After nearly half a year away from the hardwood, the UConn men’s basketball team returned to action last Monday, taking on the University of Rhode Island Rams. This game featured everything: the good, the bad and the ugly. However, in the end, the Huskies got the job done in front of the Uncasville, Conn. crowd, coming out ahead 102-75.
The story of the first half was the very definition of October college basketball. Early and often, there were sloppy turnovers from both sides, a couple of undisciplined fouls and even some 10-0 runs. However, despite all of this, the biggest area of concern early on for the Huskies was their defense at the rim, which played right into URI’s hand.
The Rams’ game plan early on was simple: get the ball down low to Javonte Brown and let him work. The 7-foot-0 big man scored 12 points on a whopping six makes from the charity stripe in the first half, a testament to his strong ability to draw fouls as good as anybody.
URI’s assault down low was also evident by the fact that the only outside shots the Rams took were at most lightly contested, yet they had a significant effect and were a big reason why they only trailed by four at the end of the first half.
Another place of improvement for the Huskies between now and the start of their out-of-conference slate is their rebounding. A season ago, the program’s ability to out-rebound their opponents by double-digit figures contributed greatly to their success, and that advantage was not in full force on Monday. The Rams out-rebounded Connecticut in the first half. In the second half, Connecticut snagged only four more boards than the Rams. Despite this, head coach Dan Hurley made it clear that tonight’s performance on the glass will not translate to the regular season’s slate of games.
“For the most part, I liked what we looked like, with the exception of rebounding, which was not typical of who we are, and we will not look like that. So, I promise you that.” Hurley told media personnel postgame.
While it may initially appear that the Huskies played awful basketball from tip to the final whistle, that couldn’t be further from the case; there were many bright spots.
Hassan Diarra led the charge for the Huskies with his aggressive defense on and off the ball. His relentless pressure led to multiple fast break opportunities for the program. Even if Diarra couldn’t finish at the rim, the guard found his teammates in space for either a look in the paint or from downtown, and this was pivotal to Connecticut’s success early on.
Another significant player from last year’s championship team, Alex Karaban, also had a solid first half. On Monday, Karaban was doing Karaban things for the Huskies. The Second Team All-American forward scored 10 first-half points on 4-7 shooting, yet his contributions exceeded the box score. He constantly handled the ball at the top of the key, setting up offensive sequences. Karaban also excelled at moving around off the ball, which gave his teammates solid chances at scoring. His and Diarra’s ability to get long rebounds and take off running was crucial in getting the rest of the program in a scoring rhythm.
Liam McNeeley, Jayden Ross and Solo Ball all feasted on the opportunities presented to them, all sinking first-half threes on either a fastbreak or some as the product of solid off-ball movement.
At the end of 20 minutes, the Huskies were up by only four, but as what happened so many times last year, they just needed one big run, and they got that.
Whatever the Huskies did over the first half break, it worked. The turnovers became less frequent, and the team handled the ball with better care. As a result, the program dominated on both sides of the ball and quickly ran away with Monday’s contest.
While the final 20 minutes quickly became garbage time for the Huskies, it also brought up some major storylines that could play a focal point for the rest of the season.
The second half can be summed up simply as the Ball and Aidan Mahaney show. Ball shot the basketball at a high level, coming away with 11 second-half points on 4-5 shooting, including a pair of triples. Postgame, both athletes were quick to give props to the UConn coaching staff for how they instilled and kept both guards’ confidence despite facing adversity.
“Just credit to my teammates and my coaches just for believing in me and just giving me confidence,” Ball noted on how his work ethic from the offseason translated to Monday night. “I think that was just what kept me going; just trusting my work, making sure I continue to trust the process.”
Mahaney had as good a debut as you could want for Hurley and Co., finishing with 17 points on 6-9 shooting, 11 of those points coming in the final 20 minutes. The St. Mary’s transfer noted that Monday’s performance was a solid confidence booster, and he was quick to credit the coaches and his teammates for believing in him.
“Just credit to the coaches and the guys for instilling confidence in me. I’ve kind of had a lot of ups and downs to this, but you know, obviously, I’m confident in myself, and thankfully they stayed confident in me and what my abilities are, and tonight I was able to show it a little bit.” Mahaney noted after Monday’s win.
A reemerging theme from last season surrounds big man Samson Johnson. The 6-foot-10 senior got into foul trouble on Monday, finishing with four total. Two of these fouls were avoidable, as Johnson pushed his man on one and was a little too aggressive for a rebound on another. Look for the Connecticut coaching staff to iron this out with him, as they will need the senior to be firing on all cylinders.
Despite Monday being just an exhibition match, much action ensued. Not only will the coaches have hours of film to churn through, but fans will also look at some new faces and see how they can mesh in this year’s squad. Many positives will likely transfer over, especially the way the team hustles on both ends, which created a flurry of offensive opportunities. The rebounding issues and sloppy turnovers? Knowing how serious and locked-in Connecticut basketball is, the chances of seeing the AP preseason No. 3 Huskies struggle with these issues for much longer is near zero, and fans should expect even more growth from the program until their next public appearance on banner night on Nov. 6.
Great article, thank you! Early and often, there were sloppy turnovers from both sides, a couple of undisciplined fouls and even some 10-0 runs. However, despite all of this, the biggest area of concern early on for the Huskies was their defense at the rim, which played right into URI’s hand.