A Whale(y) of a Game
The Story: Isaiah Whaley has become a revelation for the men’s basketball team and his emergence has infused new life into the program. Whaley tied his career high with 18 points and 11 rebounds in an 81-65 win over UCF last night at the XL Center. Christian VItal added 18 points for the Huskies.
WHAT WE LIKED: The Huskies have found something with the emergence of James Bouknight and now Whaley and a small-ball lineup. Whaley’s quickness in the post and passing ability on the perimeter have allowed the Huskies to play four ballhandlers in a four-out and sometimes five-out attack. That has opened up the lane for Vital and Bouknight to attack the rim. The Huskies, who struggled to get baskets early in the year, had a cool 81 last night. That was by necessity with Akok Akok‘s and Tyler Polley‘s injuries, but it is something that Dan Hurley has to look at long term. The thought of Bouknight slashing the lane surrounded by shooters has us salivating.
WHALEY WON’T SIT AGAIN: We have seen enough of Whaley since he became a rotation player to be able to give kudos to Hurley for developing a player we thought wasn’t able to play effectively at this level. Before we give Hurley too much credit, however, what took so long? The Huskies are faster, quicker, more versatile and explosive with Whaley eating up minutes at center. In four games as a starter, he has 12.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and more than three blocks a game.
HO HUM GAME FROM BOUKNIGHT: Bouknight only had a pedestrian game with 16 points on eight shots. That efficiency and ability to score with such few shots makes him a deadly offensive player. Bouknight now has 10 straight games in double figures. He has 35 points on 15 shots over his last two games.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “We got to seven conference wins where we had six all last year, and avoid a losing season. A couple of weeks ago, we were wondering where the hell we’d win a couple of games. But we’ve shown real progress here and it’s the next step we’re taking.”
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: The Huskies got 23 fast-break points, had four dunks and 17 layups and scored on 71 possessions for 1.14 points per possession. That’s always a good stat when contemplating how effective the offense is. The Huskies are no longer empty-trip U. Don’t forget the bench for the Huskies, either. Alterique Gilbert had eight points and Brendan Adams had nine as UConn’s seven-man rotation is starting to thrive.
BOTTOM LINE: UConn is 16-12, 7-8 in the AAC, and will not have a losing record in the regular season for the first time in three years. That’s a big step in Hurley’s second year and we think the Huskies, with several more wins, can wrap up an NIT berth at a minimum. We know the Huskies are peaking and are a dangerous team in the AAC tournament. Winning four straight games with such a short bench is a tough ask, but we are going ask for it anyway.
UP NEXT: The Huskies play at East Carolina on Saturday.
Just Like Old Times, Women Blast Cincinnati
The Story: The women’s basketball team announced a deal with SNY for the long term and then made a mockery of the AAC with a 105-58 win over second-place Cincinnati on the road last night. It was UConn’s 134th straight win in the AAC.
FIRST, THE SNY DEAL: It was announced during the game that SNY has agreed to a deal with Fox Sports to continue to broadcast women’s basketball games. Fox Sports, which owns the rights to the Big East television package, will allow SNY to air 18 women’s games next year. FS1 airs plenty of Big East women’s basketball, but there was no chance it was going to put every game on air. There was no word on the football team’s possible SNY package and it doesn’t look like men’s games will be a part of the package.
DESTROYED CINCINNATI: The Huskies blew open a 19-11 first-quarter lead with a 27-7 second-quarter run. Cincinnati was second in the AAC coming in but looked like another also-ran. Christyn Williams led the Huskies with 26 points while Megan Walker added 25. Anna Makurat added 20. We are a bit worried at Olivia Nelson-Ododa‘s zero points in 12 minutes, but that is admittedly concern trolling. This was the first 100-point game for the Huskies this season and snapped Cincinnati’s 12-game winning streak.
UP NEXT: The Huskies play at Houston on Saturday.
Morning Reads
HOCKEY EAST ON CBS INTERACTIVE: Hockey East announced a multi-year partnership with CBS interactive to televise its games on CBS All-Access. That means men’s and women’s hockey games will all be televised. (UConnHuskies.com)
PEART AT THE COMBINE: Right tackle Matt Peart is considered a top prospect in the NFL Draft and will likely be the next UConn player in the NFL. (UConnHuskies.com)
PEART HAS HUSKIES AT HEART: If you want to know a little more about Peart, check out this story from the combine. (CNHI Sports Indiana)
HONORING BIG RED: We’d be remiss if we didn’t throw in a Big Red story. (Washington Times)
TOP 5 OF THE WEEK: Check out UCTV’s Top 5 plays of the week. We have hockey and lacrosse in the highlight package. (UCTV on Twitter)
