The Time is Now for Dan Hurley
The Story: The men’s basketball team comes into the season with a veteran and talented roster. Tonight’s game against Stonehill (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports App) is the start of what the Huskies hope is a long and memorable season.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Huskies open against a team beginning its first season of Division I competition and the focus is not only on getting to the NCAA Tournament, as it has in the past two years, but going deeper.
• The Huskies are picked to finish in the upper tier of the Big East and have one of the best big men in America in Adam Sanogo. There first round is no longer something to celebrate. It’s time for the Huskies to make some noise.
WHO IS THE POINT GUARD? One of the big mysteries for the Huskies coming into the season is that there were no exhibition games this year, so there was very little chance to see the Huskies in game situations. Schools have the option to play two secret scrimmages or two exhibitions. The Huskies opted to play Harvard and Virginia behind closed doors to get ready for the season.
• Expect to see a lot of Tristen Newton at the point as the transfer guard from East Carolina is the most experienced and productive option. Hassan Diarra, a transfer from Texas A&M, is a physical, athletic defender who can attack the basket.
• Another option we won’t see tonight is Andre Jackson at the point. There is little argument that he has the best vision as a passer on the team and has tremendous ability, but he’s out for a bit after breaking a pinkie finger a few weeks ago.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE: What do we expect out of UConn tonight? Several things.
• A dominant Sanogo. He is a potential All-America candidate, and we want to see more points and rebounds and better efficiency from the 6-foot-9 junior center from Mali. We also would like to see his 3-point shooting, but not too much.
• Sophomore Jordan Hawkins more than doubling his output. Hawkins averaged 5.8 points per game last season. We expect Sanogo to lead the Huskies in scoring, but if the Huskies are going to be a top 25-caliber team, we think Hawkins needs to score 15 points per game or more.
• Sophomore Samson Johnson at the four. We don’t know who is going to replace Jackson in the starting lineup. It could be Johnson or freshman Alex Karaban, or the Huskies could go small and play Newton and Diarra with Hawkins, Virginia Tech transfer Nahiem Alleyne and Sanogo. Regardless, we want to see the explosive and athletic Johnson get some time this season after a very underwhelming freshman year.
ABOUT STONEHILL: The Skyhawks, from Easton, Mass., are entering the Northeast Conference in two years and went 15-12 year in Division II last season. They like to play five on the perimeter and we expect they will shoot a ton of 3-pointers. Does that make us nervous? Not really. UConn should win comfortably.
• There are a pair of Connecticut natives on Stonehill: Jackson Benigni from East Hampton and Shamir Johnson from Waterbury. Johnson is the godson of former UConn guard E.J. Harrison, who was a member of the 1999 national champions.
Back at .500; Bigger Goals In Sight
The Story: The football team overcame its first-half red zone struggles and defeated UMass 27-10 at home on Friday night to improve to 5-5 — the latest it has been .500 or better in a season since 2015.
HOW’D IT GO? Not well, at least early. The Huskies got within the 20-yard line four times in the opening 30 minutes and had to settle for three field goal attempts, one of which it missed.
• UConn had just a 13-10 lead in the first half built on a 75-yard touchdown run from returning sophomore running back Devontae Houston on his first carry of the game. Houston finished with 84 yards on seven carries as the Huskies finished with 274 of their 334 yards on the ground — tied for their second-best rushing performance of the season.
• The game opened up in the second half with freshman running back Victor Rosa running for a touchdown in each quarter. He finished with 87 yards on 17 carries. Sixth-year senior Robert Burns ran 10 times for 59 yards, and freshman Camryn Edwards, who began the season as a defensive back, got his first carry on the final play and gained 2 yards.
STILL NO PASSING O: Yes, the Huskies had success on the ground, and as they played with the lead nearly all game, there was no compelling need to throw the ball. Still, freshman quarterback Zion Turner had another mediocre output as he went just 6-for-13 for 60 yards.
• Should we be concerned that there’s no passing attack whatsoever? Yes. But it’s not like some magical fix is going to happen in the final two games. It’ll be something Jim Mora, offensive coordinator Nick Charlton and the quarterbacks will need to work on during the spring months and heading into next season.
• Redshirt junior Cam Ross made his return but did not catch a pass. Still, it was great to see Ross back on the field after he missed all season, and most of last, because of a broken foot.
RESILIENT DEFENSE: The Huskies allowed 351 yards, more than they gained, but just 10 points. It’s the fourth consecutive game in which they’ve been outgained, and they won three of those games.
• UMass quarterback Brady Olson threw for 266 yards on 19-for-34 passing but was only able to lead his team to 131 yards in the second half.
• UConn had just one sack, but it had seven tackles for a loss. Sophomore safety Durante Jones had a team-high 14 tackles and senior cornerback Tre Wortham had an interception.
A LONG DECEMBER? At 5-5, the Huskies need just one more victory to become bowl eligible for the first time since they reached the St. Petersburg Bowl in 2015.
• That might be a tough task, given they next host No. 19 Liberty (8-1) — which just beat Arkansas on the road — and head to Army in two weeks.
• UConn doesn’t have any bowl tie-ins as an independent, which might be an obstacle to its bowl chances. Given its (lack of) success over the past decade, it’s going to be hard for a bowl committee to want to select the Huskies unless they absolutely have to. That’s why UConn is trying to be proactive and get fans to state their willingness to go to a game if an opportunity arises. It’s a good move for Dave Benedict.
WHAT DID MORA SAY? “We’re happy, but not satisfied. Getting to .500 was one of our goals. We have things that are still on our agenda, and our guys are very motivated to do that.”
Huskies Tune Up With Kutztown
The Story: The women’s basketball team took its final steps toward the regular season with a 115-42 dismantling of Kutztown, a Division II school in Pennsylvania, in an exhibition at XL Center yesterday afternoon.
WHAT WE LEARNED: Well, nothing. There’s absolutely nothing to be learned in a game like this, if we’re being honest. UConn is playing an overmatched opponent and everything, the positives and negatives, come with a caveat. It’s really not worth deconstructing.
• Sophomore Azzi Fudd was one of five players to reach double figures in scoring as she went 9-for-16 from 3-point range for 29 points in 33 minutes.
• Aside from Fudd, redshirt senior Lou Lopez Senechal, the graduate transfer from Fairfield, scored 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting; redshirt senior Dorka Juhasz had 20 points and seven rebounds in her return from a broken wrist; junior Aaliyah Edwards had 17 points and freshman Ayanna Patterson had the game’s only double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
• Redshirt junior Aubrey Griffin looked comfortable and athletic in her first game in front of a crowd in nearly 18 months. She was the first player off the bench and had six points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes.
DUCHARME ABSENT: The Huskies, already without junior Paige Bueckers and freshman Ice Brady because of season-ending injuries, did not have sophomore Caroline Ducharme available yesterday because of what Geno Auriemma said was “neck stiffness.” That led to a starting five of junior Nika Muhl, Fudd, Lopez Senechal, Edwards and Juhasz.
• Muhl ran the offense for much of the game and finished with seven points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in 30 minutes. She looked good, but again, the Huskies were playing a Division II opponent. We think she’ll be capable of handling that role this season, but Geno has said she and Fudd will probably share that role in the earlygoing with Bueckers out.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “The things that you try to monitor in games like this are more or less how was our approach to the game and how did we stay consistent throughout the game, in terms of what our effort was like, what’s our communication like, how’s the ball movement? I thought we did those things that we’re trying to do.”
CASH TO BE HONORED: UConn announced Friday that it will retire the No. 32 worn by Swin Cash when the Huskies face Texas on Nov. 14. Cash, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame earlier this year, will join Rebecca Lobo and Ray Allen with that honor.
• “I’m truly humbled and grateful to the University of Connecticut, my coaches and my amazing teammates,” Cash said. “To know my number and name will be going to the rafters in Gampel is still mind-blowing. For me, this recognition represents a shining symbol of hope to any young female baller out there wondering if she’s good enough, who comes from humble beginnings or just doesn’t see a clear pathway. Being the best you is always enough!”
UP NEXT: The Huskies formally open the season Thursday when they host Northeastern at Gampel Pavilion at 7 p.m.
Morning Reads
• Redshirt senior left wing Justin Pearson scored 15:36 into the third period to break a tie as the No. 8-ranked men’s hockey team completed a weekend sweep of Maine with a 3-2 victory on Saturday. The Huskies, now 9-1-1 and 6-1 in the Big East, are only going to move up in the polls again this week. (The UConn Blog)
• UConn continued to assert its all-sports dominance of Boston College over the weekend as the women’s hockey team won both games of a home-and-home series against the Eagles. (UConnHuskies.com)
• The No. 14 field hockey team’s attempt to win the Big East title was thwarted by Liberty for the second consecutive season as it fell 2-1 in the conference semifinals on Friday. (UConnHuskies.com)
• The volleyball team’s winning streak hit seven with a win at Xavier on Friday, but it fell at No. 13 Creighton yesterday afternoon by scores of 25-23, 25-15, 25-21. (UConnHuskies.com)
• There’s more troubled news to report on Ben Gordon, who was arrested for the second time in less than a month on Friday when he allegedly punched a security guard at a McDonald’s in Chicago shortly before 3:30 a.m. (Chicago Tribune)
• Shabazz Napier, who was expected to make his debut with the Mexico City Capitanes of the G League last night, said he talks to Kemba Walker often and that he expects him to get another shot in the NBA. (Celtics Wire)
• The Hawks sent Tyrese Martin to their G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, yesterday morning. Martin has played in four games and only once logged more than three minutes. (Hawks PR on Twitter)
Top photo: Jordan Hawkins dunks during the “First Night” event at Gampel Pavilion. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
