To UConn’s credit, they’ve proven they can hang with just about any team in the country for the first 39 minutes of the game. In Wednesday’s matinee against Temple, they even managed to close a six point deficit in the last two minutes of regulation to send the game into overtime. Unfortunately for UConn, they also found a new heartbreaking way to leave the court with a loss.
The Huskies made one shot in the overtime period — a jumper by freshman Daniel Hamilton. They wouldn’t score the last 4:04 of the game. Hamilton was fouled on a three-point attempt with two seconds remaining and the Huskies trailing 55-53. He would miss all three free throws (the third intentionally), cementing UConn’s fifth loss of the season.
Horrifying endings are becoming all too familiar for this UConn team. Wednesday’s defeat marks the third time in 11 games where a game was lost in the final moments — the others the back-to-back buzzer-beating losses to Texas and then Yale. However, against Temple, the Huskies suffered a loss of a different kind when senior guard Ryan Boatright suffered a leg injury diagnosed as a deep thigh contusion. Without their captain, UConn struggled mightily to run a coherent offense and looked overwhelmed at times late in the game.
Omar Calhoun continued his resurgence, scoring seven points in a season-high 18 minutes. He too was forced from the game, however, when he caught a blow to the face that left him bloodied and, eventually, sporting a large bandage above his left eye. Amida Brimah led the team in scoring with 12 points. Hamilton finished with a double-double, ten points and 12 rebounds. Kentan Facey was close behind with nine points and 11 rebounds.
UConn’s undoing was their poor shooting — both behind the arc, and from the foul line. While Hamilton’s late misses were painful, the problems started far earlier. As a team, the Huskies made only eight of their 19 free throw attempts (42.1 percent). Boatright’s absence certainly contributed — he’s at 82.5 percent this season — as Rodney Purvis and Hamilton missed three attempts each.
From three-point range, UConn fared even worse. Their lone make was a Calhoun attempt in the second half. They were a paltry one of nine from deep. Their team three-point field goal percentage has now dropped all the way to 30.4 percent — at this writing, good for 285th place in the nation.
While the shots haven’t been falling this season, UConn still manages to play with effort. It’s a likable team that plays hard, seems to genuinely support each other, and is a good reflection of the work ethic employed by their coach, Kevin Ollie. All of that is laudable, but has yet to result in wins for the Huskies, who fell to 6-5 on the season. If Boatright misses significant time, or if the outside shooting continues to stagnate, UConn’s chances for a tournament birth will continue to shrink. In the meantime, have a glass of champagne, hope for the best and save the panic for next year.
Notes:
- Since you’re obviously curious, UConn’s free throw percentage is down to 70.8 percent. While bad, they rank 124th in the country. Middle of the pack, really.
- You have to feel bad for Hamilton. He didn’t shoot particularly well on Wednesday, but was UConn’s best offensive weapon for most of the game. Misses happen — and UConn fans have a gross habit of never forgetting them (see, Donyell) — but he’s a kid who’s represented himself and the university well and deserves a break. Chin up, JCDH. Get ‘em next time.
- Facey continues to impress out there. He even manned the center spot for a chunk of the first half when Brimah got in foul trouble. His offensive game isn’t developed enough to depend on him for scoring, but his rebounding covers a lot of UConn’s flaws.
- Rakim Lubin didn’t play. Not sure why.
- The crowd was lethargic and unimpressive. The midday start, in Hartford, on a day when many had to be at work didn’t help. Neither did the quality of play. But it’s still disappointing.
- The officiating was generally terrible. It didn’t impact the outcome, but it makes basketball hard to watch. On the plus side, it won’t get better…
Up Next:
UConn goes to Florida to take on the Florida Men on Saturday (1/3). Tip is at 2pm and the game is on CBS, which is cool. UConn played Florida last season, if you recall.
I disagree about the crowd. Most people were standing and clapping on offense and defense – not a sellout for sure but a very respectable and enthusiastic crowd.
In the area that Alex and I were sitting, very few people were sitting, and many left before the end of regulation, which is disgusting.
That should have read: “very few people were standing.” I was standing because I’m not a stinky old fart. Except for during t-shirt time, because I have too many already.