Team still working to find finishing touch
Do you remember “Groundhog Day”? It’s a 1993 movie starring Bill Murray, who plays a weatherman who lives the same day over and over again. Uconn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley must be feeling the same way watching his team unravel in close games.
Uconn (10-4, 1-2 Big East) lost an overtime thriller to No. 24 Seton Hall (11-3, 2-2) 90-87 on Saturday afternoon at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Just 14 points in four losses separates Uconn from being undefeated as Hurley said after the game. The difference between a good team and a great team is its ability to close out close games. Consistently, the Huskies have fallen apart in close games, which has fans and Hurley bewildered.
The Huskies have to take a hard look in the mirror and figure out who they are.
It’s important remember, they played well Saturday, especially considering they were coming off a 17-day hiatus due to COVID-19 issues within the program.
“We didn’t start playing 5-on-5 until Thursday,” Hurley said. “We had guys getting out of quarantine and then practice once, then the game.”
Here are five things we have learned about the Huskies so far:
Jackson secondary ballhandler
Good things happen when Andre Jackson has the ball in his hands. Against Seton Hall, he played the role of a secondary ballhandler and often took the ball off the rebound while pushing the pace. Jackson’s elite athleticism and fantastic vision lead to easy buckets for not only his teammates, but himself. His passing almost felt too good because a few times his teammates bobbled or lost the ball because they weren’t quite ready for the pass. Jackson finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two assists.
Uconn’s hot 3-point shooting
Perhaps one of the most interesting things about this Huskies team is its 3-point shooting. Players who are not typically shooters (Akok Akok and Jackson) are leading the team in percentages. While players like Tyler Polley, who is traditionally a good shooter, is shooting 32% from 3. On Saturday against Seton Hall, the Huskies shot a seasonbest 14-for-23 (61%) from 3. Polley was 3-for-5, his first good game from beyond the arc since the Auburn game, when he went 6-for-9. Tyrese Martin went 3-for-4 and Akok and Jackson each went 2-for-4 from 3. Watching Akok drain 3s never gets old.
Akok’s lack of minutes
On Saturday, Uconn started Sanogo and Akok together, which has only happened one other time this season, Uconn’s 64-60 loss to Michigan State. They started together due to Isaiah Whaley coming off COVID-19, according to Hurley. Akok ended up with six points and two assists, but played just 19 minutes. While he wasn’t dominant on the boards (Sanogo gobbled up 16 rebounds), he gave the Huskies a nice balance of floor spacing and big 3-point shooting threat. As Uconn needed three points to tie the game at the end of overtime, why wasn’t the best 3-point shooter on the floor? Typically most teams don’t play doublebig due to lack of spacing, but his 3-point shooting isn’t just a mirage. Akok has been stepping into his 3s and making his catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Uconn’s ballhandling and turnover issues
You can’t win a lot of games when you turn the ball over 19 times like the Huskies did, leading to 26 Seton Hall points. It felt like every time Uconn was on the verge of putting the game away, it would turn the ball over, breathing life into the Pirates. The Huskies’ ballhandling issues have been a consistent problem throughout the season with guard R.J Cole forced to carry the load. When Cole fouled out with 2:19 to play in overtime, the Huskies struggled to initiate sets, leading to Martin turning the ball over when down one with 2 seconds left and essentially sealing the game.
Sanogo is back to his old self
Sanogo started his first game since Uconn faced Maryland Eastern Shore. He had missed four games due to an abdominal strain, but played 13 minutes against Marquette. He came into Saturday’s game questionable to play after being limited in practice due to a hamstring injury he sustained in the Marquette game. He finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds. According to Sanogo, he felt 100 percent but later said he was playing through some pain. Coming into the game he was supposed to play under 20 minutes, but ended up playing 32. On the court, he looked comfortable. He got to his spots in the post for easy scores, dominated the glass and passed out of double teams, an important development.