Huskies Must Improve Defense vs. UHart
The Story: We weren’t the only ones concerned about the Huskies’ defense. Coach Dan Hurley said Wednesday after the 102-75 win against Central Connecticut State in the season opener that the lack of defensive effort was unacceptable and “come Friday night, I don’t want to hear any more (crud). They got their mulligan.” Well, it’s Friday, and Hartford is waiting (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
WHAT HAPPENED: Yes, the Huskies were a sight for sore eyes on Wednesday, especially after all that we’ve been through since we last saw them on the court. But they also allowed Central to shoot 50 percent, including 54 percent in the first half, and make 47 percent of its shots from 3-point range. That the Huskies had only four practices after taking two weeks off following a positive COVID-19 test was clearly a factor, but Central didn’t look too bad, either.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “The way you fix things is on the practice floor. You can’t draw it up on a clipboard during a game and fix things. It’s repetition. You build tough-minded teams, aggressive, physical tough teams, by having tough, physical, competitive practices.”
UNEXPECTED CHALLENGE: Hartford is no pushover, and John Gallagher has finally spent all those years building a team that was on the cusp of an NCAA Tournament appearance last season. The Hawks were 18-15 and have eight players returning. They also have four players who are 6-foot-9 or taller, including Jakub Dombek, a 6-foot-11 transfer from Colorado who is from the Czech Republic and played at something called Get Better Academy. (Sounds like a Bob Diaco-ism. Does it serve fish cakes?)
RIGHT DOWN 84: The teams haven’t played since 2008 because UConn didn’t want to and have played 14 times overall. The only time Hartford won was in 1986, the first meeting. What worked against UConn on Wednesday might work in its favor tonight, though, since Hartford will be playing its first game after its scheduled opener on Wednesday against Merrimack was canceled because of the Rona.
MARTIN’S DEBUT: We assume guard Tyrese Martin, a transfer from Rhode Island, will make his debut tonight. Martin was held out of the opener because he somehow found a summer league game to play in during a pandemic, and the NCAA shockingly was none too thrilled with that. (Guy just wants to hoop.) Martin could eat into the heavy minutes played in the opener by freshman Andre Jackson, who had four points, six assists and five rebounds, but we’ll see how the rotation shakes out.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Literally everything. The Huskies will probably have a different starting lineup. Martin’s presence will impact the rotation. Will Josh Carlton play more against a taller opponent, or will Adama Sanogo continue to be a rebounding machine? How will Tyler Polley‘s knee handle the test of his second game back from ACL surgery? Will James Bouknight throw down the highlight-reel dunk we wanted on Wednesday? Will our cardboard cutouts finally be in the stands? What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? Give us the answers we crave!
