N.C. State Too Big for UConn

The Story: The women’s basketball team couldn’t measure up to N.C. State on the court and squandered an opportunity to secure the nation’s No. 1 ranking, falling yesterday to the unranked Wolfpack, 92-81, in Raleigh, N.C.

WHAT YOU NEED KNOW: The No. 2 Huskies (1-1) lost to N.C. State (2-0) for the first time since 1998 because they couldn’t deal with the Wolfpack’s size and athleticism and couldn’t stop Saniya Rivers from having the game of her life.

• UConn just needed to win to earn the No. 1 ranking. Instead, when the new AP Top 25 rankings come out tomorrow, it’ll be the first time in the past 25 years that the No. 1 (LSU) and No. 2 (UConn) teams lost before the second poll was released.

• Also, the Huskies are 48-6 over the last three seasons against unranked opponents. In the 20 previous seasons, UConn was 493-4. After yesterday’s game, you can bet N.C. State won’t be unranked.

WHERE’S THE D? The Huskies led by nine points after the first quarter, but N.C. State outscored UConn by 20 after that, shot 52.5 percent and seemed to get open looks at the basket on nearly every possession.

• UConn, which allowed as many as 92 points in a regulation game for the first time since Feb. 1, 2001, had no answer for Rivers.

• The junior guard, who formerly played at South Carolina, beat defenders off the dribble continuously and finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

AN INSIDE JOB: Along with UConn’s defensive issues, the biggest takeaway was N.C. State’s ability to expose the Huskies’ lack of interior depth. The Wolfpack abused UConn on the boards (41-29) and blocked six shots.

• The only trustworthy option for the undersized Huskies inside was Aaliyah Edwards. The 6-foot-3 senior did all she could against the Wolfpack bigs. She hit eight of 17 shots for 21 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds, but she clearly needed help, especially on the boards.

BUECKERS’ GAME: In only her second game back in the lineup, Paige Bueckers looked much more like herself before last year’s ACL surgery. She stepped it up on the offensive end with a team-best 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting.

• She played 30 minutes — probably more than Geno Auriemma originally intended — but he needed his best player on the floor if UConn had any hopes of making a comeback. In the, end Bueckers couldn’t do enough on her own to save the Huskies from their first loss.

ABSENT PLAYERS: Azzi Fudd might be viewed as one of the best shooters in the country, but she has yet to show it over the first two games.

• Although the junior guard played a team-high 35 minutes, she made only four of 13 shots — 1-for-7 from 3-point range — and seemed to disappear for long stretches when UConn could have used an offensive jolt.

• She’s now only 8-for-25 (32 percent) and 4-for-14 (28.5 percent) from the three-point arc. Given her skill level as a shooter, Fudd needs to maximize her scoring opportunities instead of going minutes without even taking a shot.

• The Huskies also got very little from Caroline Ducharme and Aubrey Griffin, who combined for four points, four rebounds and three turnovers in 27 minutes.

TAKING HER Q: The team’s most reliable three-point shooter at the moment is freshman Qadence Samuels, who’s proven to be fearless shooting the basketball.

• Samuels hit four of eight shots from distance to score 14 points in 23 minutes to lead the UConn freshmen. In two games, Samuels has scored 25 points in 39 minutes, making seven of 13 3-point tries.

• Perhaps to account for N.C. State’s bigger lineup, Geno used less of point guard KK Arnold (12 minutes), while Ashlynn Shade, another guard, never entered the game.

THE BIG PROBLEM: Getting adequate minutes from someone other than Edwards inside could be a season-long dilemma. The most immediate solution is likely 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman Ice Brady, but in only her second game, she played seven ineffective minutes.

• So far, Brady doesn’t look ready to make an impact, and it may take some development time before she earns Geno’s trust as a complement to Edwards off the bench.

• Otherwise, Ayanna Patterson (knee) is still out, and Amari DeBerry, at 6-foot-6, has done little to merit any playing time. Looking back, the season-ending Achilles injury to 6-foot-5 freshman Jana El Alfy looks even more significant after yesterday’s game.

WHAT DID GENO SAY? “I think getting rebounds is just an attitude, and we’ve got a [expletive] attitude toward rebounding, because it’s hard work. It’s hard work, and everybody’s got to be engaged in it.”

UP NEXT: UConn comes home to play another quality opponent, No. 14 Maryland, on Thursday at Gampel Pavilion. The Terps (1-1) could fall out of the Top 25 after losing to No. 6 South Carolina, 114-76, yesterday.

— David Kull

Options on Display in Rout of Stonehill

The Story: Tristen Newton scored 22 points, leading five UConn players in double figures, as the Huskies throttled Stonehill, 107-67, on Saturday for their 19th straight nonconference victory.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: We knew this game was not going to be a contest, but it’s still breathtaking to watch how quickly the Huskies dismantled poor Stonehill.

• UConn jumped out to a 12-0 lead and the game was never close, never competitive, and was more of a showcase of all the options Dan Hurley has at his disposal.

• Newton got off to a torrid start and is looking to become more of a primary scorer than a facilitator. He’s averaging 18 points, seven rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 61 percent, including 40, from 3-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line. Newton struggled last season as the point guard, as he’s a more natural scorer, and while he’s still expected to create offense and run the team, the addition of Stephon Castle allows him to share facilitator responsibilities.

• Speaking of Castle, after a humble debut, the freshman had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes and was a team-high plus-39. We’ren’t huge fans of plus/minus at The Daily, but that’s an extraordinary split in 24 minutes.

• Donovan Clingan scored another 16 points in 16 minutes and added seven rebounds as he continues to work his way back from a stress fracture. The totals aren’t eye-popping for Clingan, but once again, his productivity per minute continues to be off the charts. We expect Hurley to start pushing him above 20 minutes in the coming weeks.

• On the flip side, Samson Johnson‘s breakout continues with eight points. The Huskies have a nice inside game going with Johnson and Clingan — at least during the cupcake portion of the schedule.

WHAT WE LIKED: Ball movement. The Huskies could physically destroy opponents but have decided to do so surgically with passing and offense.

• Their ball movement, which was beautiful to end last season, has continued this year. They had 24 assists on 38 baskets and can score in a multitude of ways.

• This isn’t the Huskies just turning teams over or pounding them on the glass to win. They’re picking teams apart with their execution. That’s a good sign as the competition is going to get a lot tougher in the coming weeks.

WHAT COULD GET BETTER: The 3-point shooting is mired in an early-season slump. It’s crazy complain about shooting, but the Huskies were only 10-of-31 (32.3 percent) from 3-point range despite a ton of open looks.

• Cam Spencer, who is statistically one of the best shooters in the nation, has struggled early on and was 2-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.

• We need something to pick on, and this is it. The 3-point shot is a critical part of UConn’s success and when it gets into Big East play, if the Huskies don’t shoot well, that’s going to be a problem. Are we worried? No. But that’s about the only nitpick we have.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: UConn’s margin of victory in two games is 41.5 points as they are 2-0 against the spread and covered the 35.5-point line on Saturday.

• The Huskies were 21-of-23 from the free throw line against Stonehill and held a 42-26 edge on the boards while forcing 21 turnovers.

WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “These games are important. We need to be able to play these young guys, these freshmen, let them build some confidence before we start playing these monster games.”

UP NEXT: The Huskies host one of the lowest-rated teams in KenPom tomorrow in Mississippi Valley State as the early-season KO of tomato cans continues.

— John Silver

Huskies’ Wheels Fall Off After Halftime

The Story: No. 21-ranked James Madison blew open a close game at halftime as it routed UConn 44-6 at home on Saturday to improve to 10-0.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: UConn (1-9) lost for the third time in blowout fashion to a ranked team. The Huskies played well in the first half and trailed 13-3 but were torched to the tune of 31-3 in the second half. JMU scored the game’s last 28 points.

• JMU’s Jordan McCloud threw for 457 yards and four touchdowns as he shredded UConn’s secondary.

• The Huskies got one of the better performances from Cam Ross in some time as he had four catches for 91 yards. Justin Joly had seven catches for 71 yards for the Huskies, who managed 240 yards passing.

• Cam Edwards took the majority of the carries, 12 rushes for 43 yards, as Victor Rosa had only two carries, including a fumble. Rosa hasn’t seen much action since injuring his ankle midseason.

PLAYING OUT THE STRING: The Huskies are limping to the finish. Jim Mora has said they’re going to need a major influx of talent to turn things around quickly.

• UConn started the season with hope it could improve on a 6-7 record from a year ago but has regressed. A year ago, UConn was 5-1 at home on its way to a bowl bid. This season, it’s 0-5.

• The Huskies end their home schedule with a game against FCS foe Sacred Heart on Saturday. They’ll wrap up altogether with a game at UMass on Nov. 25.
— John Silver

Morning Reads

• Andrew Lucas scored the winning goal with 48 seconds remaining as the men's hockey team fought back to secure a weekend sweep with a 4-3 win at Merrimack on Saturday night.

• The women's ice hockey team also emerged from the weekend with a sweep as Jada Habisch had two goals in a 3-1 win at Maine on Saturday.

• It was a tough weekend for the women's volleyball team, which wrapped up its final road trip of the season with a loss at Butler on Friday and a loss at Xavier on Sunday afternoon.

• James Bouknight has been cleared to resume basketball-related activities after going arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, but what role he plays for the Hornets is anyone's guess.

Top photo: Geno Auriemma yells to his players during last season’s exhibition against Kutztown. (Courtesy of UConn athletics)