Huskies Beat The Pulp Out Of The Orange
The Story: It was another win in another early-round game for the UConn women as they advanced to the Sweet 16 last night with an 83-47 victory over No. 8 seed Syracuse. That means it’s onto next weekend for the Huskies, who will finally play an NCAA Tournament game with intrigue when they match up with No. 5 seed Iowa on Saturday or Sunday.
BUT FIRST … : We’re going to be honest here: UConn looked good. Real good. Paige Bueckers had a team-high 20 points, 16 in the first half, and even withstood an elbow to the face in the third quarter that had us worried. And she did this, more wizardry, which never gets tiring to watch. But it wasn’t just UConn’s scoring, even though the Huskies again won by 40-plus points and shot 55.1 percent. It was the defense. Syracuse, down to seven players because of injuries and suspensions (seriously, it takes some nerve to get suspended for the NCAA Tournament), shot 28.1 percent. Take away the first quarter, which the Huskies won 19-14, and the Orange shot just 23.8 percent over the final 30 minutes. They looked gassed just after halftime and had no chance.
WINNING BIG: Matched up with a team that had more size than any other it faced this season, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Aaliyah Edwards encountered absolutely no problem. Nelson-Ododa had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, five in the first quarter alone. Edwards, starting in place of Nika Muhl, had 19 points and five rebounds, making all five of her shots and nine of her 12 free throws. The Huskies made a concerted effort to go through the post all night and it paid off, but perhaps more importantly, they held Syracuse’s 6-foot-7 freshman center, Kamilla Cardoso, in check all night. (Tell us, when was the last time Nelson-Ododa, who is 6-foot-5, was on the wrong end of a height difference?) Cardoso had eight of Syracuse’s first 10 points, but not only did she not shoot again until early in the fourth quarter — a shot she missed — she only scored two more points after her opening flurry. The Huskies denied the entry pass and backed her out of her comfort zone. Now, they aren’t going to be able to dominate inside against, say, Baylor in the Elite Eight the way they did last night, because Baylor is just too tall and strong (and good). But Nelson-Ododa and Edwards did what they were supposed to do.
MUHL UPDATE: It was a no-go yesterday for Muhl, who injured her right ankle in the first-round game against High Point. Muhl was ruled out about an hour before the game and watched from the bench with a walking boot on her right foot. We’ll see how she progresses this week.
TIME TO NITPICK: Syracuse, fittingly, threw a bunch of zone defense at the Huskies, who were flummoxed by it in the first half. It slowed their half-court game as they weren’t able to work the ball around the perimeter and pick their spots as well as they would like. Of course, it didn’t matter, because the Huskies feasted on turnovers, scoring 27 points off Syracuse’s 18 errors (and, at one point, had 14 points off eight turnovers) and they broke the game open the way they wanted to play. The Huskies also surrendered 17 offensive rebounds, their second most in a game this year, though 11 of those were in the first half. These things don’t matter now, but hey, we hold the Huskies to a high standard, and anything shy of perfection in a wacky year with good opponents remaining (again, like Baylor) could be a problem.
OUR TAKE: Are the Huskies peaking at the right time? They won their three Big East tournament games by an average of 38.3 points and, were it not for Syracuse scoring five unanswered points, UConn would have won both of its NCAA Tournament games by 40-plus points. If they are, that’s good. This has been a topsy-turvy season, but so far, the tournament has played out mostly as expected. In any case, Chris Dailey and Jamelle Elliott deserve an absurd amount of credit for getting their players in the right frame of mind for the tournament, and now Geno Auriemma, who should be at Bradley headed to San Antonio as you read this, and Shea Ralph will be back from their coronavirus exiles before the next game. One final thing: We don’t get to break out the Syracuse puns often anymore, but it was nice to see an old-fashioned orange crush.
UP NEXT: We get a chance to wade into the Bueckers vs. Caitlin Clark debate for a whole week as the two freshmen phenoms will be facing each other once the Huskies and Hawkeyes meet. Nothing is official, but given the matchup and the ratings (!!!), we’re expecting Sunday at 9 p.m. on ESPN.
Roster Thins With Adams Leaving
The Story: Junior guard Brendan Adams took part in Senior Night early this month and, as expected, said yesterday he has put his name in the transfer portal with the intention of playing his final two years somewhere else.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: This wasn’t a surprise. Adams graduated in three years with a degree in economics and, because of the COVID-19 year, he has two years of eligibility remaining. He was Dan Hurley‘s first recruit at UConn, joining his coach in moving from Rhode Island, and was in and out of the rotation for three years. Adams’ playing time diminished once James Bouknight returned from elbow surgery and he struggled this season, averaging 4.5 points per game on 29.9 percent shooting. He’s a better player than he showed this season. He’s a good defender and is likely to latch on with a team that needs immediate production.
WHAT DID ADAMS SAY?: Adams tweeted a message yesterday morning announcing his departure. “In my three years ago UConn, I have grown into the man that I am today and I am proud to graduate this year with a B.A. in economics and a minor in urban and community studies,” he wrote in part. “I would not trade my time here for anything. Thank you, UConn!”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE HUSKIES? They are losing a heck of a lot if, as expected, all the seniors leave. Isaiah Whaley, Josh Carlton and Tyler Polley can all return, but none have given the indication they will and we assume they will move on. Bouknight is likely headed to the NBA, and between the four of them, Adams and Javonte Brown, who left after one semester, the Huskies have three scholarships available for next season.
THREE RECRUITS AND THEN WHAT? We aren’t expecting Hurley to nab three more freshmen. It’s just not possible at this point in the calendar. It’s also not smart for him to sit on the scholarships. That makes the grad transfer portal a mighty fine place to do some work, and the Huskies are going to have an abundance of interest simply because there is playing time available on a winning team. The Huskies sorely need another guard and could use a shooter — or two or three, as we noted yesterday morning. UConn is probably looking at every grad transfer on the market because each seems to have an obligatory mention that UConn has reached out. That includes Tre Mitchell, a center out of UMass via Putnam Academy, and guard Fatts Russell from Rhode Island, a recruit of Hurley’s. Whether they are legit options, we won’t know, but it is clear UConn is actively hitting that transfer portal.
OUR TAKE: UConn needs more depth. It needs shooting everywhere and, beyond that, has a need at nearly every position. Who backs up Adama Sanogo at center? Who is the power forward? There is room for a starting guard and also plenty of room inside to spell Sanogo and, we hope, Akok Akok. If you have a pulse and can shoot, we are sure Hurley is going to give you a strong look.
Huskies Open Elliot Ballpark!
The Story: At long last, the baseball team opened its new home, Eliott Ballpark, yesterday afternoon with a 2-0 win over CCSU. Pat Gallagher picked up the win for the Huskies, who improved to 7-11.
IT’S GOOD TO BE HOME: UConn had not played a home game in 678 days before yesterday. Think about that for a second. UConn never played a home game last year as it was coming off its early-season southern trip before everything was shut down. The stadium was completed last year but had to sit unused. The Huskies’ first 16 games this season season were all out of state as the weather is typically not willing to play ball until late March.
HUSKIES ON UPSWING: Gallagher pitched five scoreless innings and had a career-high nine strikeouts to pick up the win for the Huskies, who were coming off a 13-0 win over St. Joseph’s on Sunday. UConn’s record may be unsightly but it has the fifth-toughest schedule in Division I. The Huskies will continue their home cooking with games against Rhode Island in Storrs on Friday and Saturday.
NO FANS JUST YET: The games are outside, but fans are not allowed in just yet. They’re also not permitted to attend games at the softball complex, which will debut this afternoon. Only family members and friends of players and coaches are allowed.
Morning Reads
SOCCER GAME CANCELED: The men’s soccer team’s game against Georgetown has been canceled due to COVID-19 precautions. The Huskies are next scheduled to play Saturday at Seton Hall. (UConnHuskies.com)
ALL ABOARD THE ICEBUS: The men’s hockey team didn’t make the NCAA Tournament field with an at-large bid this weekend, but it did have success on the recruiting trail as it nabbed Yale grad transfer forward Kevin O’Neil and defenseman Kevin Fitzgerald. (The UConn Blog)
SPRINGER QUESTIONABLE: Outfielder George Springer is questionable for Blue Jays opening day after he sprained his left oblique. (Toronto Star)
