It’s officially that time of the year, folks. College basketball has hit its peak with the beginning of March Madness. For UConn men’s basketball fans especially, there’s plenty of excitement heading into the NCAA Tournament. After being named the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament field, the program is slated to face off against the No. 16 Stetson Hatters at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn at 2:45 p.m on Friday. While I’ll still do a preview of the game, I thought it would be a good choice to preview Stetson ahead of the matchup.
What the 2023-2024 season looked like for the Hatters
While the Atlantic Sun doesn’t compare well to the grind of a Big East schedule, Stetson certainly had some tough competition in their non-conference schedule, including Houston, UNLV and Cincinnati. Their marquee win during their non-conference slate came in a Quad 1 victory on the road against UCF by a narrow score of 85-82.
As for conference play, the Hatters were certainly strong with an 11-5 record, good for second best in the Atlantic Sun.
However, what caught the eyes of many was the run this team had during the Atlantic Sun Tournament. Throughout the three games that the Hatters played, the team battled through, even when things seemed bleak. At one point in the conference semifinal game against Jacksonville, the team was down by double digits with under five minutes left. Yet, thanks to some late buckets from Stephan Swenson, Stetson squeaked by with a one-point victory.
That led to the championship game against Austin Peay, a hard-fought matchup that once again came down to the final minutes. Just like before, coach Donnie Jones and his crew stood resilient despite a fantastic effort from the Governors to win the conference tournament 94-91 and clinch a spot in March Madness.
“It’s kind of surreal,” said Jones on the Field of 68 following the win. “It’s a lot harder at these smaller schools because we’ve had so many kids leave for NIL, so many kids transfer, they have a little success and we had a group that stayed and believed in a place that’s never [been to the NCAA Tournament].”
Remarkably, this will be the first time that Stetson has been in the NCAA Tournament in school history and the first time for Jones as a head coach. Jones has had a long coaching career as an assistant coach for the Florida Gators during their back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007, a feat that this current UConn team is looking to replicate. He’ll be looking to pull off the impossible with a win over the defending national champions.
What stands out about this team
There are a few things to consider when game planning against the Hatters. Throughout their season, they’ve shown that they can hit threes, make their shots from the free throw stripe and be an overall effective offensive unit. To be recognized as such a unit, you have to have a talented cast of players, and the Hatters certainly have some guys that Connecticut will need to look out for on Friday.
The top players on this Stetson squad would be Swenson and Jalen Blackmon. Since coming to this team, Swenson has been a Hatter through and through, playing for the program for all four years and accumulating over 1,000 points in his career. This season, he’s been the second leading scorer for his squad and while the efficiency numbers for the veteran guard may not look too hot, especially from three, UConn’s guards will need to keep an eye on him. On top of what he can do on the offensive end, he’s been a strong defender, averaging 1.6 steals per contest. His most valuable attribute is his playmaking, as he not only has a top-50 assist rate in the country but also the Stetson all-time record for assists.
As for Blackmon, he’s easily the most dangerous scorer on this unit. Averaging 21.5 points this season, the former Grand Canyon transfer has been a pivotal part of Stetson’s game plan, and for good reason. He can flat out score the basketball, averaging 43.4% from the field, 91% from the free throw line and about 39% from beyond the arc. If you needed any further proof of how good of a scorer the Indiana native is, the ASUN championship final is a perfect example of that as Blackmon dropped an astounding 43 points. He has struggled with being efficient at times throughout the season, but UConn will need to contain him in order to move on.
The biggest issue for the Hatters is their defense, and that’s especially concerning against a dangerous offensive unit like UConn that can kill opponents across the court. Ahead of the NCAA Tournament, they’re ranked as one of the worst teams in all of college basketball in terms of defensive efficiency at 114.4. That’s going to be one of the biggest storylines ahead of the matchup as Connecticut looks to begin a potentially impressive tournament run with a bang.
Final Points
While this team certainly has shown the ability to get hot from deep, the roster lacks depth and doesn’t play more than six or seven players. With a UConn offensive game plan that wears down its opponents with a vast amount of screens and off-ball movement, that could be a massive issue for the Hatters throughout the 40 minutes of gameplay.
The bottom line is what Dan Hurley has preached for years. If his guys can stick to their identity of hard-nosed defense and strong offense, they’ll continue on their path toward their sixth championship.