We here at A Dime Back don’t pretend to be unbiased. We all attended UConn and grew up on UConn basketball. We love this team. So I hope you’ll understand how much self-control it’s taking for me not to litter this article with expletives and basically call for the end of the world.
Disappointing doesn’t even begin to describe the play of this team in Texas this week. After an abysmal first half against Houston, the Huskies managed to climb out of a 21-point hole to almost win. SMU is unranked, but they’re coached by Larry Brown, can rebound like nobody’s business and play great defense. But UConn is coached by Kevin Ollie, hits a ridiculous percentage from the free throw line and (on the season, anyway) from three. But it was like UConn was playing underwater as they lost to SMU 75-64. And what hurts the most is they didn’t seem to be trying to win this game. Like, at all. The word of the day is “uninterested.”
Lasan Kromah and Ryan Boatright seemed to be the only people playing yesterday. Boat looked good on offense, scoring 15 points, on 5-for-10 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three. Kromah is far and away the best one-on-one defender on the team right now. He led the team in rebounds with six, as well as dishing four assists, getting two steal and a block, as well as scoring 12 points.
For a team that was known during the Calhoun era as one that, no matter what, could always play great defense, perhaps the most upsetting part of the game was how lazy UConn was on defense. There were far to many wide-open layups and tip-ins under the hoop. Post defense is but a distant memory.
“There’s going to be some changes,” Coach Kevin Ollie said after the game. “If we can’t score, we’re going to definitely play defense. That’s what I hang my hat on.”
The Case of the Missing Bazz has not been solved yet. For the second straight game, Napier was nonexistent on offense in the first half.
“He got discouraged, but he has to understand, we need him to score, too,” Ollie said. Bazz finished the game with 12 points, eight of which were scored at the charity stripe.
This road trip needs to serve as a wake-up call for Coach Ollie and his players. The lack of effort and fire was a little too reminiscent of the 2009-2010 team of which we do not speak. They need to do something drastic, and fast, before this entire season gets flushed down the toilet.
So, in short: Bleeerrggggg.
Notes:
- The revolving door that is the Huskies starting rotation got a different look again today. Tyler Olander got the start over Brimah and Nolan (and everyone in Husky Nation got beer to self medicate). Olander got one rebound. One.
- Niels Giffey started in the first half, with the Ghost of Omar Calhoun on the bench. In the second half, Kromah got the nod, presumably because he was the only person playing anything resembling defense.
- Dikembe Mutombo was in the audience for this horror show. He and Ollie had a nice bro moment at halftime.
- UConn had 11 assists, 11 turnovers and 24 (TWENTY FOUR) fouls. SMU got tagged for 22 fouls. I don’t care what league you’re playing in, 46 fouls in one game is just insane.
- SMU out-rebounded UConn 37-29. Including 15 offensive boards.
- Nic Moore lead SMU with 20 points on 5-for-9 shooting as well as getting 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Markus Kennedy supplied a team-high eight rebounds.
Next up:
The Huskies finally get to play a game in Gampel against a pretty good Harvard squad on Wednesday at 7 p.m. You can catch the game on ESPNU.
