Life in the American Athletic Conference has officially begun for the UConn Huskies, although they didn’t seem to realize it until the second half of Tuesday’s late night matchup with Houston. The Huskies sleepwalked through the first 20 minutes, somehow playing a worse half than their second half embarrassment against Stanford two weeks earlier. They trailed by as many as 21 points. Senior guard Shabazz Napier was shockingly ineffective, and did not score until two late free throws just before intermission. They allowed Houston to shoot over 60% and generally looked like they had forgotten how to play basketball.
Head coach Kevin Ollie either gave a rousing halftime speech, or someone got each player a cup of coffee, because when the second half started, UConn was ready. It took the Huskies just over seven minutes to completely erase Houston’s massive lead.
The backcourt tandem of Napier and Ryan Boatright took over. With 19 points and 9 assists, Boatright played his best game of the season — and was the only reason Houston’s first half lead didn’t swell even higher. After napping for much of the first, Napier ate his spinach and exploded for 25 points in the second half.
Even though #17 UConn (11-2, 0-1) got back into the game, they never controlled it. Houston (9-5, 1-0) played tougher than the Huskies, despite missing three starters. UConn was out rebounded 34-30, not a surprising total if you’ve seen UConn play this season.
With the game tied late, Houston went inside to TaShawn Thomas, who had bullied UConn all game long. He drew a phantom foul call on Tyler Olander and hit both free throws. Napier drove to the rim on the other end, but was blocked, effectively ending the game.
If you’re looking for silver linings, Tyler Olander played really well. His defense in the second half really served as a catalyst, igniting UConn’s intensity.
You could also take solace in the fact that UConn is talented enough that they can erase a 20 point deficit. With Napier’s shots falling, and Boatright playing a great all-around game, UConn looks capable of beating a lot of teams.
But it’s very hard to win when you don’t show up for full halves at a time.
This is a very bad loss. One that will probably cost UConn their spot in the Top 25 polls. It is also another in a now growing list of times where the Huskies played with a total lack of effort. They have let bad teams get back into games, and they have demonstrated that, when times get tough, they have a very hard time pulling themselves together.
With an AAC schedule that is weak on paper, UConn can’t afford many more losses like these. They will play Memphis twice and Louisville twice. Those are the only games where losses may be deemed acceptable by the selection committee when UConn’s name comes up for tournament seeding. They’ll inevitably lose another few games to the Houstons of the world, it happens. But they are earning a reputation for losing bad, and losing ugly. That matters.
Hopefully Tuesday night’s game serves as a wake-up call.
Notes:
- Phil Nolan and Amida Brimah each only played four minutes. Neither was effective, yielding 16 minutes to Olander.
- For his part, Olander matched his season-high in rebounds with four.
- It’s troubling how easily DeAndre Daniels gets taken out of the game. He shot 3-10 and finished with 12 points, but there were long stretches of the game where you forgot he was even on the floor. A player with his talents can’t let that happen.
- Omar Calhoun’s descent continues. He only played five minutes, a career low.
- Ollie went to freshman Terrence Samuel and Kenton Facey in the first half, trying to insert some life into the lineup. It didn’t work, but it’s interesting in that Ollie was very reluctant to use his non-regulars during the Stanford collapse.
- For the first time this season, Niels Giffey did not hit a three-pointer.
- Is that crowd the best Houston can do? That was beyond pathetic. Rutgers fans saw that crowd and mocked it.
Up Next:
UConn’s Texas misery tour continues with a trip to SMU in Dallas on Saturday (Jan 4th). Tip is at 2pm and the game is on ESPNU.
