UConn shows heart in loss to Michigan State
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — They were gassed, UConn players. Coach Dan Hurley and his team had walked away from Wednesday’s marathon double-overtime victory over Auburn and essentially shrugged their shoulders, set to wake up Thanksgiving morning and just “let it rip,” as Hurley said, with whatever they had left for a noon tip-off against Michigan State.
And it wasn’t much, at least initially. The Huskies, jelly legs, couldn’t hit a jump shot. They were without a top defender and an enormous piece of their identity, Isaiah Whaley, who sat as a precaution because he had fainted the night before. They trailed by 14 late in the first half and were being blown out of the tiny convention center at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
UConn overcame all of that, though, roaring back to take control of a game it should have won but didn’t. That’s why a 64-60 loss to the Spartans — not a disaster, but a demoralizing missed opportunity — hurt the way it did as players filed off toward a team turkey dinner and preparation for their third and final game in the Bahamas, Friday at 1:30 p.m.
The Huskies showed how tough they are Thursday. They got their mojo going 100 mph. They had enough in the tank. They let it evaporate.
“Michigan State is really good,” Hurley said. “And we blew it.”
UConn didn’t lose this game because of fatigue, no matter how much how much that was expected and how much it was a factor. The Huskies, ironically, were positioned to win this game on the strength of its heart and energy, wearing down Michigan State as it went on. They lost because they botched the final 1:41.
At that point, with UConn leading by five, Andre Jackson missed the back end of a 1-and-1 — and Adama Sanogo committed an over-the-back foul that put Michigan State on the line at the other end without a second ticking off the clock. Julius Marble made two free throws to cut the UConn lead to 60-57.
Tyrese Martin, playing spectacularly throughout despite a sprained left wrist, and Sanogo missed shots on the ensuing possession and Marble scored on a drive to cut the UConn lead to one. Sanogo, a great player but sometimes a vacuum down low, missed a hook shot with 42 seconds left, and with 30 seconds remaining R.J. Cole was whistled for his fifth foul — one that sent Hurley into tirade, adamant in thinking it was a clean play.
“I watched it,” Hurley said. “It’s a jump ball. But, listen, we lost because we made a lot of mistakes and Michigan State did not.”
A.J. Hoggard’s two free throws gave the Spartans a 61-60 lead and UConn called timeout with 27 seconds left. The plan was to feed Sanogo, with his options being a post move, a pass to Tyler Polley in the corner or a pass to Martin near the rim. But Martin’s entry pass was intercepted, and the deficit was three after free throws by Malik Hall.
Needing a 3-pointer to tie, the best UConn could do was a Jalen Gaffney airball with five seconds left. The plan on that possession was for Gaffney to drive to the rim, either for a quick 2pointer or dishing for a 3-pointer from the corner. He couldn’t create any space, “and then panic set in,” Hurley said.
That was it. What a shame. UConn missed nine of its final 10 shots, was outscored 13-3 down the stretch. The Huskies survived a 2 hour, 50 minute emotional and physical grind the night before, got itself back to the gym, got itself going in ways that had the several hundred UConn fans into proud chants — and then skidded into the consolation game.
They played hard. They have guts. They played well. They just didn’t finish.
“We lost focus a little bit,” said Sanogo, who had 18 points on 10 rebounds and shot 8-for-18.
“We just weren’t tough enough at the end,” Martin said. “We’re going to fight every game but it wasn’t enough at the end of the game to be able to come out on top like we wanted to.”
You see what UConn did on the court — through nearly five hours of intense basketball in a 24-hour stretch — and you can’t doubt their heart and fight. This was a healthy reminder though, perhaps a lesson, for what a tightrope this sport is, how complete each performance must be.
Sanogo was a little one-dimensional, reluctant to kick to the perimeter, predictable as Michigan State decided to load up on the perimeter instead of double-team him. Martin was brilliant, with 16 points and 12 rebounds and the dunks that nearly shot UConn fans from the bleachers through the low ceiling, but he lost his grasp on the game down the stretch.
“There are defining moments in every season and it’s kind of early,” said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, whose team defeated Loyola in Wednesday’s early game. “But we just beat a hell of a team. They’re good. I felt like we played really good, too, so I’m going to give us credit in a lot of ways. But they play hard. That Martin kid, I kept telling my guys in the huddle, that’s how you play the game.”
Look, if Wednesday’s game wasn’t so taxing, Thursday’s would have been easier to manage from the get-go. UConn trailed 32-18, missing 15 of its first 18 shots. If Whaley played, he would have come up with a stop or two early to set a tone. If another few early shots had fallen through the net, it would have been tied at halftime.
“You could put the recovery boots on and drink as many Gatorades as you want, when you have the type of game we played [Wednesday],” Hurley said. “But it takes a little bit to wake up like, oh, wow, these guys are playing with unbelievable pace. I mean, they were on top of us quickly, and they were playing at a much different pace.”
Eventually, UConn matched and exceeded Michigan State’s energy. Andre Jackson threw down an alleyoop from Cole to pull UConn within 38-31. Martin’s steal and dunk in transition tied it at 41-41 and UConn had made seven shots in a row. A Martin jumper gave the Huskies a 55-48 lead with 4:44 left. The building was electric. Soon, though, it was a land of confusion, inefficiency, leading to a loss. There was a lot to appreciate. Just not the result.
“I think big picture, that’s a great learning experience for us,” Hurley said. “But UConn comes to tournaments expecting to play in the championship. We’ve got to take care of business [Friday]. We’re not going to get exactly what we wanted, but we better leave here 2-1.”