Cole Becoming That Man
The Story: R.J. Cole put the men’s basketball team on his shoulders when things weren’t going well as he led his team with 25 points en route to a 57-50 win on Saturday at DePaul to keep things rolling in the Big East.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Cole scored 16 points in the first half to trim an early 10-point deficit to 29-28 at halftime. Cole, who came to UConn after averaging nearly 23 points per game in two seasons at Howard, has become critical to the Huskies’ success.
• He’s the starting point guard, leads the team in charges and is the player Dan Hurley turns to in order to create offense when things go awry.
• There isn’t another player on the Huskies who can create his own offense off the dribble, and that makes Cole the scorer of last resort for the Huskies.
HOW GOOD IS COLE? This debate has pretty much become an online frenzy nationally. Cole was not on the Big East preseason teams and receives nary a mention as one of the better guards in the Big East. His play would seem to belay the point.
• Cole is having a complete year, averaging 16.7 points per game on 40 percent shooting with 4.6 assists per game.
• His offensive rating has gone up each year per KenPom’s ratings. His 119.6 offensive rating, at 16.7 points per game, is a career best. In comparison, as a freshman at Howard, he averaged nearly 24 points per game but did so with a rating of 106. What does that mean? Cole is producing more points with fewer touches than he did early in his career. Yes, his scoring has gone down since he transferred from Howard, but he’s doing more with less.
• Cole has scored in double figures in 14 of the last 15 games and has five 20-point games.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “R.J. carried us on a night where we had a ton of guys struggling individually offensively.”
JACK-SON OF ALL TRADES: Andre Jackson‘s terrific season continued against DePaul. The sophomore forward had seven points, 13 rebounds and three assists to go with top-flight defense.
• Jackson is rated as the best defensive player on the team and is an efficient shooter with a 58.1 true shooting percentage, which takes 3-pointers and free throws into account.
WHERE ARE THE HUSKIES? February is going to be more difficult for UConn, which is 16-4 on the season and 7-2 in the Big East. The Huskies host Creighton tomorrow in Storrs before a date on Saturday at No. 14 Villanova.
A DREAM COME TRUE: Hurley may already be UConn’s coach, but that doesn’t mean you can’t act like a kid and a fan when your team makes the Super Bowl. (Andrea Hurley on Instagram)
UConn Survive, Doesn’t Thrive
The Story: Christyn Williams had team highs of 19 points and seven rebounds as the women’s basketball team beat Providence for the 30th consecutive time, winning 69-61 last night in a clunker of a game held at a middle school gym in Rhode Island.
SHOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER: That’s two uninspiring performances in two games for the Huskies (13-4, 8-0 Big East), who escaped with a win at DePaul on Wednesday as well.
• It was easily one of the Huskies’ worst offensive outputs of the season. Yes, they fell just shy of their average of 71.5 points per game, but anyone watching that game could tell they were flat and disinterested. UConn shot 54.3 percent (25-for-46), and 6-for-18 from 3-point range.
• UConn was without Dorka Juhasz, who wore a walking boot on her right foot and, as a result, did not dress. Aaliyah Edwards made her eighth start of the season, and first since Dec. 9, and had nine points and six rebounds in 32 minutes.
• Evina Westbrook had her best game in a while as she scored 13 points and made four of seven shots. Caroline Ducharme scored 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting and Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 10 points and six rebounds.
• The game was supposed to be held downtown at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center at 11 a.m., but was pushed back to last night and moved on campus because of the blizzard. Geno Auriemma also said the team bus wouldn’t start on the way from the hotel to the bingo hall arena and the team had to split into small groups and pack into vans to get there. It was a harbinger.
BOOST FOR WILLIAMS: It’s no secret that the Huskies (13-4, 8-0 Big East) need Williams to carry a significant share of the scoring load in order to win games. She went 8-for-12 against the Friars, including 2-for-3 from 3-point range, and was aggressive and assertive while playing all 40 minutes. (That is, except for that possession in the final minute when she screwed around needlessly and pissed her coach off.)
• She entered averaging 14.8 points per game, and only once this season has she not reached double figures in scoring, but her inconsistency in many ways can be maddening. With the Huskies, Williams’ individual success often leads to collective success.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “We let ourselves get up to like a 15-point lead, 16-point lead, but it’s been one thing after another. We’re trying to find who can constantly get it done every night. All season long has been a struggle, and tonight was not any different.”
UP NEXT: The Huskies will make the long trip to the middle of nowhere for a Wednesday game at Creighton. They only beat the Bluejays by eight on Jan. 9 in Storrs in their first game back from their three-week COVID-19 pause.
Huskies Fall in CT Ice Final
The Story: The men’s hockey team had a heartbreaking 2-0 loss to No. 2 Quinnipiac in the Connecticut Ice final yesterday in Bridgeport.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Connecticut Ice is intended to be Connecticut’s version of the Beanpot and, in future years, we believe this is going to be a great boost to college hockey in the state. The tournament has had some bad luck: Last year’s was canceled because of COVID-19 and this year’s took place amid the blizzard. UConn advanced to the final with a 5-1 win on Saturday over Yale, which is always a good victory for the Huskies.
THIRD-PERIOD REBOUND: Quinnipiac and UConn played a goalless game for the first two periods before the Bobcats broke through early in the third. Desi Bugart scored off a rebound early in the period to give Quinnipiac a 1-0 lead.
• UConn tried to play catchup the rest of the period but couldn’t beat Quinnipiac’s defense and netminder Yaniv Perets, who had 29 saves. Quinnipiac scored an empty-net goal in the final seconds to improve to 19-2.
CONNECTICUT’S RISING HOCKEY PROFILE: We say Connecticut, not just UConn. Yale and Quinnipiac have been national players in the game over the best decade. With UConn in Hockey East and Sacred Heart’s rising profile with a new stadium is putting it on the upswing.
• We applaud SNY for hosting the tournament and putting it in Bridgeport, which is the perfect location for the event. We want UConn to win it every year, and we are sure the schools love to beat UConn in any sport and competition. And who doesn’t like beating Yale like a drum? It’s a good event that has had bad luck. Be patient. This event is going to work.
WHAT’S NEXT? The Huskies are 12-11, and 8-6 in Hockey East, with 23 points. The Huskies host No. 3 Providence on Friday at the XL Center.
Morning Reads
• The women’s hockey team knocked off Holy Cross 2-1 behind goals from Jada Habisch and Morgan Wabick. The Huskies are 20-6-2 and won their 14th conference game of the season. (UConnHuskies.com)
