A Much-Needed Laugh
The Story: The No. 15-ranked men’s basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak yesterday as Jordan Hawkins had 20 points and Adama Sanogo had 17 points and 14 rebounds in an 86-56 win over Butler at the XL Center.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: This was the team we watched in the first 14 games of the season. The Huskies (16-5, 5-5 Big East) were dominant in all facets, shooting 49 percent, scoring 42 points in the paint and outrebounding Butler 48-22.
• Sanogo, who has come under intense criticism from the fan base for his recent play, bounced back with his fourth double-double of the season, along with two blocks, in only 23 minutes.
• Alex Karaban continued his strong play with 15 points while Tristen Newton had 11.
• The Huskies put the game away in the first half and led by as many as 37 before Dan Hurley called off the dogs.
• Hurley and assistant Kimani Young returned to the bench after missing the previous game with COVID-19. Both wore a mask.
JOHNSON RETURNS: Samson Johnson, who injured his foot in the season opener on Nov. 7, made his return and scored two points in seven minutes. Where does the 6-foot-10 forward fit? We don’t know, but he is an alternative at the four in place of Karaban and provides more athleticism, length and defensive versatility.
VICTORY IS THERAPY: UConn’s losing streak and struggles since the start of the year have weighed on them. Hurley mentioned after the game that the team is taking the comments from fans hard and that confidence was shot when he returned to the team, saying that they looked like “dogs in an animal shelter” after the Seton Hall loss. Hurley is a tough guy, but he may have had to be a little more like Dr. Phil this week.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY: “It was good to see us kind of resemble, at times, the team that we’ve been for a much larger part of the season than the last couple of weeks. Some of the suffering that’s gone on the last couple of weeks, hopefully, will produce more of these types of games from us.”
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: UConn never trailed, and when you add that to only trailing for seven seconds in the loss to Seton Hall, the Huskies have either tied or led in 79:53 of a possible 80:00 over past two games. Still, UConn is 1-1 in that span.
• The Huskies were 18-for-25 on layups, markedly better than the 9-for-27 from point-blank range in the loss to Seton Hall.
• UConn averaged 1.3 points per possession against Butler.
UP NEXT: The Huskies take on Xavier on Wednesday night.
DePaul Next, Reinforcements Coming
The story: The No. 5-ranked women’s basketball team, which made quick work of Butler on Saturday, get right back on the floor tonight against DePaul at Gampel Pavilion.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Huskies won their 10th straight despite playing with a depleted roster in a 79-39 win over Butler on Saturday.
• Aaliyah Edwards led four UConn players in double figures with 20 points, while Lou Lopez Senechal and Aubrey Griffin added 17 apiece.
• The Huskies (17-2, 10-0 Big East) lead Villanova by one game in the standings.
• This game is the one rescheduled from Jan. 8, when the Huskies had to postpone because they did not have enough players available.
• DePaul (11-9, 4-5 Big East) is led by Aneesah Morrow, last year’s national freshman of the year, who is fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 25.2 points per game.
NO FUDD FOR SOME TIME: The injury news isn’t great for the Huskies. Azzi Fudd is out indefinitely after reinjuring her right knee. She is on crutches for the next several weeks and we wouldn’t expect her back anytime soon, as tempting the injury gods hasn’t been a great strategy this year.
Caroline Ducharme and Ayanna Patterson remain out in extended concussion protocol as well, as the Huskies are essentially only seven deep at this point, with Ines Bettencourt and Amari DeBerry acting as the one guard and one big off the bench.
HUSKIES ADD EL ALFY? UConn could be adding Egyptian forward Jana El Alfy, who is reportedly enrolling early. UConn is one week into the spring semester and there are scholarship slots available for the 6-foot-4 forward, who was slated to come into the program next fall.
• The Huskies need bodies now. El Alfy, who is 17 but has international experience, could come to Storrs and practice and, if necessary, be eligible to play for the team. She hasn’t arrived as of yet and there has been no announcement from UConn on her status.
Morning Reads
• Former UConn guard Jalen Gaffney is playing a big part in Florida Atlantic’s run this season, as FAU is 19-1 and boasts the nation’s longest winning streak at 18 games. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
• The first win at the Toscano Family Ice Arena came on Saturday as the men’s hockey team pulled out a 3-1 win over UMass. (The UConn Blog)
Top photo: Jordan Hawkins shoots a 3-pointer in the Huskies’ season-opening win over Stonehill at the XL Center. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
