Sports: UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams both play today
Fifty miles separate UConn from its closest and longest Big East rival in Providence.
The two New England basketball programs might as well have been a universe apart over a seven-year period when UConn resided in the American Athletic Conference.
Now back in the Big East neighborhood, UConn will renew its rivalry with Providence playing twice over in a week starting with today's 4 p.m. game at Alumni Hall in Providence. The two teams also meet next Tuesday in Storrs.
The last time the two teams faced off during the regular season, UConn beat Providence in overtime in Storrs in March 2013 in its last game before departing for the AAC.
Coach Dan Hurley knows all about the Friars and their rabid fan base from his coaching days at Rhode Island where he went 1-5 in the annual battle. He looks forward to firing up the UConn-PC rivalry.
"It's fun," Hurley said. "It's one of the best parts about coming back to the Big East, especially when fans are allowed back into the mix. I was expecting a much different type of welcome at the Dunk with my return, so I'll be spared that this year. I'm sure they'll welcome me next year the way only Providence fans can.
"It's going to be great for both programs. It's going to be just like two or three times a year po
tentially with the Big East tournament. Hopefully, both of us will be competing at the top. Both teams are staggering into this one a little bit, so it's probably not the type of high level match-up that we expect to be in."
UConn (8-4, 5-4) and Providence (9-10, 5-8) are both trying to shake out of a funk, with the Huskies losing three of four and Friars dropping four of five.
Shaky defense is at the heart of both teams' recent woes.
The Huskies allowed a season high for points in Saturday's 80-73 loss to Seton Hall while the Friars did the same in Saturday's 92-81 loss to St. John's.
Stopping the Friars starts with containing the potent offensive duo of David Duke and Nate Watson, who average 17.5 and 17.9 points, respectively, per game. Watson, a powerful 6-foot-10 center, is coming off a 30-point performance in Saturday's loss to St. John's. Duke, a versatile guard, also is capable of taking over a game.
"Our defensive performances as of late have been lacking," Hurley said. "Nowhere near the level that our team needs to play for us to win. ... We're not going to win many games that go very much above low 70s. Just across the board, we've got to be better defensively."
The Huskies are getting healthier by the week. Freshman Andre Jackson played well in his return to action on Saturday. Star guard James Bouknight (elbow) is expected to be back as early as today's game.
Hurley said Bouknight has been "in and out of stuff" in practice.
"He'll be a game time decision for the foreseeable future, if he's not active," Hurley said. "At this point, it's his ability to get to a point where he's feeling good enough to play."
Hurley strongly hinted that he could make some changes to the starting lineup at more than one position.
Sophomore Jalen Gaffney, who scored a career-high 20 points against Seton Hall, may see more playing time.
Last season, the Huskies started playing their best basketball when Gaffney moved into the starting lineup.
"We need more production," Hurley said. "We need better play at the point. I need to coach better, we need to play better at all positions right now.
“We're searching a little bit. Andre infuses us with a ton of athleticism and a guy that can really pass and make some plays. We didn't start winning last year until Gaffney took over the point guard position.
"... When you're losing and things aren't going well, you're looking for solutions . .. . Guys that have fought the hardest that are going to represent the standard of UConn the best will start tomorrow."
UConn also is searching for a rhythm that it lost during its recent pause. The Huskies looked out of sync at times on Saturday in their return to action from a break.
With the Big East tournament only a month away, UConn still needs to stack up some wins to improve its resume.
It's difficult to predict just how many games the Huskies will play down the stretch due to potential COVID-19 related disruptions.
When asked if that makes every game more important, Hurley responded: "Not for me, and I don't think for the team because I'm a pretty urgent leader. Every game to me is life or death. It's the Super Bowl . ... When you're losing, your life is pretty miserable. I don't think it would be possible for a game to be any more important to me."