Huskies will host Creighton in their first game in 17 days
When we last saw the UConn men’s basketball team, Josh Carlton was dominating like Tim Duncan, Andre Jackson was going through some typical freshman struggles and James Bouknight was still very good.
When the Huskies finally return to the floor on Sunday at Gampel Pavilion against No. 9 Creighton (noon, FS1) in their first game since Dec. 3, chances are that Bouknight is still very good. But for a guy like Carlton, trying to build some much-needed momentum, or Jackson, trying to finally get in a groove, or virtually anyone else on the UConn roster, it’s hard to know what to expect.
“The only way you’re gonna get the consistency that you want is by being able to get into more normal type of games-practicegames (routines),” coach Dan Hurley said on Saturday. “With the way things have gone for us, that’s a challenge for the whole group.”
UConn (3-0) has already had six games canceled or postponed, the latest a slated Dec. 23 game at DePaul. As of now, after Sunday, the Huskies aren’t scheduled to play again until Dec. 30 (at home against DePaul), but Hurley noted the team is trying to reschedule with a conference game, most likely on or around Dec. 27.
At least UConn will get one game in on Sunday (barring any last-minute positive COVID-19 tests). Of course, the 17-day pause between games is likely the longest the Huskies have had during a regular season in the modern era. And it
just so happens to be against one of the best teams in the country.
Creighton (5-2, 1-1 Big East), led by Big East preseason Player of the Year point guard Marcus Zegarowski (“a maestro,” according to Hurley) and sharpshooting guard Mitch Ballock, is coming off an 18-point shellacking of St. John’s on Thursday in Queens.
“Our last 40 days have been a mess here,” said Hurley, whose program has had two shutdowns since Nov. 4. “We’ve had many more days when we weren’t allowed to do anything than we were actually able to practice for our games. You put up a strong, confident front in front of the players ... but no, I’m incredibly nervous and anxious about what we’re gonna look like (Sunday) against one of the best teams in the country.”
After beating a good USC team on Dec. 3 at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Huskies had a slated Dec. 5 game against NC State canceled, then were unable to schedule a make-up when a positive test withing the program put it into quarantine. UConn has had to postpone its first three Big East games against St. John’s, Georgetown and Providence. Next week’s DePaul game was postponed because the Blue Demons went into a pause earlier in the week, and the Connecticut Department of Public Health advises the team from playing games against any team that is not out of a 14-day period since its last positive test.
UConn was able to return to practice on Dec. 13, giving it a week to prepare for the Bluejays — sort of.
Said Hurley: “You find yourself in the first couple of days, almost trying to focus on conditioning, giving these guys a chance to play off some of the rust, get back in some semblance of shape, before you can even begin to install a game plan or work on execution on either end of the court.”
The Huskies may have to do so without Tyler Polley. Hurley said the senior forward and top 3-point threat “may or may not” be ready to play, but the program will have more information on that on Sunday.
RIM RATTLINGS
⏩ Hurley noted that Akok Akok, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear in February, may have been ready to return to game action sometime between Christmas and New Year’s if not for the two program shutdowns. Now, according to Hurley, the COVID-19 pauses have “set him back weeks ... multiple weeks.”
Hurley also said that, if the Huskies are able to reschedule a game next week in place of the DePaul postponement, it almost certainly won’t be against a nonconference foe.
“Right now, the risk of playing a nonconference game against somebody, and then potentially getting COVID in that game and getting bounced out of two weeks again ... the juice isn’t worth the squeeze at this particular juncture.”
He added that the game would likely be played on Dec. 27, unless there’s another scheduled game that gets postponed in the coming days and a different opponent can be called “out of the bullpen.”