needs to mitigate and solve if it wants to be a threat in March. Below, I go into detail about both some positive and negative observations I took from the game.

The Positives

Jordan Hawkins Continues to Emerge as a Star

During the preseason, there was a lot of talk about how Hawkins had significantly improved as an offensive player and could emerge as one of the best scorers in the Big East. In non-conference play and the early portion of the Big East schedule, Hawkins was a reliable scorer but only occasionally took over games. Over the last four games however, Hawkins has been the Huskies best player and carried the team even when he has gotten very little help. The sophomore has scored 20 or more points three times and averaged 23 while shooting 42 % from three and over 53% overall, even as the team has gone 1-3.

Hawkins was sublime against Xavier in the second half after a quiet start, and finished with 28 points while shooting 5-10 from beyond the arc and making all seven of his free throws. Despite the Musketeers defense keying in on him, Hawkins was able to get free off screens and knock down huge 3-pointers, even with defenders draped over him several times. He also continued his recent habit of attacking the basket when the opportunity arose. Hawkins was able to make some challenging layups and consistently get himself to the charity stripe. He single-handedly kickstarted the UConn offense and got the team and the crowd back into the game, and was the best player on the court. It’s just a shame that his effort couldn’t be rewarded with a comeback win.

Besides his scoring, Hawkins has visibly taken on a bigger leadership role in the last month, while continuing to be a solid rebounder and defender. Hawkins still can improve his ball handling (he had three turnovers against Xavier) and tighten up his defense, but if he continues to play at this level than he will be in position to be drafted high in the first round of the NBA draft if he chooses to leave UConn after the season. Hawkins is demonstrating that he is capable of leading the Huskies on a possible March Madness run, something no other Husky is doing right now. Let’s just hope the team gets back on track and becomes capable of going on such a run.

Tristen Newton Seems to be Turning a Corner on Offense

For much of the Big East schedule, Newton has been a disappointment at point guard. The senior transfer, whom was one of the best offensive players in the American Athletic Conference at East Carolina last season at shooting guard, was playing extremely passively on offense earlier this month and appeared uncomfortable running the offense. Yes, Newton had been inconsistent on offense the entire season, but gone was the player early in the season whom constantly attacked the basket and got to the free throw line, was a credible 3-point threat, and handled the ball effectively. In addition to Newton’s lack of aggressiveness, he appeared to struggle with sharing the responsibility of running the offense alongside Andre Jackson, who was injured and then coming off the bench when Newton got off to a strong start on the season. Combine Newton’s poor offensive play with an inconsistent performance on defense, and UConn fans had a legitimate gripe with the big-time transfer.

In the two games before the contest against Xavier (at Seton Hall and home against Butler), Newton finally started to demonstrate the aggressiveness Dan Hurley was looking for. He scored 11 points in both games while going a combined 11-12 at the free throw line, and had a combined six assists (unfortunately, Newton also committed five turnovers). Amazingly, this was the first time he had scored in double figures in consecutive games for the first time all season. Newton’s awakening from his slumbers set the stage for a very strong performance against the Musketeers.

Newton gave his all against Xavier offensively. He was UConn’s best player in the first half while almost everyone else was struggling, and continued to attack the rim in the second half while also hitting two timely treys. Newton finished with 23 points, tying a season high, and went 6-12 from the field and 9-11 on free throws. These were the most field goals Newton had drained in a game for the Huskies. While Newton made some poor decisions with his passing, committing five turnovers, he did a very strong job of moving the ball and pushing the tempo, especially in the second half, while playing with high intensity throughout. Newton recognized he needed to step up with Andre Jackson and the other guards besides Hawkins struggling, and he helped UConn right the ship in the second half and put Xavier’s defense on its heels in the second half. It may not have been quite good enough for a win, but Newton helped demonstrate what the team’s offense needs to do if the Huskies are going to go on a winning streak.

Hopefully, Newton’s memorable performance Wednesday can continue to be built upon. Newton’s better at earning free throws than almost anyone in college basketball, and if he can sustain his improved shooting and tighten up his ball handling and defense, than UConn may finally have the versatile player they thought they were getting out of the transfer portal. Newton may not be able to fit the role of a traditional point guard, but if he continues to play to his strengths and emerge as a leader, it will take a huge load off of Jackson, Adama Sanogo, and the rest of the team’s guards. I think that Newton can sustain this level of play and Dan Hurley can push him effectively. As a result, the Huskies will improve in February and hopefully when it matters most in March.

The Use of Zones and Heightened Pressure on Defense Caused Xavier to be Less Efficient in the Second Half

Even as UConn’s man-to-man defense has sucked and been extremely foul-prone for the last month, particularly when guarding players that are attacking the paint, Dan Hurley has been extremely reluctant to make any adjustments, whether that is playing zone or planning Sanogo and Donavon Clinigan together. This has resulted in the team allowing opponents to come back and win multiple games, and the players to ultimately lose confidence on both ends. After his defense’s ugly performance in the first half against Xavier however, Hurley finally took the plunge and made significant defensive adjustments in the second half, which were responsible for the Huskies nearly making an incredible comeback. It may have taken way too long to happen, but Hurley’s flexibility on the defensive end may be a great sign going forward.

While UConn was more likely to struggle against defending Xavier’s elite offense playing man-to-man, it’s poor defense in the first half was very predictable. The Musketeers jumped out to a 9-0 lead and were ahead by double digits for almost the entire half, and ultimately went into the break shooting 50% and up 2-24. The Huskies got beat off the dribble constantly and allowed many open layups, and did a poor job of defending the rim. They also surprisingly struggled to stop Xavier beyond the arc, allowing several open threes as players did a poor job of closing out. Alex Karaban, Jackson and Sanogo especially struggled on defense, with Jackson continuing his habit of allowing players to below by him and then picking up ticky-tack fouls going for steals.

As fans are well aware of, Hurley isn’t a coach who makes quick adjustments or inclined to change up his defense. But with Xavier again shredding UConn on that end, he finally decided he had no choice but to switch up to a zone. Bu alternating between 1-3-1 and 2-3 zones and pressuring the Musketeers full-court, the Huskies were able to regularly force turnovers and offensive fouls and caused them to look discombobulated, especially as the half wore on. Jackson was especially effective on defense with these adjustments, as they allowed him to use his athleticism to hound defenders. UConn’s aggressive defensive certainly got the crowd into the game, and it also allowed the offense to get more fastbreak opportunities and open shots everywhere on the floor.

I strongly feel that if the Huskies hadn’t adjusted on defense, it would have easily lost by double digits. Playing zone and upping their ball pressure made the team much better on both ends of the floor, and allowed it to be in position to possibly win. While UConn should be much more effective playing man-to-man in the next two games at DePaul and Georgetown, Hurley absolutely should continue to experiment with playing zone and pressuring ballhandlers in half-court sets for a few minutes. He could possibly even play Sanogo and Clinigan together and see how effective they are on both ends. The same goes for experimenting in practice. By doing all this, UConn can be in better position to slow down Marquette’s elite offense and earn a huge home win next Tuesday.

The Crowd Was Outstanding

The XL Center can be an intimidating environment for opposing players, as it can host more fans. However, it cannot compare to Gampel Pavilion, especially when it is sold out and many students show up. The crowd was charged from the opening tip, and were able to still maintain solid energy throughout the first half even as UConn played terribly. However, it was the second half when the energy ramped up. As the Huskies began to force turnovers and Hawkins caught fire, the crowd noise became deafening. They stayed standing throughout the remainder of the game, and all this excitement helped rattle the Xavier players and cause timeouts. Even when UConn couldn’t get over the hump and take the lead in the final minutes of the game, the crowd continued to provide players encouragement. The fan’s excitement was infectious to experience in person, and heartwarming to see considering how much the team has been struggling. Let’s hope the Huskies can turn things around and reward the fanbase for its support.

The Negatives

The Poor Play from the Bench, Karaban and Jackson

UConn’s bench play has been weak for much of the Big East schedule after being a huge strength during the nonconference schedule, and it was no different against Xavier. The quartet of Naheim Alleyne, Hassan Diarra, Clinigan and Joey Calcaterra scored just six points and grabbed three rebounds in 35 minutes while shooting 2-9 and recording no assists. Calcaterra and Alleyne largely couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, going 1-6 from three. Clinigan had maybe his worst game of the season, missing two crucial free throws and picking up two ugly fouls in just seven minutes. His struggles forced Sanogo to play 33 minutes. None of the other bench guys particularly distinguished themselves defensively, either.

Karaban’s struggles weren’t a huge surprise on defense. He was facing a pair of strong big men in Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter who are both bigger and stronger than the freshman. Still, Karaban did not box out great and grabbed just three rebounds in 35 minutes. He was mostly MIA on offense, scoring just five points with only one assist and missing two of three 3-pointers. The freshman will bounce back offensively, but he needs to be more aggressive and badly get stronger in the offseason. It will be a huge help when Samson Johnson fully returns from injury and takes some of those minutes.

While Karaban’s inconsistency is to be expected from a freshman, Andre Jackson’s is much more concerning. The junior ability to score just enough and keep defenses honest has completely evaporated in January (just under five points per game on 30% shooting overall and under 25% from deep). Jackson, who started Wednesday’s game by missing his first seven shots and was 3-12 overall, still rarely scores on anything more than dunks, floaters or open 3-pointers. Worse, Jackson’s passing and decision-making has gone down as the Huskies have floundered. He has averaged nearly two turnovers per game in January and made crucial ones against Seton Hall and Marquette. Jackson’s assist numbers have gone down (he had two against Xavier , and he is regularly playing out of control and asking teammates to make plays they are incapable of doing. For example, in the second half Jackson threw an alley-oop pass to Sanogo on a fastbreak, even though Sanogo doesn’t have the vertical left to finish that play, missed an open dunk and putback, and was called for a controversial goaltend which he also fouled on, leading to a 3-point play which halted a UConn run. And in addition to Jackson’s offensive struggles, I have also talked about the overaggressive defense which has regularly put the junior captain in foul trouble, and Jackson’s inconsistency with keeping players from driving by him.

While other players haven’t been great lately Jackson’s decline has hurt the Huskies very badly. His play has declined across the board, as well as his leadership and confidence in games. Jackson will have to play more under control on offense while figuring out where he can best contribute and reestablish his identity as a lockdown defender. His level of play took a jump around this time last year. If Jackson can do that again, it will take pressure off of the Huskies stars and allow the team to be a big threat again both in the conference and especially nationally.

The Huskies Yet Again Played a Bad Half, and Made Critical Mistakes in the Final Minutes

In all of UConn’s six losses, a big theme is the team not playing competitively for all 40 minutes. Usually this has been the case in the second half, as the team was either up or tied at halftime in the first five losses. Wednesday’s game was a big reversal, with UConn playing its worth first half of the season by far. It looked all out of sorts on both ends, and Dan Hurley took way too long to call timeouts and refused to change up his defense despite his players getting burned on that end. Whether the team was not well-prepared enough or tin a state of shock after falling behind by so much can be debated, but either way the opening 20 minutes were an embarrassment. There is no good reason for the Huskies to put together a full game and make the changes to ensure they do.

By falling behind by 15 at halftime, the Huskies had almost no margin for error during their comeback. After they cut the deficit to a basket in the final minutes multiple times, errors raised their ugly heads. First, Newton was called for an offensive foul when driving to the basket along the right baseline with 4:03 remaining and the score 73-72, with the officials ruling that he pushed off. Then with score 78-77, Hawkins slipped on a drive and lost the ball before fouling two minutes later. After a layup by Jack Nunge, Newton had a very similar turnover a minute later. UConn was able to force a turnover on the next play, but Dan Hurley than called a timeout with 20 seconds left as Hawkins drained a jumper, wiping away the basket. Xavier called a timeout 11 seconds later with the same score to give the Huskies a chance to set up a final scoring play, but whatever was drawn up was blown up by excellent Musketeers defense. Desmond Claude bailed them out when he fouled Newton with two seconds left, but he unfortunately made the second free throw he was trying to miss, depriving the team’s bigs any chance at scoring on a putback. In a vacuum, most of these errors were understandable considering how desperate the team was playing and their urgency to finally take the lead. However, they added up, and UConn was handed its second consecutive loss by a basket.

Throughout Hurley’s tenure in Storrs, UConn has been sadly famous for losing close games to good teams again and again. It looked like things may finally change after the 14-0 start, but so far that has proven to be just a mirage. To put it bluntly, UConn needs to learn how to execute down the stretch and make winning plays in close games, and fast. Otherwise, it is not going far in tournament play yet again, and Hurley’s seat will start to get warm.

A lack of Fundamentals and Smarts When Playing Man-to-Man Defense

I’ve alluded to the poor defense in the first half throughout this article, but I had to devote an individual section to it considering just how lousy the D was. Among other things, it featured:

Doing a terrible job of limitingdribble penetration, leading to either quality layups or open baskets for bigs or kickouts to the perimeter for open shots
Poor help defense and communication among players, helping lead to Xavier foul shots as well
Poor rim protection, particularly by Sanogo
A loss of confidence by the entire team, which carried over onto the offensive end.

Almost all defenses would initially struggle to stop the Musketeers, and their ball movement and ability to make tough shots was remarkable to see in person. Still, there is no excuse for UConn’s man defense to be this bad against every strong opponent. Even if playing zone is somewhat effective, you can’t do that for 40 minutes against any opponent. I hope that the Huskies worked a lot on improving their defense in every facet of the game during their 6-day layoff between games, and that it will pay dividends immediately.

Dan Hurley needs to be better

Hurley is a solid coach and a great program-builder and recruiter. Players and recruits seem to love competing for him and Hurley’s high-energy style. That being said, at some point Hurley needs to figure out the issues with this team and start beating tough opponents so the players are ready for March Madness and UConn gets a good seed. He needs to make quicker adjustments, especially in-game, be willing to remove players for a short time if they are not executing, and just be more flexible on both ends of the floor. Hurley prides himself at being a defensive coach, and it’s up to him to figure out a way to improve the Huskies man defense and put players in position to succeed. Ditto on the offensive end, especially with getting more out of the bench players. Starting the season so well was thrilling, and this is probably Hurley’s most talented team at Storrs on paper. But it ultimately doesn’t matter if the team isn’t mentally tough and the program fails to go on a tournament run.

Tristen Newton Should be Playmaker Team Needs at Point

Despite UConn’s success the last three seasons, the program has not been blessed with a reliable scorer and playmaker at point guard. Enter Tristen Newton, formally of East Carolina. He was heavily recruited after entering the transfer portal when the Pirates season ended and the Huskies pounced on him quickly to fill their hole in the backcourt. After his official visit, Newton was quickly on board with playing in Storrs.

Newton was considered one of the top guards in the entire transfer portal and for good reason. He averaged 17.7 points, 5 assists and 4.8 rebounds for the 15-15 Pirates, regularly carrying the team in the AAC. Barring an injury, Newton seems penciled as Newton’s primary point guard next season (although Andre Jackson should run the offense to a decent extent).

The “6-5”, 190 pound Newton can score from anywhere on the floor and is particularly adapt at getting to and finishing at the rim, as well as reaching the free throw line. He was automatic from the stripe last season, shooting 87.9% overall and leading the American with an 87.4% mark. Factor in Newton’s ball-handling, ability to make plays for teammates and rebound and defend, and it’s clear he could have been successful day one at whatever program he transferred to.

Newton’s advanced stats as a junior show why he was a star for ECU. Newton had a true shooting percentage of 57.5% and an effective field goal percentage of 49.9%. In conference play, he ranked 16th in true shooting percentage. While Newton isn’t a huge threat from beyond the arc, his mark of 33.3% last season was more than respectable. Newton’s assist rate in conference play ranked second at33.2, and his overall rate of 34.4 was 24th in the nation. Newton demonstrated he could he could carry an extremely heavy workload last season, averaging the highest percentage of minutes of any AAC player and the third-most percentage of possessions.

Newton’s arrival should give the team a reliable three-true outcome scorer. In particular, Newton can both stretch the floor and effectively find teammates for good scoring opportunities. His versatility will especially be key if Hurley chooses to play four-out on offense for stretches. I can just imagine Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo getting a lot of quality scoring chances because of Newton’s ability to create.

On defense, Newton’s steal percentage last season was 2.4% and he was excellent on the defensive boards for a point guard, grabbing 13.1% of his opportunities. Newton had multiple steals in 14 games, and five or more rebounds in 15 games. His size and athleticism will allow him to reliably pressure ball-handlers, and Newton’s rebounding ability can help UConn get out ahead of teams and and effectively run the fast-break. Dan Hurley also mentioned that Newton’s length will possibly allow the Huskies to play zone more.

Newton is expected to become UConn’s to-to player from day one along with Adama Sanogo. However, he certainly knows there are things he can immediately improve on both now and throughout the season. Newton specifically pointed to improving his strength and conditioning to withstand the tougher competition in the Big East.

Newton embraced the Huskies when he entered the portal after Hurley and the coaching staff demonstrated knowledge of his background and game, something that was not true of many programs that reached out to Newton. His bond continued to strengthen with the coaches and players once Newton reached campus. Like many players, he appreciates Hurley’s passion on the court.

“Ever since the first phone call, I knew that they cared about their players,” Newton said. “They’re players’ coaches. They’re going to push you hard and want the best for you. That’s what drew me here.”

It’s a question mark right now how likely Newton is to use his extra year. On one hand, he can be a signature player for the Huskies and a leader embraced by fans. On the other hand, Newton can put himself in position to be drafted if he has a strong season.

Newton can surpass R.J. Cole and Tyrese Martin as maybe the highest-impact transfer in UConn history. In particular, he can be the key to the program becoming much more versatile on offense and finally lead them to a tournament run again. If Newton is successful with the Huskies, it will only make them more appealing for transfers going forward. Bring him on!