UConn’s ship has officially been righted. The Huskies beat Cincinnati 62-56 on Saturday morning/afternoon to move to 9-5 on the season, and notched their second signature victory of the last week alone.
The game was much as you’d expect of a UConn-Cincinnati matchup. Both teams played physical, pressure defense. UConn held the Bearcats to 30.8 percent shooting in the second half, cementing the victory.
Ryan Boatright — who said he’s feeling about 85 percent healthy — led UConn with 18 points and eight assists. Omar Calhoun continued his recent hot streak with 12 points in 19 minutes and Rodney Purvis ignited UConn’s offense in the second half after a slow start, ending with 11 points including a big three-pointer.
Despite hitting only 11 of their 18 free throws, two each by Boatright and Daniel Hamilton — who received a standing ovation for his made attempts — closed out the hard-fought victory.
Saturday’s win bolsters UConn’s resumé as they continue with an eye towards March. The Huskies don’t play a single currently-ranked opponent for the remainder of the season, but will face several tough (relatively) conference opponents over the next few months, as well as an out-of-conference matchup against a respectable Stanford team next weekend.
With more challenges looming, the Huskies have hit their stride at an opportune time. They have forged their identity as a defensive team, who may struggle to score at times, but won’t go down without a fight. There’s plenty of room for improvement (for the love of God, learn an inbounds play), but also plenty of positives for UConn going forward.
Notes:
- Kentan Facey led the team with 37 minutes on Saturday. He only registered four points and six rebounds, but given the preseason concerns about foul trouble, he’s proved more than able to stay on the court.
- Rakim Lubin came up with two big plays for UConn, including a critical block that led to a Calhoun three and two big offensive rebounds. It appears he may finally have jumped Phil Nolan on the depth chart.
- Terrence Samuel had a strange game. He played well, but didn’t score a single point or record a single assist. His ball-handling proved crucial as Purvis, and especially Hamilton, struggled to solve Cincinnati’s full-court press. Samuel also grabbed four rebounds.
- Sam Cassell Jr. hit his first three-pointer since the December 14th victory over Coppin St. Most of his minutes are now going to Omar Calhoun, but it was nice to see Cassell contribute.
- The 11am start time was bizarre, but didn’t appear to have any negative effects on the players. The crowd was its mired in the typical XL Center malaise for most of the game.
Up Next:
Speaking of odd start times, UConn will visit Tulsa this Tuesday (1/13) with a 9:30pm tip time. Adding insult to injury, the game will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.
