One More Game for One More Game
The Story: The football team can take a large step toward improving the quality of its bowl prospects tomorrow afternoon when it heads to West Point to face Army in what we’re hoping is just the end of the regular season and not the last game of the year. (Noon, CBS Sports)
WHAT’S AT STAKE: A victory would give UConn a 7-5 record and make it a much more appealing team in the eyes of the bowl committees, though with no specific bowl tie-in because it’s an independent, it’s a crapshoot as to what might happen.
• We worked through some of the permutations earlier this week and they’re still fairly convoluted. The Huskies could end up playing in one of the first bowl games held in mid-December or one of the bowls in early January that are designed to quench our football thirst between the College Football Playoff semifinals and the championship game. They also could be playing in locations nearby (Boston), appealing (Orlando) or foreign (Albuquerque). They could, unfortunately, also be going nowhere.
• Even though UConn is playing its final game on the schedule, everyone else has Thanksgiving rivalries and conference championships to play. That means that win or loss, we likely won’t know the Huskies’ bowl prospects for some time because the committees themselves won’t know what’s up, either.
• There are 41 bowl games, which means 82 teams will be selected. UConn will be competing for at-large bids with other schools that finish 7-5 or 6-6. While Jim Mora‘s rebuild has been one of the greatest storylines of the college football season, bowl committees will have to judge whether the Huskies, their fan base’s ability to buy tickets and the product they put on the field make for a more intriguing matchup than any other team they’d select.
ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE: The Huskies haven’t won seven games since 2010, when they went to the Fiesta Bowl, lost to Oklahoma and were abandoned on the charter flight home. That it could again happen this weekend, in Mora’s first season, is something none of us expected — and probably not even Mora, if we’re being honest.
• Army (3-6) will provide a formidable challenge merely because of its triple-option offense. Although the Black Knights haven’t reached the same level of success as in recent seasons — they won 52-21 last season, when they finished 9-4 — they’re still gaining 299.4 rushing yards per game.
• Amazingly, 10 players have run for more than 100 yards for Army, including leading rusher Tyhier Tyler at 53.8 yards per game. Tyler, a senior quarterback, has also run for a team-high seven touchdowns.
• UConn must look out for senior outside linebacker Andre Carter II, an All-America selection last season who finished second in the nation with 15.5 sacks. Carter remains a bona fide NFL Draft prospect, even though he has just 3.5 sacks this season.
• Michie Stadium is one of the most scenic venues in all of college football and we only wish we could make the trek out to West Point for this one. But we’re fortunate that the two programs, which have played eight times and have five more games scheduled over the next seven seasons, will continue to face off.
Hawkins and Jackson May Return
The Story: Dan Hurley may get some reinforcements quicker than he anticipated as injured guards Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson are back at practice and may play tonight as the No. 25-ranked men’s basketball team hosts UNC Wilmington at Gampel Pavilion (8:30 p.m., FS2).
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Hawkins has played five minutes this season and has sat out for more than a week while in the concussion protocol. Jackson hasn’t played yet this year with a broken pinkie and was thought to be out until December after surgery.
WHERE DO THEY FIT IN? Is that a joke? It is how the others on the team fit around them. Hawkins is going to be asked to become the top perimeter scorer and shooter. His return puts Hassan Diarra back on the bench and also limits the shots taken by Joey Calcaterra, who was 6-for-9 on Tuesday with 15 points.
• If Jackson returns, Alex Karaban will move to the bench, putting the Huskies at minimum 10 deep. UConn has two more buy games to get the rotation down before heading out to the PK80 Classic for Thanksgiving and a game against Oregon. Jackson plays multiple positions and is the most athletic player on the team and its best passer.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY?“Really, I’m just thrilled with what the group has been able to do without them, so that now, trying to implement such critical pieces back in, I think their mentality has got to be in these first couple games here, ‘How can I help this team play better?’”
IS DEPTH A PROBLEM? Everyone likes depth and options, but does Hurley have too much depth? Newton, Diarra, Nahiem Alleyne and others came to UConn to play. The key for Hurley going forward is to carve out roles for his players.
• Hawkins and Jackson, and eventually Samson Johnson are going to have to return to the rotation. Having more talent over less talent is always preferable, but managing minutes and roles is something Hurley is going to have to deal with.
ABOUT UNC WILMINGTON: UNC Wilmington was picked to finish fifth in the CAA after a stellar 27-9 campaign a season ago. Trazarien White leads his team with 18.7 points per game. The Seahawks are 0-2 with losses to North Carolina and Oklahoma.
Can Fudd Keep It Going?
The Story: Another day, another test for the No. 5-ranked women’s basketball team, which hosts No. 10 N.C. State at the XL Center on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m., FS1).
NOT REALLY A REMATCH: The Huskies beat the Wolf Pack 91-87 in double overtime in March in the Elite Eight, but just like was the case with No. 3 Texas on Monday, they’ll encounter an opponent is trying to put itself together after significant roster turnover.
• Only four of the eight players who took the court for N.C. State in March return, with center Elissa Cunane and guard Reina Perez both seniors last season. Diamond Johnson, a junior guard who had eight points in 18 minutes in the NCAA Tournament game, leads the Wolf Pack in scoring with 12.5 points along with four rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
• N.C. State has two other players averaging in double figures in scoring: Junior guard Madison Hayes at 11.5 points per game and senior forward Jada Boyd at 11.3 points per game. Hayes didn’t play in the last meeting, but Boyd had 14 points in 16 minutes.
• Of course, it’s not like the Huskies look much the same, either. Paige Bueckers had 27 points and six rebounds and Christyn Williams had 21 points in a game UConn led nearly all evening until N.C. State rallied in the fourth quarter.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: UConn fairly effortlessly swatted aside a challenge from No. 3 Texas on Monday night and won 83-76. Will it be able to do so against another highly regarded opponent?
• We’ve not hidden our love for what sophomore guard Azzi Fudd has done so far this season. She is averaging 29 points over the Huskies’ first two games, a record for any player at this point, and how she continues to handle teams trying to shut her down will be crucial to her success and growth this season.
• Redshirt senior Dorka Juhasz broke her left wrist early in the game against N.C. State and missed the rest of the NCAA Tournament. She’s been able to recover and is averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds through two games. That injury was the sole reason why she chose to return to UConn; hopefully, she can be just as dominant on Sunday.
THE NEW NORMAL: The Huskies won’t get a break after Sunday’s challenge. They’ll head to Oregon to take part in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament, where games against Duke and potentially No. 4 Iowa await, and a breather against Providence will precede games at No. 9 Notre Dame, against Princeton and at No. 19 Maryland. It’s almost as if Geno Auriemma has put together a Super League schedule this season.
Morning Reads
• The No. 12-ranked women’s hockey team will host Boston University tonight before heading north for the second game of a home-and-home series tomorrow afternoon. (UConnHuskies.com)
