All is well for fans of the UConn men’s basketball team. Not only are the Huskies coming off a dominant 90-49 win over Le Moyne, but Connecticut has moved past the Alabama Crimson Tide in the latest AP Poll, slotting them right behind No. 1 Kansas. Fans will get another look at the Huskies this Tuesday as the program returns for a Gampel Pavilion showdown against East Texas A&M. While the Huskies are expected to cruise by the Lions in convincing fashion, there are still many long-run trends that fans will want to keep tabs on.
The biggest headline heading into this matchup surrounds the 6-foot-10 big man Samson Johnson. The center has a notorious fouling issue, often racking up a boatload of whistles, which has relegated him to the bench. However, in the program’s Nov. 13 showdown against Le Moyne, Johnson was disciplined, picking up only a pair of fouls in 24 minutes of work. The Togo native also racked up four blocks in addition to his excellent at the rim defense. Head Coach Dan Hurley told media personnel on Monday how valuable Johnson is when he does not foul, noting that the backcourt’s inability to get the big man involved in the lob game has played in part with Johnson’s foul issues.
“His defense, when he is in the game, blocks per minute is like top two in the country,” Hurley told media personnel following Monday’s practice. “The guards got to help [Johnson]; the guards are hurting [Johnson], hurting his production. I think he’s getting antsy. We are not getting him in the lob game the way we have in the past. The guards aren’t seeing it yet.”
The other UConn big man, Tarris Reed Jr., has gotten off to a red-hot start for Connecticut, averaging nearly 13 points and 10 rebounds per night. However, what’s even more impressive about Reed Jr. is that he ranks near the top of the country in offensive rebounding percentage, according to KenPom. The importance of coming away with offensive rebounds cannot be understated as, for a program as good as the Huskies, they cash in on second chance points as much as any program in the country. Not only is Reed Jr. getting it done in this department, but Connecticut is among the best rebounding teams in college basketball so far.
Connecticut fans will also want to keep their eyes out for UConn guard Aidan Mahaney, who has yet to return to form offensively. Despite this, Hassan Diarra has noted that he is confident that Mahaney’s cold spell will not last much longer, and a big game is imminent.
“He’s coming in and working each and every day,” Diarra told media personnel. “He’s not giving in yet. He’s getting better and better each and every day, and, eventually, it’s going to come to fruition, and he’s going to go out and have a big game pretty soon.”
UConn fans will also want to watch out for Alex Karaban and what he does, as he is looking to build on his excellent start to UConn’s 2024-2025 campaign. The 22-year-old has not only been scoring points in boatloads, but he is as efficient as ever, ranking near the top of the country in eFG%, which weighs his three-point percentage higher, while also considering his shots within the arc. Of course, Karaban is also playing the best defense of his collegiate career so far, which is a positive sign for Connecticut, considering this program has shown some vulnerability on this side of the ball. Despite the defense not being up to Hurley’s high standard, it hasn’t been poor, as the program has performed as a top ten defensive unit, according to KenPom.
Despite this, Tuesday is another opportunity for the program to meet the UConn standard defensively against the Lions. However, to do so, the Huskies need their backcourt to excel on this side of the ball, as East Texas A&M guards rely upon their guards at a high level to create their offense. Khaliq Abdul-Mateen, a four-year veteran of the program, leads the Lions in scoring, averaging nearly 14 points a game on 40% shooting. Scooter Williams Jr. also looks to lead the East Texas A&M offense, scoring around 13 points a night on a 40% field goal percentage. Outside of the Lions’ guard play, the scoring comes from nearly the entire roster, with 10 players averaging more than 10 minutes a night, though only eight of these athletes have laced up for every game. Expect the Lions to feed scoring through their guard play and give the Huskies many different looks, as they have demonstrated so far.
A player for the Huskies who has done it all on both sides of the ball so far is forward Liam McNeeley. The Texas native is the reigning Big East Player of the Week after a 15-point performance against Le Moyne. Like Karaban, McNeeley’s scoring has been as efficient as it gets, cashing in on over 48% of his tries, including 41.2% from beyond the arc.
While Connecticut should have no problem handling business in front of its home crowd, fans will want to watch out for the program’s ongoing storylines. Not to mention, the competition starts to ramp up quickly as the Huskies will participate in the Maui Invitational. This means that the coaching staff will want to address any lingering kinks heading into Tuesday as the road toward March only gets more treacherous from here.