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The UConn Daily Tournament Challenge
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What to Make of Hurley’s First Year?
The Story: The first year of the Dan Hurley era ended with a brutal beating at the hands of Houston on Friday afternoon, 84-45 in Memphis. It was a sobering, humbling and, dare we say, embarrassing loss for the proud Huskies. That isn’t how Hurley wanted to end his first year, as for the third straight year there is no NCAA tournament and there are a lot of questions. Most importantly, how did Hurley do in his first go-around? UConn was 15-16 during the regular season and 6-12 in the AAC.
NO NCAAS, AGAIN: We can’t take too much more of this. We weren’t expecting an NCAA tournament appearance this year, at least not publicly, but the fact of the matter is this is the third straight year UConn didn’t make it. That is not OK. The last time UConn missed the tournament for a third year in a row was in Jim Calhoun‘s third season. Calhoun was below .500 his first year and then after winning the NIT in 1988, his second year, he had to go to the NIT again in 1989. So, it’s been 30 years since UConn has been this bad at basketball and it is driving us nuts. That isn’t on Hurley, but I don’t think patience is the order of the day. To us, there still is no reason why UConn can’t be the standard bearer of the AAC.
WHAT WE LIKED: Let’s get to the positive part for the Huskies. We liked Hurley. We liked the style of play and energy. Hurley tried to introduce his full-court pressing and uptempo style and the Huskies were off and running early in the season, averaging in the mid-80s in scoring. It wasn’t sustainable. Hurley came to a realization after the first month of the season that he didn’t have the horses to play the style he needed this year. The Huskies did stop pressing, much to our dismay, and also stopped running as much as their scoring dipped to 73.8 points per game. That was the right coaching move this season — the Huskies are short on talent — and probably made them more competitive. We really liked the style of play and the energy and passion Hurley got from a team that had a dearth of talent and options on the roster.
WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE: The half-court offense version of UConn lost some head-scratchers once the calendar changed to January, including a loss at USF that really burst our bubble. The Huskies also had a ton of games where the offense just went away from long stretches, including the finale against Houston. We were flummoxed at the mid-season shooting funk of Tyler Polley (8.4 points per game, 42.4 percent shooting, 38 percent from 3) and the non-shooting of freshmen Sidney Wilson and Brendan Adams (gym time, anyone?). We don’t understand how after over a year on campus, Wilson’s offense remains that underdeveloped, and Adams’ shooting leaves a lot to be desired. Those improvements come from practice and work ethic. We liked what Polley did late in the season, we would have liked some more offense from some of the younger folks not named Josh Carlton.
OF VITAL IMPORTANCE: Is Christian Vital going to return to Storrs? We don’t blame any player for leaving, and Vital has put in three years. But, he doesn’t appear to be an NBA prospect and we really like his 3-point shooting and ability to become that go-to on offense with Jalen Adams down. We would feel a lot better about Vital’s decision if he and Hurley were on the same page, but they aren’t. Vital was non-committal about returning after Friday’s loss and that would be a blow to the Huskies next year. Vital averaged 14.2 points per game and shot 45.3 percent, including 40.9 from 3-point range — way up from 38.3 percent and 31.8 percent the years prior. Vital could be a building block for next year and would be able to be the primary scorer. Playing for Hurley is good for Vital’s game, but after declaring for the NBA Draft last year before returning, and then being benched late in the season and seemingly clashing with Hurley, we wonder if now is the time for him to leave.
Would next year benefit Vital? We don’t know what his goals are. He will have a pro career somewhere, and who could blame him for trying to get a jump start on that instead of playing for free in college? One thing is clear, though: He would leave a huge hole on the perimeter for the Huskies, who will also lose Jalen Adams.
CARLTON’S COMING OUT PARTY: Luckily (hopefully?), Carlton isn’t going anywhere. The Huskies are set for the foreseeable future on the inside with Carlton going from a non-player to the AAC’s most improved player this year. Carlton is still wildly inconsistent and foul prone but averaged nine points and 6.2 rebounds per game while playing excellent defense. The 6-foot-9 center also commanded double teams late in the season. He’s a building block for next year.
ALTERIQUE’S TEAM: Alterique Gilbert is a talent, a warrior and the future of this team. He sat out two years due to injuries and then got hurt twice this year. He was rusty for much of the year and the injuries made it difficult for him to get in a groove, but if he is healthy, Gilbert is a player the Huskies can build around next year. Hurley loves him and he is a tough guard. The next step is getting his shooting percentages higher to go with his 12.6 points per game. He struggles to finish at the rim, but we are hoping that improves with experience.
ARE THE RECRUITS THE ANSWER? The Huskies have three recruits. Akok Akok, a 6-foot-9 forward, is on campus, and James Bouknight and Jalen Gaffney will compete for time on the wings. If Vital leaves, we would expect one of the freshmen to step into a primary role next year scoring. The Huskies could use another wing (cough Precious Achiuwa) but could also grab a recruit who switches after the season or a grad transfer. UConn needs scoring and more bodies.
BOTTOM LINE: The pressure will be on for some results in 2020. Yes, the NCAA tournament is the goal, but regardless of the roster construction, we would expect an above-.500 record next year. Hurley has had one full year to recruit and got through what typically is the toughest year as a coach — the first year. As he gets his players and adds depth, we are excited to see what the pressure defense and uptempo style can do. Perhaps going to games will be a thing in this state once again.
Until then, it’s an early March for men’s basketball fans. It’s an all-too-common theme these last several years.
No. 1 Seeds: Duke, Virginia, UNC, Gonzaga
The Story: The NCAA tournament committee handed No. 1 seeds to three ACC teams in Duke, Virginia and North Carolina, with Gonzaga earning the fourth top seed once the field was unveiled last night.
WHO’S IN? Including the top three, the ACC sent a total of seven teams to the NCAA tournament — though it was the Big Ten, which sent eight, leading the way this year, one season after only four earned the right to keep playing. The SEC, woeful for so many years, also is sending seven teams to the tournament, with six going from the Big 12, four (Villanova, Marquette, Seton Hall and St. John’s) from the Big East and four from the AAC.
TEMPLE SOARS: One of the final at-large bids went to Temple, giving the AAC four teams in the tournament for the third time in the conference’s six seasons. Cincinnati, which surprisingly won the AAC title with a 69-57 win over Houston yesterday, will join the Cougars, the Owls UCF in the NCAA tournament.
Temple will face Belmont in a First Four play-in game tomorrow night, with the winner earning a No. 11 seed and facing Maryland on Thursday. The other three AAC teams will play on Friday: Houston is a No. 3 seed and will open against Georgia State, Cincinnati is a No. 7 seed and will face Iowa and UCF is a No. 9 seed and will play VCU.
WHO’S OUT? Indiana, Alabama, TCU and UNC Greensboro were considered the “First Four Out,” as was N.C. State, which took a beating from the tournament selection committee for an abysmal nonconference schedule. N.C. State was particularly peeved considering its N.E.T. Rating, the evaluation tool designed by the NCAA specifically for these purposes, was No. 33 — the highest of any team not to make the tournament. Clemson, No. 35 in the N.E.T. Rating, was also left out.
THE FIRST FOUR? Madness gets underway tomorrow night not just with Temple vs. Belmont, but also with Fairleigh Dickinson facing Prairie View A&M. On Wednesday, Hurley’s brother, Bobby Hurley, will lead Arizona State against St. John’s with a No. 11 seed on the line, and North Dakota State will face N.C. Central.
COMING TO HARTFORD: The XL Center will host NCAA tournament games for the first time in 21 years and the slate will have a Big East flavor. The afternoon games will be played as part of the West Region, with No. 4 seed Florida State opening against No. 13 seed Vermont before No. 5 seed Marquette faces No. 12 seed Murray State and Ja Morant — one of the best players in the country and a surefire top-three pick in the NBA Draft in June. The evening session will feature No. 6 seed Villanova facing No. 11 seed Saint Mary’s, and No. 3 seed Purdue will take on No. 14 seed Old Dominion in the final game.
WHAT ABOUT THE NIT? The “First Four Out” teams earned top seeds in the NIT and will be joined by just two AAC teams in Memphis and Wichita State. Remarkably, the Big East sent five teams to the NIT (Butler, Creighton, Georgetown, Providence and Xavier), and, when combined with DePaul choosing to play in the College Basketball Invitational (joining USF), all 10 teams will be playing in the postseason.
Morning Read
NO SUSPENSE: Although it was a topsy-turvy season in women’s basketball, there will be no surprises tonight when the NCAA tournament field is unveiled. UConn will be a No. 1 seed in the Albany Region. (Journal Inquirer)
DANGERFIELD DESERVES RESPECT: With so much attention paid to Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson, it’s easy to overlook how vital Crystal Dangerfield has been for the Huskies this season. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
HIT THE ROAD, GENO: With the Huskies having wrapped up the AAC title on Monday, Geno Auriemma hit the road recruiting, visiting Minnesota, New York and … Croatia. (Hartford Courant)
A HISTORIC SWEEP: The baseball team swept a four-game series for the first time in program history — all 123 years of it — when it beat Michigan State four times in Greenville, South Carolina. The Huskies outscored the Spartans 42-14 this weekend. (UConnHuskies.com)
…NEARLY A SWEEP: The softball team won four of five games at the Mercer Classic in Georgia, with its lone loss an extra-innings 1-0 defeat against Cleveland State yesterday. (UConnHuskies.com)
STICKS FALL SILENT: Despite a one-goal halftime lead, the women’s lacrosse team allowed eight consecutive second-half goals and fell 13-7 to Columbia on Saturday. (UConnHuskies.com)
DAY OF HONOR: New England Patriots safety Obi Melifonwu was honored by his former coaches and teachers during a ceremony at Grafton High School in Massachusetts last week. (Worcester Telegram)
IN THE GENES: Ali Barkley, a high school junior and younger brother of New York Giants running back Saquan Barkley, attended UConn’s final spring practice on Friday. (Ali Barkley on Twitter)
DUNLEAVY OUT: Tulane fired Mike Dunleavy on Saturday, a decision that was only inevitable after the men’s basketball team went 4-27 this season and failed to win an AAC game. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
