Hello and greetings from Gampel Pavilion. This afternoon, the UConn Huskies (19-10, 9-8) will host the Providence (French)Friars in the final game of the season. We’ll get to the sappy season retrospectives, but for now, shall focus on the matchup and the importance of the game for the Huskies.
A twenty-win season – a good benchmark for success – is achievable with a victory today. UConn will have to earn it the hard way. Tyler Olander, the team’s starting center, will miss the game with a foot injury. His backup, Enosch Wolf, continues the suspension earned from his February arrest. Defensive stopper, and known German, Niels Giffey had his season ended by a broken finger. Freshman guard Omar Calhoun is battling a wrist injury that has nearly dragged his shooting percentage into negative numbers. And the team’s leader, star guard Shabazz Napier, has missed the last two games with a foot injury of his own. The official word pre-game is that Calhoun and Napier are questionable. Clearly the deck is stacked against the Huskies.
Luckily for UConn, while his teammates have been dropping like flies, sophomore DeAndre Daniels has emerged as a star. In UConn’s embarrassing loss to USF on Wednesday, Daniels was the lone bright spot – pulling in his second double-double in three games (23 points, 10 rebounds). Unfortunately for the Huskies, Daniels performances haven’t resulted in wins.
The Huskies have lost their last three games and some of the shine off their impressive season. Head coach Kevin Ollie and his players would love nothing more than to go out with a victory in front of the home fans that have supported them through a rough season.
Providence won’t make it easy. While UConn is trending down with three straight losses, Providence has won their last three contests – most recently a ten-point victory at home over Seton Hall. UConn came out on top when the two teams met in January – and Providence hasn’t won in Storrs in over 10 years – but the Huskies roster was very different back then.
While injuries will continue to make matters difficult for UConn, they will hope that emotion can carry them through. In addition to the desire to finish the season on a high note, senior guard RJ Evans will look to do the same with his collegiate career. Evans is the only notable senior on this UConn squad and will be showered with adoration from the hometown fans for his efforts.
“One more year.” Get used to that chant. The fans all well aware of the decision Shabazz Napier will be faced with in the coming weeks of whether to come back to UConn for his senior season or take a chance by declaring for the NBA Draft. Our recent fan poll suggests most think he will be coming back, but that doesn’t mean the fans won’t continue to persuade him this afternoon.
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Tip off is scheduled for noon. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
