The UConn Huskies must be bored. With no possibility of a tournament appearance in their future, they seem to be searching for more and more entertaining ways to win. Traditional victories no longer appeal to them. Earlier this week, they defeated a Providence team despite being out-rebounded by 31. On Sunday against USF (10-11, 1-8), UConn held themselves to 15 first half points, shooting 18.5% in the process.
Kidding aside, UConn’s first half was beyond ugly. Not a single player hit more than one shot. The team only had two two-point field goals in the entire half. They were also out-rebounded.
“We didn’t have any energy, any passion,” said center Tyler Olander. Indeed, the entire team looked sluggish and complacent, frustrating a Gampel Pavilion crowd that hadn’t seen their team on campus in almost a month.
“We couldn’t make a shot,” said head coach Kevin Ollie. “I thought the crowd was gonna walk out, but they were wonderful.”
The fans’ patience was rewarded in the second half, as a rejuvenated UConn squad came out firing on all cylinders. The Huskies matched their first half point total (15) in the first five minutes of the second half.
Star guard Shabazz Napier, who managed only four points in the first half, came to life and led the Huskies in their comeback efforts. Napier unleashed a barrage of clutch shots as the game went down to the wire.
“He made remarkable shots,” said Ollie of Napier. “He has belief in himself and confidence in himself. He’s not scared to fail.”
As time wound down in regulation, the ball wound up in Napier’s hands. This time, he couldn’t deliver as his long three-point attempt was off the mark. When overtime started, however, Napier was determined not to let the game slip away. He scored nine points in the overtime period as UConn (15-5, 5-3) pulled away from their inferior opponents.
Notes:
- Leon Tolksdorf saw some game action on Sunday and buried an open three when UConn could get nothing else going. Ollie said Tolksdorf has been playing hard in practice and earned the opportunity.
- Tyler Olander had been struggling lately but provided some really good effort and energy. He finished with four points and five rebounds.
- In the second half, UConn hit 16-18 free throws. It was a testament to their aggressiveness, as well as their clutch performance.
- Ryan Boatright shot poorly (3-11) but still finished with 17 points. His explanation of UConn’s win: “We fight until the end. We have heart. We have a good coach and good leadership.
- Former national champion point guard Taliek Brown was in the house watching the game. Is that an excuse to link to this video? Absolutely!
Up Next:
The Huskies will travel to Madison Square Garden to take on St. John’s on Wednesday night (Feb. 6th). Tip is at 7pm and will be on SNY.
