Huskies Not Perfect in Perfection
The Story: Playing without the injured Katie Lou Samuelson, the women’s basketball team completed yet another undefeated run through the AAC with a 57-47 win at USF last night.
Crystal Dangerfield had 19 points and nine assists, Napheesa Collier scored 16 points and Christyn Williams scored eight of her 10 points in the fourth quarter for the Huskies (28-2, 16-0), who trailed at halftime for only the fourth time this season and had never previously fallen behind at halftime in an AAC game.
SAMUELSON UPDATE: Samuelson injured her lower back in the win against Houston on Saturday and was ruled out an hour before last night’s game began. She did not practice Sunday and her status for the AAC tournament, which begins for UConn on Saturday, remains uncertain. Although she was running up and down the bench celebrating her teammates’ performance last night, Geno Auriemma said he will not take a back injury lightly.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “Playing without her is not easy, believe me. Obviously, we’re a different team. Our ball-handling is going to suffer. Our shooting is going to suffer. Defensively, we’re not as long. Can’t do as many different things as we normally can.”
LEAVING IT LATE: UConn trailed 29-25 after the first half and was clearly out of sync without Samuelson. USF led 11-4 a little more than three minutes into the game and would have been up 17-8 if not for a buzzer-beating 3 by Dangerfield at the end of the first quarter. It wasn’t until midway through the third quarter that the Huskies started to assert their dominance.
BIG WIN FOR WILLIAMS: It’s been a tough first year for Williams, who averaged 13.1 points per game out of conference but just 8.3 points per game in the AAC. Nonetheless, it was because of her effort last night that the Huskies were successful, as she helped put the Bulls away in the fourth quarter. She scored those eight points, Collier scored the other four and UConn held USF to just four points in the final period — and none over the final 6:26.
NELSON-ODODA GETS NOD: With Samuelson out, freshman Olivia Nelson-Ododa moved into the starting lineup for the first time, but she finished without a point (or even a shot attempt) and six rebounds in 24 minutes. She was, however, disruptive in the fourth quarter and had a key block late that lifted the Huskies.
SHADES OF SALES: The Huskies allowed USF senior Laura Ferreira, who has not played in more than two months because of a heart ailment and whose career is almost certainly over, an uncontested basket after tipoff. It was something Geno Auriemma and USF’s Jose Fernandez arranged before the game and was reminiscent of an injured Nykesha Sales scoring against Villanova in 1998 to set UConn’s all-time scoring record.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Collier, Dangerfield and Megan Walker played all 40 minutes for the Huskies, who matched a season low in scoring by shooting just 37.7 percent — their second-worst performance of the season. The Bulls (16-14, 7-9), who had a 39-35 advantage on the boards and an 11-10 edge in second-chance points, were led by Enna Pehadzic‘s 15 points and seven rebounds.
BACK AT ONE: The NCAA selection committee unveiled the top 16 teams for the second and final time before the tournament begins, and UConn is set to claim a No. 1 seed once again should it win the AAC tournament. Baylor, Louisville and Notre Dame would also be top seeds if the tournament began today.
UP NEXT: With the AAC regular-season in the books, the Huskies will prepare for the conference tournament beginning at Mohegan Sun on Friday. They’ve got a first-round bye and will play either No. 8 seed ECU or No. 9 seed SMU.
It's here! The 2019 @American_WBB Championship bracket is set – all the action begins on Friday at #MoheganSunArena!
📝Bracket Announcement and Team-by-Team Info: https://t.co/DmYPAHGHrK pic.twitter.com/2w2FTbMTPN
— The American (@American_Conf) March 5, 2019
Is Josh Carlton Getting It?
The Story: Josh Carlton led the Huskies in scoring on Sunday in their first win in a month, with 16 points and nine rebounds and two blocks while anchoring the team defensively. Carlton’s play has been more consistent of late, and that’s a good sign for Dan Hurley and the Huskies for the final two games of the season and beyond.
A STRING OF SOLID GAMES: Carlton has gone eight and five, 10 and five and 16 and nine in points and rebounds in his last three games and has upped his scoring average from 6.9 points after the game against UCF on Jan. 5 to 8.3 points as of today. He is still prone to foul trouble, evidenced by only two points and four rebounds in 17 minutes against SMU, but has been by far the best big man this season.
DEFENSE COMING ALONG: In the last two games, Carlton has played 31 minutes and has anchored the defense as UConn has held Wichita State and USF to 33.9 percent and 32.8 percent shooting respectively. Carlton is an excellent positional defender and rim protector who is averaging a 1.7 blocks a game.
A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE: Carlton’s offensive game is also coming along. UConn was 0-for-15 from 3-point range against USF and Carlton became an indispensable option inside, shooting 7-of-9. Carlton has had games against lesser teams where he scored easily, but against a bigger and more physical frontline, he seems to have raised his game up a level.
HURLEY ON CARLTON: “Inspired. [If] Josh gets some offseason work on his body, he’s going to be a really good player. He’s not as physically developed as some of [USF’s] front-line guys and he kind of battled them. He was the only post guy we had against the three or four guys they were throwing at us. Impressive performance by Josh.”
THIN INSIDE IN 2019-2020: Carlton is the lone center on the roster and the Huskies have struck out so far on the recruiting trail with big men. They do have Akok Akok in the fold, but he projects more as a perimeter-playing power forward. Carlton is going to be counted on next season to play as he did on Sunday, scoring rebounding and staying out of foul trouble.
BOTTOM LINE: Carlton is slower and less explosive than some of the great UConn big men of the past and needs to learn to play with more energy and movement. He remains a productive player in the pivot. Carlton is averaging 8.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in 21 minutes a game with his per 40-minute average at 15.6 points and 11.1 rebounds (a hat tip to the Hartford Courant for the stats). Carlton is a high percentage shooter, making 59.4 percent of his shots, and has a nice touch around the rim.
As Hurley said, the issues with Carlton is not skill but rather his strength and most importantly his motor. If he can learn to play with more energy and movement, that will help him reduce his fouling and up his production.
Morning Reads
EL-AMIN ARRESTED: Khalid El-Amin was arrested in Connecticut over the weekend on an outstanding warrant of not paying child support. A state marshall tracked him down while he was in the state celebrating the 1999 championship team. El-Amin does work for CBS Sports Network and this is all quite embarrassing. He owes about $116,000 and paid $10,000 before being released Monday morning. (Hartford Courant)
VITAL SIGNS DECLINING: What’s up with Christian Vital? Beats us, but he and Dan Hurley aren’t clicking. Hurley is building a certain culture and we question whether Vital is a part of it. (New Haven Register)
SHOT SELECTION COULD BE BETTER: The Huskies’ were terrible from 3-point range on Sunday and Hurley said the 3s taken off the dribble are a problem. (Journal Inquirer)
FREEMAN FINALLY FREE: Kevin Freeman spent seven years as UConn’s director of basketball operations, but now at Penn State, he can finally get a chance to actually coach. (Hartford Courant)
A NEW CHALLENGE: New defensive coordinator Lou Spanos said the allure of a significant challenge is what drew him to UConn. Significant may be an understatement. (Hartford Courant)
THE CALHOUN PROJECT: A four-part series chronicling Jim Calhoun‘s first season at Saint Joseph begins this weekend. (E:60 on Twitter)
