The Danger of Providence
The Story: The No. 1-ranked UConn men have a date at Madison Square Garden this weekend, but before that long-awaited game, it better not look past pesky Providence tonight at Gampel Pavilion (8:30 p.m., FS1).
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: We can’t wait for UConn (18-2, 8-1 Big East) versus Rick Pitino and St. John’s in front of a sellout crowd at MSG, either. That’s going to be one of the more charged and electric atmospheres of the season. But Providence (14-6, 5-4 Big East) is no joke, and it’s still dangerous even with the loss of Bryce Hopkins to a torn ACL earlier this month.
• The Huskies put an eight-game winning streak on the line, all coming after their surprising loss to Seton Hall to open Big East play.
• A year ago, the Huskies limped to the end of January with concerns that their early-season success was a mirage. Now? UConn is undefeated and hasn’t lost since Dec. 20.
• Health is a major factor in that there are no health problems for the first time this season. Donovan Clingan appears to be all the way back from his foot injury and is much quicker and in better shape after three weeks of conditioning, Stephon Castle, who missed time with a knee injury, is also looking comfortable in his role.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “There’s a high level of relief when you win, We’ll enjoy it for that night, but the next day, the preparation starts. We’re maniacal about our preparation. I look for any type of crack in human behavior, people getting complacent. I was probably tougher on them after [beating Xavier] than I would be after a loss.”
ABOUT PROVIDENCE: The Friars are riding high after winning the Ed Cooley Bowl on Saturday and have won three straight games. They were a fringe top-25 team when they were 11-2 and Hopkins went down but are still in the NCAA Tournament picture under first-year coach Kim English.
• Devin Carter has picked up the slack as No. 1 option and scored 29 points in the win over Georgetown. He’s averaging 18.6 points per game and is an all-Big East first-team candidate as he’s leading conference play with 22 points per game.
• Josh Oduro adds 14.8 points per game as Providence is a high-energy team that wants to attack the basket. It only shoots 32 percent from 3-point range with Carter (36.3 percent) and Jayden Pierre (41.4 percent) the top long-distance threats.
REMEMBER THE NAME: UConn intends to retire Richard Hamilton‘s No. 32 at halftime of the game against Villanova on Feb. 24.
• Hamilton, who only played three seasons before leaving for the NBA, scored 2,036 points while in Storrs and is second only to Chris Smith in school history. It’s a well-deserved honor for Hamilton, who helped the Huskies win the national championship in 1999.
— John Silver
A Get-Right Game in Philadelphia?
The Story: The No. 11-ranked UConn women will attempt to move past the disappointment of their resounding loss to Notre Dame on Saturday night with a game at Villanova tonight (6:30 p.m., SNY).
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: UConn (17-4, 9-0 Big East) struggled to handle the Fighting Irish's speed and size in a primetime showdown four days ago, but they'll encounter a different team — one they match up much better against — in the Wildcats (13-7, 6-3 Big East).
• The Huskies are outscoring their Big East opponents by 33.7 points per game and haven't won one by less than 24 points this season. Their dominance in conference was likely a reason why they stumbled against Notre Dame, and Geno Auriemma recognizes a need to create more urgency to prepare his players for better opponents.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? "The only way that you can prepare to be good in these games is when you've been in these situations enough times. And where we are right now, we're not there yet."
ABOUT VILLANOVA: The Wildcats still take plenty of 3-pointers — they've attempted more than 20 a game this season — but are making just 30.3 percent of them.
• Their identity has been forged on defense, where they're holding opponents to 59.7 points per game. UConn, by comparison, is holding foes to 59.9 points per game, so unless the Huskies can get out in transition, this one seems poised to be a defensive slog.
• Villanova is careful and deliberate with the ball as it's averaging only 10.2 turnovers per game, which ranks second in the country.
• Junior guard Lucy Olsen leads the Big East in scoring at 23.7 points per game and has scored at least 30 points six times — including a 40-point performance in a win against Temple in November. Junior forward Christina Dalce is averaging 8.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game and freshman guard Maddie Webber is contributing 9.3 points per game.
— Zac Boyer
Morning Reads
• Former UConn guard Jordan Hawkins has been selected to play in the NBA's Rising Stars Challenge, which takes place on Feb. 16 during All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. Hawkins is averaging 10.5 points per game for the Pelicans.
Top photo: Stephon Castle drives to the basket in the Huskies’ season-opening game against Northern Arizona. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
