Huskies Too Hurt to Face DePaul; Adama Sanogo Makes His Case

Injuries Force Huskies’ Postponement

The Story: The No. 5-ranked women’s basketball team was unable to play DePaul yesterday afternoon because it said Friday night it had fewer than seven healthy players.

HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? Well, there are two answers to that question, one of which makes more sense than the other.

• One is that the Huskies, who entered the season with 12 players, have two out for the year in junior guard Paige Bueckers and freshman Ice Brady, one set to return from a knee injury any time now in sophomore guard Azzi Fudd, another recovering from a concussion in sophomore guard Caroline Ducharme and two who were injured in a win at Butler on Thursday in junior forward Aaliyah Edwards (right ankle) and freshman forward Ayanna Patterson (possible concussion).

• The other is a bit more difficult to answer. Geno Auriemma, who missed the Huskies’ two-game road swing with an illness, doesn’t like to have more than a dozen players on the team — even though Division I allows for 15 women’s basketball players to be on scholarship. As we’ve seen repeatedly over the last few years, in the biggest of games, Geno only goes with a six- or seven-player rotation. When you don’t have a full roster, you’re at risk of situations like these.

IS THAT A WISE STRATEGY? We’ve wondered that for a while. It’s a chicken-and-egg scenario: Geno recruits some of the top-rated players in the country, and as such, competition for spots is always fierce. But he’s also hesitant to trust underclassmen unless they’re exceptionally talented, and those who are used to being stars choose to transfer after a year or two because they want to play.

WHO’S TO BLAME? Nobody. It’s something that can happen to any team, but as we’ve shown, teams with fewer players are at a greater risk than those with a full roster.

• “Is there a pattern? Is there something that we’re not doing, or are doing, that is having some type of material impact on these injuries?” athletic director Dave Benedict said. “There’s nothing we can pinpoint. … People around sports have all heard the term ‘injury-prone.’ You just hope we’re not injury prone and we’re just going through a bad cycle.”

• Regardless of the situation, the Huskies are surviving. They’re 13-2, and 6-0 in the Big East, and have recovered to a point where they’re back in the top five of the Associated Press poll.

WHAT’S NEXT? UConn is hoping to be able to play at St. John’s on Wednesday, though that’s not yet a given. Whether Geno is able to return from his break is unknown. And as for the DePaul game, there’s still no word on when it will be rescheduled, though anyone who had tickets for it can use them when it is.

Sanogo Flexes His Muscles

The Story: Adama Sanogo put the debate about the top big man in the Big East to rest with a dominant 26 points and nine rebounds in the No. 4-ranked men’s basketball team’s 69-60 victory at home on Saturday against Creighton.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: UConn (15-2, 4-2 Big East) snapped a two-game losing streak with a tough, defensive-oriented win.

• The Huskies turned to Sanogo, who had the rare opportunity to go one-on-one against one of the better defensive players in the nation in 7-foot-1 junior center Ryan Kalkbrenner. Sanogo was too much to handle in the post and made 10 of 20 shots and went 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Kalkbrenner had nine points, four rebounds and four blocks.

• Jordan Hawkins scored 17 points, and Tristen Newton added 13 points on seven shots and was able to become an efficient scorer despite his continued shooting struggles.

• The Huskies’ defense was suffocating at times. Creighton shot 33 percent, and one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the Big East went only 2-for-16. UConn was 8-for-24 from 3-point range and outscored the Bluejays 24-6 from behind the arc.

BEAST OF THE EAST: It appears all the preseason comments from Kalkbrenner about being disrespected that Sanogo was Preseason Big East Player of the Year were taken with great offense by Sanogo. He made sure to point that out after the game. Our take: Who cares? We’re just excited to Sanogo get some space in the post.

WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “[Sanogo] looked like the best player in the league and that’s why we’re potentially a top team. When you’ve got the best player in your league and a couple other guys that are first-team level guys like Jordan and Andre [Jackson], now you can win the league.”

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: The Huskies were smashed on the glass with a 49-34 deficit and gave up 20 offensive rebounds. In a sign of the changing referee landscape, the game was called even with UConn 19-for-23 from the line and Creighton 18-for-23. There were no technical fouls.

UP NEXT: UConn plays at Marquette on Wednesday.

Morning Reads

• The Frozen Fenway game was a debacle for the No. 9-ranked men’s hockey team, which fell to Northeastern 4-1. (The UConn Blog)

• The Mavericks waived guard Kemba Walker ahead of a Saturday deadline to guarantee his contract for the rest of the season. It’s fair to now wonder whether it’s the end of the line for Walker, who can no longer play at a high level each night because of an ailing knee. (Dallas Morning News)

• The Sabres’ Tage Thompson was selected to the NHL All-Star team, making him the first former UConn player to achieve that honor. (NHL.com)

Top photo: Geno Auriemma argues with an official in UConn’s win over Texas. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)