This can’t be happening. Not again.
That was the mood in Connecticut as UConn lost its third straight game and its second game at Gampel Pavilion to an out-of-conference opponent on a buzzer-beating three-point shot from the corner. Texas and Yale managed to drive daggers into the hearts of Husky fans in uncannily similar fashion. And we are left with disbelief.
UConn hadn’t lost in that building to a non-conference opponent since 1993. Nineteen ninety three. I’m pretty sure Russ wasn’t even born yet. And for it to happen – twice! – in such heart-breaking fashion is more than this poor soul can take.
So where are we now? What do these losses tell us, and where does this team go from here?
First, it’s clear this year’s Huskies don’t have the chemistry last year’s team did. And that shouldn’t be a surprise. Last year, there were three seniors, all of whom had won a National Championship as freshman. The whole team was playing as part of an 18-month plan. They were a unit with an entire season under their belt before they played their first game with anyone paying any attention.
This team is starting freshman and sophomores, with Boat the lone senior on the squad. And Boat can only do so much. He had a great game against Texas, truly doing everything he could, including scoring 44 percent of UConn’s points and playing on the rolled ankle that gave out on him in the crucial moments. And while his stats weren’t great against Yale (he only had six points in 35 minutes, though he did have six assists, four rebounds, a couple steals and a block), his even being on the floor was a truly heroic effort. If anyone has anything bad to say about Boat right now, we are gonna have words.
But as for team chemistry, that comes with time and minutes played together on the floor. Between injuries to Purvis, who was clearly not 100 percent against Yale and played for only eight minutes, and Calhoun, who has yet to step on the floor, and the nature of having a bunch of new guys playing together, it’s just not there yet. But it can be. And if KO and Boat have anything to say about it, it will be. So be patient.
What else do we know? Our offense is looking rough. With Boat unable to shoulder the majority of the scoring, UConn only managed to rack up 44 points. Against Yale. That’s real fucking bad. Their half-court offense is just not in sync (see above: team chemistry). Off-the-ball movement is almost nonexistent, and their shooting at times has looked absolutely dismal. KO was right about these guys needing some extra gym time working on shooting. This is particularly true for T-Sam, who at the moment is our second best on-ball defender after Boat, and can handle the ball and drive, but is not a legitimate shooter. When Boat drives and he’s playing next to T-Sam, the kick-out for a three just isn’t a real option. And other teams know it.
But it’s not all bad news. In transition UConn looks great, and Amida Brimah was just taking lobs from everybody. When your big men can get down the floor as fast as Brimah (and Facey, for that matter) can, it should lobs all day er’ry day. Also, we saw a glimpse of the Sam Cassell Jr. I told you about after the exhibition games. He went 4-6 from the floor, including 2-3 from three, good for 12 points in 26 minutes against Yale. He was also good for an assist and a steal, and, more importantly, NO TURNOVERS. This is good.
The biggest bright spot, though, is UConn’s defense, which in the second half held Yale to 26.9 percent from the floor. In the second half against Texas, the Longhorns hit 27.3 percent of their field goals. This tempered by the fact that they were 45.8 percent from the floor in the first half. This is not good. But what this means is when this team is up, they can shut anyone down. They just need to be more consistent on defense.
So what I’m trying to tell you is that I know things look bleak. These last two losses were big blows, both to UConn’s ranking and its pride. But hope is not lost. I have faith in KO’s ability to bring a team together. And next on the schedule is Coppin State at home on Sunday. Coppin State has one win, against some team called Goldey Beacom (I have no idea what that is). Three opponents have scored more than 100 points against Coppin State, and in their losses no team has scored fewer than 71. Teams beating Coppin State are averaging almost 93 points a game. Sunday should be (and for the love of Jonathan will be) a big confidence booster for the Huskies, hopefully getting their offense on track.
Next up: As we said, UConn plays the Eagles of Coppin State on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the XL Center. The game is on SNY.
