When the UConn men’s basketball team heads up to Boston for a Sweet Sixteen matchup with the San Diego State Aztecs at TD Garden at 7:39 p.m., it will be the toughest challenge of their run thus far.
While a team like Northwestern has some great talent like Boo Buie, San Diego State is a whole different beast. If you’ve read my article outlining some of the strengths of this Aztecs roster, there are certainly reasons why this squad can give Connecticut some issues, especially on the defensive end.
“Yeah, I mean, definitely a blessing to be here in the Sweet 16 again. To be able to play UConn again is great too. They took us down last year, so we definitely want some revenge back a little bit. It’s an honor to be here. We can’t wait to play,” said guard Lamont Butler.
As Butler stated, they’re going to have a shot at having the last laugh against this Huskies squad. When you have players like Jaedon LeDee on your roster as a game changer on the offensive end, that’s a big positive when you’re going against arguably the toughest team in the NCAA Tournament with one of the most dynamic offenses in the country.
There are plenty of notes that fans should consider when watching Thursday’s contest, but how coach Dan Hurley’s offense operates may be the biggest. Against the ninth most efficient defense in the country, things certainly aren’t going to be very easy in grabbing a bucket.
One of the biggest storylines with Connecticut’s win over Northwestern was how the team shot from beyond the arc, a poor 13.6% mark. While there’s plenty of optimism that the reigning National Champions can rebound from that performance, they can’t expect to have an easy time with this Aztecs roster if they’re putting up those numbers.
But the bright side with this UConn team is how “bulletproof” this roster can be when they’re so successful in other areas of the game, whether that’s rebounding, playmaking or their overall defense.
“When I talk about bulletproof, for me the formula is top-10 offense, top-10 defense, be a tremendous rebounding team, be a team that plays with utter desperation in terms of how hard we play and then having depth to survive the other night a 2-for-22 three-point effort or three, and one of those was from a walk-on not named Andrew Hurley at the end of the game. We shot the ball horribly, but we were bulletproof the other night because of our defense and our passing, our ability to score rim twos. We can win a lot of different types of games. You want to make yourself as bulletproof as possible in this tournament by just being as well-rounded and as deep,” said Hurley.
One of the ways that this team can really carve out an edge on the scoreboard is with their standout defense, a big factor in their last win over the Wildcats. Stephon Castle was a major factor behind their terrific play in that department and he should once again be a crucial part of their gameplan. Due to how the All-Mountain West First Team member plays with terrific speed and the ability to score primarily across both the midrange and paint, it should be a group effort on the defensive end. As one of the players tasked with guarding LeDee, Donovan Clingan knows that he has to lock in.
“I mean, he’s physical. Can score at all three levels. Puts the ball on the floor. He can get to the rim off the dribble. He attacks the offensive and defensive glass at another level. He’s a great player. Much respect for him. I just have to lock into his matchup,” said the Bristol native.
Along with the tremendous positives that this team brings with them into their next venue, it’s a positive to be playing in Boston, dubbed Storrs North. No one may be happier than Alex Karaban, a Massachusetts native.
“Super excited to play in Boston. Probably the only chance I get to play with UConn in Boston. It definitely will be special. At the same time, it’s a Sweet 16 game for us. So we’re just locked in as if it was at any other location. I’m trying to get a lot of friends and family. I don’t really know the number yet,” said the redshirt sophomore.
Coach Hurley echoed the sentiment of his starting forward. “We’ve earned that by the season that we’ve had. This wasn’t some gift by the committee to try to make it as easy as possible for us. We’ve earned our position. We’ve manifested Brooklyn to Boston since really April, since last year when we won the championship. We’ve worked incredibly hard over that time period to earn the opportunity to play in front of hopefully a 60 percent UConn type of crowd. Hopefully, Illinois’s fans and Iowa State’s fans don’t get involved.”
If Connecticut looks to get closer to its goal of a sixth National Championship, this matchup becomes even more important than the immense stakes they already carry. The winner of this game will go on to face either the most efficient defense in America, the Iowa State Cyclones, or the most efficient offense in the country, the Illinois Fighting Illini. A potential path to college basketball greatness for one of the most dominant teams in America depends on these next few days.
If you’re unable to make it to TD Garden, UConn vs. SDSU will be televised on TBS.