High Hopes for Sanogo, Fudd
The Story: We all know how crucial Adama Sanogo and Azzi Fudd are to the Huskies’ success this season, but they were each recognized yesterday as being among the top players in the country.
THE BEASTS OF THE BIG EAST: Sanogo, a junior center, was listed as the 15th-best player by a CBS Sports panel, whereas Fudd, a sophomore guard, sightly beat him by being ranked No. 13, according to ESPN.
• Sanogo is the top Big East player on the CBS Sports list. He’ll return after averaging 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds a game last year and is vital to the Huskies’ hopes of winning a conference title and playing deep into March.
• With so many unproven players joining the team, Sanogo and junior Andre Jackson — who also has quite a bit to prove given his role — are the Huskies’ only known commodities.
• Fudd is confusingly not the top Big East player on the ESPN list. That honor went to Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist, who was also named the Preseason Big East Player of the Year and may already be overrated.
• The Huskies need Fudd, who averaged 12.1 points per game last season, to live up to her reputation as one of the best shooters of her generation. She also needs to play with more confidence and stay healthy, especially with Paige Bueckers out. How she handles playing more on the ball will be key to her excellence this season.
WHO’S MORE VALUABLE? This may be the better question, since we’re already into subjectives. Could the men’s basketball team win games without Sanogo? Sure. Can the women’s basketball team win games without Fudd? Yes, as it showed for a stretch last season.
• Sanogo provides a unique post presence as a throwback center whose skill set is not valued much anymore in the modern game (just check out the NBA Draft boards and look for his name; you won’t see it). When he’s on the bench, what does Dan Hurley do? Freshman Donovan Clingan could play more inside, but even though he’s 7-foot-2, his perimeter presence makes him valuable on offense in other ways.
• Fudd is probably going to run the offense more often this season, so whether she’s able to create her own shot will go a long way toward her being able to prove her worth. If she goes down, though, that means Geno Auriemma will have to turn to junior Nika Muhl and freshman Ines Bettencourt, which is a significant change.
• We’re going to go with Fudd for the sake of the exercise, but we can all agree on one thing: We don’t want to find out what happens in either scenario.
Ross, Houston May Return vs. UMass
The Story: Jim Mora said yesterday that sophomore running back Devontae Houston and redshirt junior wide receiver Cam Ross may be healthy enough to play against UMass on Friday night at Pratt & Whitney Stadium.
CALL IT A COMEBACK: Houston has missed the Huskies’ last two games with a high ankle sprain, which is usually an injury that takes a while to heal. That’s a big enough development, but it pales in comparison to the potential return of Ross, who broke a foot in fall camp and only was able to practice on a limited basis for the first time last week.
• Houston has run 52 times for 350 yards and two touchdowns this season after taking over as the Huskies’ lead back following injuries to sophomores Nate Carter and Brian Brewton. He had back-to-back games with at least 100 yards rushing, and in his absence, freshman Victor Rosa and sixth-year senior Robert Burns have anchored the running game.
• Ross, who had 60 catches for 723 yards as a freshman in 2019, played in just two games last season before he broke his right foot. That’s why the fact that he broke his left foot even tougher: He had just gone through a similar recovery.
• UConn might also get sophomore wide receiver Keelan Marion back against UMass. Marion, who broke a collarbone in the season-opening loss at Utah State, rolled an ankle on the first play against Boston College and was shut down.
WHAT DID MORA SAY? “[Ross has] done an amazing job. … There’s only so much you can do in the healing process, but he healed, he stayed in shape, he stayed strong. He’s been moving around the field for two weeks and he’s most likely going to have an opportunity to do some things. I’m not saying he’s gonna get 40-50 plays, but there will be some things that, hopefully, he can do if things go as planned here [this week] in practice.”
MITCHELL HONORED: Junior linebacker Jackson Mitchell was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Butkus Award yesterday afternoon. The award is given to the nation’s best linebacker, and Mitchell, who is second in the FBS with 100 tackles, also has six tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and three fumbles recovered.
Morning Reads
• UConn announced yesterday it will launch a steaming service, known as UConn+, later this month. The platform will combine live and original content, according to the school, and seems like a roll of the dice but still a worthy endeavor as it looks for additional revenue streams. (UConnHuskies.com)
• The men’s soccer team will play its final home game tonight when it hosts Georgetown. It needs to win the game to have a chance of reaching the six-team Big East tournament. (UConnHuskies.com)
• Tage Thompson had three goals and three assists for the Sabres in a win over the Red Wings on Monday, and his transformation over the last three years from trade throw-in to franchise center has been remarkable. (TSN.ca)
Top photo: Adama Sanogo is clearly one of the top players in college basketball and should be a force for the Huskies. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
