By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)
HARTFORD, Conn. — Playing games against smaller schools early on in non-conference play can sometimes be tricky, especially in the first week of the season.
With all the newcomers, teams are still trying to figure out their identities. Sure, you could have games like UConn had this past Wednesday, where the Huskies handled Sacred Heart from start to finish in a 36-point win, but you could also have a game where something doesn’t click and the result is sloppy.
The latter was what UConn’s 92-53 win over New Hampshire looked like Saturday night, at least in the first half. It felt like everything was going wrong for the Huskies early, whether it be unfortunate foul trouble, silly turnovers, or just not getting the right rolls off the rim.
“The standards are high here,” Dan Hurley said. “That was clearly a below standard performance in a multitude of ways.”
The Huskies were ranked fifth on KenPom coming into the game, while the visiting Wildcats checked in at 329th. The first half didn’t look like it was between teams over 300 spots apart. UConn shot just 2-for-13 from distance in the first 20 minutes and, for the first time in many months, looked vulnerable out on the court.
“We were doing such bizarre stuff in the first half,” Hurley said. “I think some of it is some tactical things that we have to change, or things we have to scrap offensively.”
Luckily for the Huskies, a switch was flipped at halftime. UConn outscored UNH by 28 in the second en route to a big win. Alex Karaban was the story on both sides of the ball for the second straight game. He finished with 17 points and swatted four more shots, proving that game against Sacred Heart on Wednesday wasn’t a fluke.
“He’s handling these games the way he needs to be handling these games,” Hurley said. “He’s blocking. He’s stealing. He’s assisting. He’s on the offensive glass.”
“I think after the first media timeout our defense started to pick up, which was good,” Karaban said. “Offensively we weren’t as sharp.”
Star freshman Liam McNeeley’s second game as a Husky also saw his second double-double, as he finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, once again impressing on the glass. He is the first UConn player to start a season with back-to-back double-doubles since Jeff Adrien in 2006.
“I was rebounding pretty well,” McNeeley said. “I guess the ball was just finding me. But I’m not worried about not getting as many shots, I just want to win."
The Huskies—or more specifically, Karaban—came out firing in the second half with a pair of early threes. Noticeably, Tarris Reed, Jr. started the second half over Samson Johnson. Both Reed and Johnson were culprits to the first half foul trouble, with Johnson picking up three in just four minutes and Reed picking up two. Like McNeeley, Reed also had a very solid second game as a Husky with 11 points and eight rebounds.
“It’s just dumbfounding,” Hurley said about Johnson’s foul issues early in the season.
Highly touted sophomore Jayden Ross made his season debut in the win after missing the opener with an ankle injury. Hurley raved about Ross all preseason for the growth he had over the summer. Those high praises were evident, as Ross finished with a career-high 14 points off the bench and was extremely active on the defensive end.
“You saw the flurry,” Hurley said. “He’s a guy that is going to get a lot better. We need to invest in Jayden Ross.”
“It’s exciting to be able to go out and play in this environment,” Ross said. “I feel like I have more confidence in my shooting.”
After losing Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer and Stephon Castle on the perimeter, Hurley needs some mileage out of guys like Ross this season to help.
The backcourt for the Huskies was strong once again. Like Ross, Solo Ball also finished with 14 points despite not getting one to drop from deep. Aidan Mahaney had a much-improved second game in Connecticut, scoring nine points and connecting on a pair of triples.
“These games early in the year are important to learn lessons and get better,” Hurley said.
Jaylin Stewart also had a solid bounce-back game, flushing down a lob from Hassan Diarra before slamming another dunk home on the next possession to force New Hampshire head coach Nathan Davis to call timeout. Every Husky on the roster contributed to those 92 points, as Isaiah Abraham had a layup, Youssouf Singare a dunk, and Ahmad Nowell drilled a three in the waning moments of regulation.
Looking back at this game in the future, you’ll probably just see it as yet another UConn 30-plus-point win over an inferior opponent. While it wasn’t as easy it may have looked, it was an important building block for this year’s edition of the Huskies as they work their way towards the level of dominance they’ve been at in each of the past two seasons.
“It was foreign territory for us,” Hurley said. “You’re at the under-8 media timeout and you’re only up by five or seven. You want to take a 25-point shot to get where you think you should be.”
“I feel like every game is a chance for us to grow,” McNeeley said.
“This is our second game,” Karaban assured. “We’re still learning. It’s a learning experience for us. We need to learn from it, especially going into our big non-conference games and Big East play.”
The Huskies will continue their push towards the top on Wednesday when they host Le Moyne in Hartford. The Wildcats, on the other hand, will look to build off their performance on Tuesday when they host Fairfield in Durham.
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