The UConn Huskies will try to salvage something from a disappointing season, starting with a first-round NIT match-up with the Arizona State Sun Devils, a school that boasts many famous alumni, including Nick Nolte, Jimmy Kimmel, and Rod Tidwell.
The Sun Devils are led by head coach Herb Sendek, best known for the brief streak of relevance that N.C. State enjoyed in the mid-aughts, and while he’s largely revived a previously-moribund program, ASU fans were hoping for a bit more. The Sun Devils were a tournament team last year, losing a first-round* heartbreaker to Texas, 87-85. With their top three scorers departing, they had an up-and-down season, peaking with a win over Arizona in early February, only to see their NCAA tourney hopes dashed following a first-round loss to last-place USC in the PAC-12 Tournament.
UConn’s health entering this game is uncertain, with Ryan Boatright and Kentan Facey both unknowns. If both players are back, UConn looks to match up well in the frontcourt. Arizona State’s best player is 6-6 sophomore power forward Savon Goodman, who has averaged 11 points and 7.1 rebounds in his first season in Tempe, following a transfer from UNLV. The Sun Devils also feature wing Shaquille McKissic and big man Eric Jacobsen up front, averaging 11 and 8.6 points, respectively. With the 6-8 Willie Atwood the only true big man on the bench, this is not a team with overwhelming size, which may mean a big day for UConn’s Amida Brimah, who has been able to exploit smaller teams at times this year. The Huskies will also be on the lookout for Jonathon Gilling, a sharpshooting forward who has hit 43% of his three-pointers this year, primarily as a backup.
In the backcourt, Arizona State relies on freshman point guard Tra Holder and junior Gerry Blakes. Holder has been solid this season, primarily looking to distribute the ball. Blakes is an aggressive scorer who has a tendency to take too many three-pointers despite hitting only 28% of them on the season. With freshman Kodi Justice out for the season with a foot injury, veteran guard Bo Barnes has taken on a larger role, providing another quality shooter off the bench, but this team doesn’t have a true point guard to back up Holder, and often runs the offense through McKissic when he’s on the bench.
If they’re hitting on all cylinders, Ryan Boatright and Rodney Purvis should be able to gain a pretty significant advantage here, as they’re far more explosive players. Purvis is coming off one of his best games as a Husky, scoring 29 points in a loss to SMU, looking more aggressive in attacking the basket and more confident in his jump shot.
If the Huskies are healthy and motivated, and Purvis plays anywhere near where he was against SMU, UConn could run away with this. If the team looks lethargic and can’t hit their jump shots, this could be a very long day. Here’s hoping for the former.
