Hurley Era Begins With Energy, Pace And A Win
The Story: Game 1 is in the books as the new-look Huskies ran the floor, defended and showed more energy in one game than they showed all of last season with an 80-70 win over pesky Morehead State. Josh Carlton led the way with 17 points and eight boards. Jalen Adams was under control and efficient with 16 points on 12 shots. UConn never trailed.
WHAT WE LEARNED: Pace and energy matter. Sure, Alterique Gilbert is playing, but the fact of the matter is that it’s essentially the same team as a year ago. So, how come these guys were able to score 80 points and get up and down the floor with 21 fastbreak points? It’s called style of play. UConn pushed the pace, never stopped running and made up with their flaws with energy and hustle. Easy baskets are gold in basketball, and the Huskies had plenty of fastbreak opportunities and early offense. UConn averaged 1.081 points a possession; it was coaching malpractice by the previous regime to play like snails.
CARLTON PUT IN WORK: Carlton wasn’t ready to play last year and it showed. What a difference the year makes. Last night, he had 17 points and eight rebounds and was a factor in the middle. Best of all? He played with energy, hitting the floor and hustling. Led the team with a +13 and was diving on the floor and protecting the rim and igniting the break. He has to be a high-energy player.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: The Huskies had 46 points in the paint and did it by attacking the paint on the break and never allowing Morehead State to relax on defense. The Huskies attempted 31 layups and shot 48.4 percent from the floor.
WHAT WE LIKED: The play of Gilbert and Adams. Gilbert looked rusty, but was quick and got in the lane and finished with 15 points and four assists. He set the pace beautifully. Adams, on the other hand, was efficient and let the game come to him. He didn’t force shots, looked for his teammates when he hit the paint (they attempted 21 3s) and showed explosiveness and poise with 16 points and only one turnover.
BOTTOM LINE: The energy was good. Style of play was fun to watch, and enthusiasm was there. The team has flaws, and it should have been able to put Morehead away quicker, but that was more fun than any game in the last three years. Talent wins, but it was joyful to watch movement, speed, and athleticism.
UP NEXT: UMKC, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, on Sunday at Gampel.
UConn Women Ready To Reclaim Title
The story: The UConn women’s basketball team opens its season on Sunday by welcoming Ohio State, the defending Big Ten tournament champions, to the XL Center.
After losing to eventual champion Notre Dame in the Final Four, it’s only the fourth time in the last 10 years the Huskies will not unveil a national championship banner prior to a season opener— but enough about that.
Gone are Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams, who graduated after last season, and Azura Stevens, academically a senior who had one year of eligibility remaining. In their place are freshmen Christyn Williams, who started in the exhibition thrashing of Vanguard, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa.
EARLY INDICATORS: Coach Geno Auriemma has been quick to throw water on his team this season, saying that its preseason No. 2 ranking is not deserved, but he understands that nothing short of a national title is acceptable.
“That’s just by reputation,” he said. “It’s certainly not because they have a secret video of our practices. We’re No. 2 on reputation. I don’t know that we’re No. 2 on merit, that’s for sure.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier are not only UConn’s only seniors, they’re the only ones who were around the last time the Huskies won a national title. It will be on them to find a way to lead the team back to glory this season, and they’ll likely be playing the entire year with chips on their shoulders as they look forward to March.
THE BUCKEYES STOP HERE: After going 28-7 each of the last two seasons, Ohio State opened its schedule on Tuesday by laying an egg at home and losing to No. 22 USF by 24 points at home. The Buckeyes, who first host Detroit Mercy tonight, lost their top six scorers from last season, including Kelsey Mitchell, the No. 2 pick in the WNBA Draft.
WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT IN 2018-19? Lots and lots of 50-point wins. No, kidding, though again, and likely for the foreseeable future, there will be some laughers in conference play. The Huskies should cruise for much of the season, but their biggest measuring sticks will come at No. 1 Notre Dame on Dec. 2 and at No. 4 Baylor on Jan. 3, with games against ranked teams DePaul, California and Louisville also on the schedule.
But UConn is not the juggernaut of seasons past, its path to the national title will be more complicated than usual and it may lose two or three games along the way — a problem most teams would love to have.
Lashlee Returns As SMU Visits The Rent
Had Rhett Lashlee spent any considerable time at UConn, and had he accomplished anything more than asking Bryant Shirreffs to run for his life 10 times a game, the football game against SMU at Rentschler Field on Saturday would have had (negligibly) more intrigue.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN? That’s a very good question, really. It’s likely another hum-drum game at Rentschler Field, with the Huskies (1-8) down to their last three attempts to end a 13-game losing streak against FBS opponents when they face the Mustangs (3-5).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: UConn will be without backup quarterback Marvin Washington and linebacker Kevon Jones, who were benched earlier this week so that they can focus on their schoolwork. Washington played in just three games, but Jones, who played in all nine as a true freshman and was third in tackles and first in tackles for loss, will be a bigger loss — now and for the future. Senior Santana Sterling is likely to get the start again, but sophomore Ryan Gilmartin or another underclassman could see a bigger role.
Men’s Soccer Knocked Out in AAC Semis
The story: Josh Burnett and Abdou Mbacke Thiam scored, but UCF responded with two second-half goals and Max Stiegwardt scored off a free kick in double overtime as the Knights ended UConn’s run in the AAC tourney with a 3-2 win at home.
The NCAA tournament field will be unveiled on Monday.
Morning Read
AKOK SIGHTING: Nice to see Huskies target Akok Akok right behind the UConn bench. The 6-foot-10 forward plays locally at Putnam Academy and is a top-30 recruit. The Huskies desperately need to close the deal here. He would fit in nicely in this style. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
EXPECTATIONS: They are through the roof for UConn men, but this might be a quick turnaround for Hurley. Why? Jalen Adams is one of the top guards in the American and there is talent. Hurley isn’t shying away from expectations either. (Hartford Courant)
HAVE TO BEAT MARQUEE NAMES: The American isn’t going to provide a ton of opportunities for big wins, and it’s critical that the Huskies beat the likes of Syracuse, Villanova, and Arizona if they want to really impress the NCAA selection committee. (The UConn Blog)
OLLIE WON’T GO AWAY: Whether you feel that Kevin Ollie should have been fired with no pay, or he should have been fired with pay (everyone agreed he needed to be fired), what we need is for this to go away. By UConn not paying him, Ollie and UConn remain news. That has led to, of course, a story about Ollie on the eve of the season. So, Hurley’s debut was overshadowed by acrimony. This is PR malpractice. Just pay him, settle, and make it all go away, please. (The Undefeated)
KATIE LOU AND COLLIER CONTROL THEIR FUTURE: Two straight years UConn was eliminated in the Final Four in epic games. Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson have learned something for the only losses the last two years. UConn hasn’t won a national title in two years! They want to end that drought. (ESPNW)
GENO, BASKETBALL AND SOME WINGS: Geno Auriemma was at Buffalo Wild Wings on Wednesday and broke down his roster on the radio. (Hartford Courant)
LONG SNAPPERS DESERVE CREDIT: UConn long snapper Brian Keating said he misses hitting people in this fun interview on the coach’s show. (97.9 ESPN Radio) Also, listen to one of best players to wear a UConn uniform in former LB and NFL player Danny Lansanah calling in. (97.9 ESPN Radio)
