As is customary in Connecticut, we have reached the point in March where logic and science no longer determine the outcome of basketball games. How else can you explain UConn’s upset win over two-seed Tulsa in the AAC Tournament on Saturday night?
Logic would tell you the Huskies were dead in the water after failing to score for the first eight minutes of the game. Instead, they used their defense — and some helpful horrible shooting by Tulsa — to hang in the game. Tulsa missed nine of their 11 first-half, three-point attempts and shot just 30 percent from the floor, carrying a four-point lead into the half.
Despite the poor start to the game, spirits were high in a jacked-up XL Center. The Huskies were very much in the game, and the 10,114 rowdy fans lustily ignoring the bracket-based home/away designations were still clinging to the carry-over confidence earned in UConn’s buzzer-beating victory over Cincinnati the night before.
Then the second half started and UConn went ice cold. Again.
The Huskies missed 11 of their first 12 shot attempts. Tulsa expanded their lead to nine with ten minutes remaining in the game. Five points by Ryan Boatright over the next few minutes couldn’t bring UConn any closer. Rashad Smith made a layup with 6:39 remaining that expended the Tulsa lead to ten, as hope began to fade in Hartford.
Common sense would tell you that it was the end of the line for the Huskies.
Instead, a Rodney Purvis three-pointer, a layup by Phil Nolan and a layup from Purvis — intermixed with three Tulsa free throws by Rashad Ray — pulled the Huskies within six. That old feeling started to return.
Daniel Hamilton had missed his first eight shots of the evening. It appeared the first scoreless outing of his career would come at the least opportune time. When the teams returned to the court following the under-four media timeout, Boatright pulled Hamilton aside and offered him words of encouragement.
With 2:38 left on the clock, Boatright offered Hamilton an assist — a pass to an open Hamilton in the corner. The freshman buried the three-point attempt, cutting the lead to three, and he returned the favor a minute later, finding Boatright, who knocked down a three of his own to tie the game at 41 with 1:46 remaining.
Boatright’s heroics weren’t particularly surprising after his performance the night before, but they also failed to secure the victory.
After a foul call, Tulsa’s Shaq Harrison made one of two free throws to claim a one-point lead.
UConn’s ensuing possession was scattered and disrupted, with Tulsa zeroing in on Boatright. With the shot clock dwindling, Omar Calhoun passed to Rodney Purvis in the corner. Purvis took one step in from the three-point line and buried the go-ahead jumper.
Tulsa took a timeout with 49 seconds remaining on the clock. Their ensuing attempt was a contested Harrison effort in the paint. Amida Brimah affected the shot. Ryan Boatright got the rebound.
Following Purvis’ jumper, Tulsa missed their final three shots, and Boatright sank his final four free throws.
The result was a 47-42 UConn win that sends them to Sunday’s championship game to face one-seed SMU.
“I’m kind of lost for words, but one word that comes to mind is heart,” said head coach Kevin Ollie after the game.
UConn’s victory was equal parts miraculous and obvious. Since 2011, the Huskies are 23-3 in tournament games, including Kemba Walker’s 2011 march to world domination and last season’s Boatright- and Shabazz-Napier-led surprise run to the national championship.
With a win on Sunday, UConn will earn an automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament, and will look to prove that when they play in a big game in March, all you need to know is that they will probably win.
“When I got soldiers like this beside me, we can’t lose,” said Ollie. “We put in the work each and every day, we buy into each other, and this is the outcome. We went through a lot of ups and downs, a lot of pain this year, but it made us stronger. It made us tougher and more resilient, and I think these guys are really proving it now. We’ve got 40 minutes in front of the best fans in America. I’ll take that any day.”
Notes:
- This entire roster is gassed. Ryan Boatright played another 40 minutes on Saturday night, and there’s no rest in sight. Fatigue will continue to be a factor.
- There’s also now relief coming from concussed forward Kentan Facey, who says he will not be able to suit up on Sunday. He is in constant discussions with team doctors and will restart physical activities next week.
- In Facey’s absence, UConn got another nice effort from Rakim Lubin. He registered only one rebound in seven minutes, but provided noticeable energy during some stretches when the Huskies needed a boost.
- The crowd was small in number but very, very loud. UConn’s players and coaches credited the fans with sparking the second wind that carried the team over the finish line.
- Said Boatright of the crowd, “Man, when you’re tired and gasping for air and things ain’t going your way, that crowd is the thing that pulls you through. The screaming and emotion and the support that they give us all year through our ups and downs, we just want to continue to fight and give them a show and give them something to cheer for.”
Up Next:
UConn will look to finish their latest improbable run when they take on one-seed SMU in the AAC Championship game on Sunday afternoon. Tip is at 3:15, the game can be seen on ESPN, and tickets are still available.
