Can Huskies Break Onto National Scene?
The Story: UConn (2-0) takes on No. 15 Syracuse for the third straight year tonight at MSG on ESPN2 in the 2K Empire Classic. The Huskies will play either Iowa or Oregon on Friday.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: This is a big game and a measuring stick for the Huskies, who could always use a quality win considering the strength of the American Athletic Conference. And, this is a game that would put the Huskies back on the radar nationally. This is the first big test of the Dan Hurley Era and we will see if this pressing, running, and uptempo style of play can work on a team that is expected to Final Four contenders this season.
WHAT DOES HURLEY HAVE TO SAY? “It’s an exciting thing to be a part of. Obviously, so many great Big East memories there. The UConn-Syracuse rivalry, playing at the Garden, the multiple-overtime game, all the great games, great players — just to be a part of that is a pretty cool thing. [It’s] not lost on me.” (Hearst Connecticut Media)
ABOUT THAT MATCHUP ZONE: A lot of teams play a matchup zone defense, but the reason Syracuse’s works is that Jim Boeheim recruits long and athletic players who can cover ground and get in the passing lanes. This is not ideal for the new-style Huskies, who want to get up and down the floor and to the rim. This game will be at a slower pace than the first two and this will test their patience and shooting ability. Ball movement and getting the ball to touch the paint before kicking it to the win is required. We’ll see if UConn can shoot.
SCOUTING THE ‘CUSE: Syracuse has four starters scoring in double figures and is an experienced team that returns all five starters. F Oshae Brissett leads the Orange with 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game and G Tyus Battle average 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game
PLAYER TO WATCH: Jalen Adams has been cool and efficient in the first two games and is averaging 18 points on 63 percent shooting. Adams is going to need to be more assertive for the Huskies and score 20-plus points to have a chance.
INJURY REPORT: F Isaiah Whaley (ankle) is available.
THE LINE: The Orange are favored by 9.5 as Vegas needs some more data on the new-look Huskies.
Akok Akok To The NBA?
The Story: Wednesday was the first day of the fall signing period and the Huskies are in good shape with guards Jalen Gaffney and James Bouknight expected to send in their National Letters of Intent. The intrigue, however, remains with Putnam Acadamy forward Akok Akok, who was supposed to be choosing between UConn and Syracuse. Now, it looks like the NBA is an option.
NBA ELIGIBLE: Akok told Scout.com that he is considering jumping to the league after this year at Putnam Academy. Akok didn’t sound definite in his plans but won’t sign early. Jeff Jacobs of Hearst Connecticut Media, though, believes it would be wise to “pump the brakes” on some of that talk.
HUSKIES IN GOOD SHAPE: The Huskies, even with Akok potentially considering the NBA, remain in good position, according to ESPN recruiting guru Jeff Borzello, who said there are 22 top-100 recruits in ESPN’s 100 that haven’t committed and the Huskies are his favorites for three of them: Akok (No. 39 overall), 6-foot-8 PF Precious Achiuwa (No. 10) and 6-foot-10 C Kofi Cockburn (No. 31).
The Huskies have their backcourt of the future locked up. They could use one or two of those big men to come in and round out the class.
‘Weird Stuff’ As Women Host SCSU
The UConn women will play Southern Connecticut State tonight in an exhibition game, which makes little sense in the grand scheme of things. Teams are allowed two exhibitions, but the season has already started — and let’s be honest, everything is an exhibition until late March anyway.
“We were supposed to play a non-conference game against a really good team on Wednesday, but their schedule changed and they couldn’t do it,” coach Geno Auriemma explained recently. “So we threw in an exhibition game there. It’s weird. It’s a lot of weird stuff.”
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The starters will, of course, get a lot of run heading into the game against Vanderbilt on Saturday, but these games are crucial for bench players to prove their worth, too.
Guard Mikayla Coombs and forward Kyla Irwin are two players who had a chance against Ohio State, but Auriemma will want to see more from them to see if he’s able to count on a larger rotation than the one he had last season.
NO. 1 RECRUIT WILL DECIDE MONDAY: Per the Journal Inquirer‘s Carl Adamec, top-ranked women’s recruit Haley Jones will announce her college decision on Monday morning at Archbishop Mitty High in Santa Cruz, California. The Huskies, of course, are in the mix.
Morning Read
MEN’S SOCCER HOSTS NCAA OPENER: The snow is coming, but after a two-year hiatus, the men’s soccer team hosts a first-round NCAA game this afternoon against Rhode Island at Rentschler Field. “The guys have earned us back in and we want to win some games,” coach Ray Reid said. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
HOCKEY ATTENDANCE CHALLENGED?: The men’s hockey program has struggled to get people into the XL Center in recent times. Somehow, that justifies building a 2,500-seat arena in Storrs that is still too small to host most Hockey East games. (Hartford Courant)
The Courant’s Mike Anthony, though, believes the uproar regarding the construction plans is “misguided” and that “a vociferous faction of that fan base has lost its marbles.” (Hartford Courant)
HURLEY MAKES TALK SHOW ROUNDS: Dan Hurley visited with Seth and Dan on Courtside for ESPN. Hurley also hit up the Michael Kay Show in New York.
HUSKIES DO WORK IN CLASSROOM: The GSR is a thing that everyone focuses on when they are terrible, but no one cares about when they are good. No one cares about this year’s GSR, so that’s a good thing. (UConnHuskies.com)
O-LINE DESERVES SOME CREDIT: The Huskies’ defense has been under siege, but give some props to the offensive line. The line is producing 298 yards rushing per over its last four games and Kevin Mensah is 137 yards from eclipsing 1,000 on the season. David Pindell has already run for more than 1,000 yards to lead all QBs in the Football Bowl Subdivision. (Hartford Courant)
