Clingan Hurt as Huskies Fall to Seton Hall
The Story: The No. 5-ranked UConn men got a rude welcoming to Big East play as they were throttled by Seton Hall, 75-60, on the road behind 23 points from Kadary Richmond.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Donovan Clingan left with a foot injury early in the second half and UConn couldn’t recover as the Pirates outmuscled, out-toughed and outplayed the Huskies and handed them their worst loss since January, when they were beaten by St. John’s.
• UConn struggled offensively and shot 38 percent, including a putrid 4-of-21 from 3-point range. It didn’t have a single fastbreak point and committed 17 turnovers.
• Its only effective player was Clingan, who had 14 points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes. He went down with a sprained ankle three minutes into the half. With Clingan, the Huskies were plus-7; without him, they were minus-22.
• Alex Karaban had a nightmare game with nine points on 3-of-12 shooting, and he was consistently beat on defense off the dribble. Cam Spencer wasn’t much better with five points on 2-of-7 shooting before fouling out.
• Richmond also had six rebounds, five assists, and nine steals for the Pirates.
• UConn led 20-10 before Clingan left in foul trouble and the lane started to open. Seton Hall scored 46 points in the paint, a staggering number considering UConn’s size and defense even without Clingan.
WHAT WE LIKED: Not much, to be honest. Clingan was a force and looked like he was headed for another big game. The Huskies were down four points in second half when he got hurt, so if it makes you feel better, say their performance was because Clingan got hurt. We, however, aren’t letting the rest of the players off the hook.
WHAT NEEDS TO IMPROVE: Where do we start? The Huskies couldn’t guard a chair on the perimeter. Seton Hall attacked the rim and shot 52 percent with 46 points in the paint.
• UConn had 13 assists and didn’t play with pace, force or physical play. It didn’t get much off the bench, and it needs Stephon Castle to become the player we expect sooner rather than later. We would also like to see some more development out of Jaylin Stewart.
CLINGAN’S STATUS: Clingan’s injury is concerning. He was seen in a boot after the game, and considering his size and future, caution has to be the approach. We don’t know how serious the injury is but we aren’t confident we are going to see him on Saturday against St. John’s.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: It’s an ugly box score for the Huskies. They allowed Seton Hall to score 17 points off turnovers and — get this — the methodical Pirates held an 18-0 advantage in fastbreak points. UConn is an excellent halfcourt team, but zero fastbreak points is not a good energy level or pace.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “I’m just really stunned by just how unprepared I had these guys for a really tough, physical conference game. … That was not reminiscent of a top team. That was a pretty embarrassing performance for all of us, myself first in line. To have one of my teams in a conference opener go on the road and perform like this, I’m having a hard time even looking you [reporters] in the eyes when you ask me a question right now, because it’s a little feeling of shame there.”
OUR TAKE: What is it with Big East openers? The Huskies just aren’t good opening conference play and last night’s humbling was shocking. A loss like this could actually pop the team’s air of invincibility, and that could be a good thing as UConn began getting a lot of love as a favorite to win the national title. Let’s slow down there and work on winning a Big East road game. Clingan’s injury has us worried. Samson Johnson wilted under the physicality and pressure, and there’s not another viable option in the pivot.
UP NEXT: The Huskies host St. John’s on Saturday night before a sellout crowd at the XL Center.
Huskies Add 16 on Early Signing Day
The Story: The football team received letters of intent from 12 high school players yesterday and unveiled four others who will transfer to join the program before the start of next season.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: UConn’s biggest get is quarterback Cole Welliver, a three-star prospect from Argyle, Texas, who is rated the No. 76 player at the position, according to 247 Sports. Welliver, who is 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, has maintained his commitment to UConn since June and chose the Huskies over Deion Sanders and Colorado, as well as Arizona State and Colorado State.
• The Huskies’ recruiting class, all things considered, isn’t that bad. Although it’s ranked 109th in the FBS, 10 of the 12 players are considered three-star prospects, and we’re guessing the other two could be under-the-radar types.
• UConn signed just one player from Connecticut, safety Jonathan Morris of Fairfield Prep, and added players from its usual recruiting grounds — Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida.
• Notably, the Huskies also signed running back Oliver Lundberg Coleman from Sweden and tight end Clemens Richter from Germany. Neither player has spent any time at a prep school in the United States (as is usually the case), making their arrivals more impressive.
TRANSFERS IN: UConn added four players who have college experience: UCF defensive lineman Kervins Chute, who will be a redshirt junior; Tulsa defensive lineman Jayden Simon, a redshirt senior who also played at Colorado; Sacramento State punter Connor Stutz, who will be a redshirt senior; and Kansas State cornerback Jordan Wright, who will be a sixth-year senior.
• We’re still awaiting word on Gardner-Webb running back Jayden Brown, who only made his mind up earlier this week, and defensive lineman Dakote Doyle, who committed last week and would be transferring from Garden City Community College.
TRANSFERS OUT: One former UConn player found a new home yesterday when running back Brian Brewton, who chose to leave UConn in September to preserve a year of eligibility, was unveiled as part of Middle Tennessee State’s recruiting class.
• We’re not particularly sure what it means when UConn loses a player who clearly has his sights on something else to MTSU, or which side that reflects more strongly upon. Rather than figuring it out, we’ll just wish Brewton the best.
Morning Reads
• There’s not much to say about the No. 17-ranked women’s basketball team’s 111-34 win over Toronto Metropolitan in Aaliyah Edwards‘ homecoming game, other than that Edwards had 26 points and 10 rebounds and that the Huskies (10-3, 1-0 Big East) led a clearly overmatched opponent 68-9 at halftime.
Top photo: Donovan Clingan dunks in the Huskies’ game against Northern Arizona. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
