Injured Gilbert Unlikely to Play vs. UCF
The Story: The men’s basketball team (12-8, 3-4) will face UCF tonight in Orlando (9 p.m., ESPN2). It could be without the services of Alterique Gilbert, who made the trip but is doubtful to play after he injured his left shoulder against Wichita State on Saturday.
WHO STEPS UP IF NO ‘RIQUE? Dan Hurley can go a multitude of ways, but we suspect Tarin Smith, who has been practicing with the starters, gets the bulk of the time, and we are ready for about 37 minutes of Jalen Adams at point guard. The Huskies could start Sidney Wilson to go for more size, but we think Smith getting more minutes and scoring opportunities is the least disruptive thing to do.
SMITH’S TIME TO SHINE? Smith has been lost in the shuffle for the Huskies this year but with Gilbert potentially out, it could be his time to shine. Smith is a scorer, not a point guard, but will get ample minutes to break down the defense. He is averaging 8.2 points per game but has not reached double figures in points since he scored 20 against Drexel on Dec. 18. Smith is shooting 44.7 percent from the floor, but only 25.6 percent from 3-point land. It would be nice to get him going in a full-court game as he can break down the defense and get to the basket.
PLAYING UGLY: The Knights (15-4, 5-2), in a three-way tie for third place with Memphis and Temple, remain one of the better teams in the AAC but are coming off a 77-57 loss at Memphis. They are a defensive-first team, allowing only 63.7 points and holding teams to only 39 percent shooting.
The Huskies surely want to rebound from their first meeting of the year, when they lost 65-53 and had a disastrous second-half performance, but their road performance has been concerning. They have not won a true road game yet this season and are 2-11 away from home since the beginning of last season, while UCF is 10-1 at home.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM UCF: The Knights are deliberate and are led by B.J. Taylor, who is scoring 17.7 points per game, and Aubrey Dawkins, who had 23 points against UConn on Jan. 5. At 7-foot-5, senior Tacko Fall is the tallest player in the AAC and is averaging 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He anchors the defense and makes it difficult to get to the rim.
THE BETTING LINE: UCF beat the Huskies soundly and the line remains firmly in the Knights’ favor at -6.5.with an O/U of 139. The Huskies are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games but, beware, are 2-10 against the spread in their last 12 road games. UCF is underperforming at 1-4 against the spread in its last five games.
Women’s Final Challenge in the Cards
The Story: The No. 2-ranked women’s basketball team (18-1, 7-0 AAC) will play the highest-ranked opponent remaining on its schedule tonight when it faces No. 3 Louisville on the road (7 p.m., ESPN). Former Big East foes, the teams have faced off 18 times, including in the 2009 and 2013 national championship games, and UConn has won the last 17 meetings.
NO MOTIVATION NEEDED: The Huskies have needed to look inside themselves for inspiration since conference play started earlier this month, but there’s no questioning what’s at stake against the Cardinals (19-1, 7-1 ACC). UConn has not lost two regular-season games since 2012-13 and has won its last 15 regular-season games against opponents ranked in the top five (Baylor was No. 8 on Jan. 3). This will be the fifth consecutive time the teams have met when both were ranked in the top five.
“I think that Louisville specifically is one of the tougher places to play in the country,” Geno Auriemma told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s always been a tough place to play, and any time I can get our guys in that situation, I’m going to take advantage of it.”
COLLIER SET FOR MILESTONE: Senior forward Napheesa Collier is likely to become the fifth UConn player to reach 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds by the time her career ends. She’ll hit the rebounding mark if she grabs two against Louisville — she’s averaging 10 a game this season and hasn’t had fewer than six since the season-opener — and she needs 37 points to reach 2,000. “She’s a machine, man,” Geno said. “She just goes. Every single minute of every day, every practice, every drill, she just goes.”
ABOUT LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals are led by senior guard and reigning ACC player of the year Asia Durr, who is averaging 21.1 points per game this season — good for 13th in the country. She has topped 30 points three times this year and had 29 points in a win over Florida State last week, but did not play against Pittsburgh because of what coach Jeff Walz said was a sore knee. The responsibility of stopping her will fall to Crystal Dangerfield, an old USA Basketball teammate.
PLAYING THE LONG GAME: There was discussion during ESPN’s broadcast of the win against UCF on Sunday whether UConn will deserve a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament — a case that would take a hit if Louisville claims a victory. Geno cast that thinking aside, but Megan Walker framed it as a perception of UConn’s vulnerability. “A lot of teams look at us like this is the year that you can get us,” she said.
Morning Read
WAHAB PICKS GEORGETOWN: The Huskies lost out on center Qudus Wahab, who committed to Georgetown yesterday afternoon. The Huskies are now looking at the JUCO ranks for a big man and remain fixated on top-20 recruit Precious Achiuwa, who Dan Hurley rushed out to watch in person immediately after landing in Orlando last night. (Hartford Courant)
GOURDINE EYES UCONN: Three-star defensive end DalMont Gourdine, who has offers from Nebraska and UCF, has UConn in his final three. (Frankie Mansfield on Twitter)
SAMUELSON, COLLIER FIRST-ROUNDERS: Opinions apparently differ greatly on where Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier will be drafted, but both expect to be chosen in the first round. (The UConn Blog)
ARESCO SPEAKS: AAC commissioner Mike Aresco spoke about the state of the conference. As for UConn, he feels that the conference has to help put a dent in its $40 million loss. (Orlando Sentinel)
DON’T COUNT OUT SHABAZZ: Since Spencer Dinwiddie went down with a thumb injury, Shabazz Napier has admirably filled in as a starter for the Brooklyn Nets, averaging 20.7 points and 3.7 assists per game. (New York Post)
CARREZOLA, SUMMERS TO AAF: Former UConn defensive lineman Luke Carrezola (Salt Lake Stallions) and defensive back Jamar Summers (Birmingham Iron) have made initial rosters for the inaugural season of the Alliance of American Football. Oddly, despite being promoted by the Atlanta Legends, former linebacker Vontae Diggs did not make the cut. (AAF.com)
