![UConn needs a win against Cincy to keep their season alive. [Stephen Slade]](https://i0.wp.com/adimeback.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Shonn-Miller-v-Cincy.jpeg)
On Friday, the UConn men start their run at an AAC trophy with a less-lauded regular season performance behind them. At this point, UConn is firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and needs to win at least one, and possibly two games to secure a bid to the Big Dance.
Friday afternoon they face Cincinnati, home of shitty chili and Mick Cronin, a team the Huskies failed to get a W against this season. Unless you went Eternal Sunshine on yourself this year (and, really, I wouldn’t blame you) you probably remember the gut-wrenching loss at the XL in January in which UConn blew a four-point lead with about a minute to play. They lost at Cincinnati a little over two weeks ago, and I don’t really want to talk about that game either. Suffice it to say, the Huskies have struggled against the Bearcats.
On Friday, UConn will win or go home. A win against Cincinnati may be enough to earn the Huskies a shot at the big tournament, but a semifinal win against Temple (who faces the winner of the USF and East Carolina Thursday game) would help. Temple, as you’ll recall, is another team UConn should have beaten this season but didn’t. The Huskies lost at home to Temple in early January on a last second shot from Josh Brown. Last month, UConn blew a big second-half lead to lose in Philadelphia. Nothing in these two paragraphs makes me feel good, but there it is.
Two wins in the AAC Tournament should all but guarantee the Huskies a spot in the NCAA Tournament bracket. But, really, they should just win the damn thing. Enough is enough here. There’s really no excuse at this point for not bringing home a tournament championship, especially given that SMU can’t play. I mean, Houston is the two seed for fuck’s sake. Houston lost to URI this season. Further, closing out the season with four wins and an AAC Tourney trophy could help their seeding and potentially avoiding the dreaded 8-9 game.
In short, Friday is do or die, but let’s take the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament chances out of the hands of the selection committee and just win the whole damn thing.
Look, I don’t see what the problem is. If DHam stops trying to dazzle everyone and, instead, plays like he did in the 2nd half on Sunday; if Shonn Miller is Shonn Miller, the rest is making lay ups and playing tough defense. The 3’s will open up. Cincinnati and Temple never beat us, this year. 2 games each were handed to them. If you are gonna play the games, you might as well win.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again- leave Shonn Miller on the bench for the first 5 minutes of the game. He ALWAYS picks up a cheap foul and heads to the bench anyway. He comes back in, get another one at some point and with our stupid “2 fouls and you sit the rest of the half” rule, it kills any semblance of momentum he may be having.
He is the key- let him play without a restriction of foul pressure and we win, not just this tourney but we can do DAMAGE in the Dance…