Plenty at stake for UConn in Hurley’s return
As UConn prepared to host Seton Hall at Gampel Pavilion early last month, coach Dan Hurley nixed the idea that he’d get sentimental going up against his alma mater.
“I think when I’m in the Prudential Center, that’s when it’ll click for me,” Hurley said at the time.
That time has arrived. On Wednesday, Hurley and the Huskies face Seton Hall at “The Rock” in Newark, New Jersey (6:30 p.m., FS1) in a game with huge consequences for both teams — and, in somewhat of a rarity this season, fans in the stands.
For UConn (12-6, 9-6 Big East), a win would just about clinch an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Most “bracketologists” have the Huskies currently in the Big Dance, though some have them more safely in than others. The Huskies would still be fairly safe even with a loss, but it would likely mean they’d have to beat Georgetown in their regular-season finale Saturday, and maybe their first Big East Tournament game the following week to feel truly safe.
“My teams are usually better at the end of the year,” said Hurley. “We get better offensively, defen
sively. I would say, as a team, we imagined Year 3, going into the Big East, we had a chance to make a move ... I look at (Wednesday’s game) as a big opportunity for us.”
Seton Hall is another matter. The Pirates (13-10, 10-7 Big East) are squarely on the bubble, and a loss Wednesday night could severely hinder their chances at an NCAA tourney bid. Seton Hall has dropped two straight, most recently on Feb. 24 at ninth-place Butler, and really can’t afford too many (if any) more setbacks.
As if that weren’t enough incentive for the Pirates, it will also be their Senior Day. Sandro Mamukelashvili, Myles Cale, Shavar Reynolds Jr. and Bryce Aiken will play their final game on their home floor, and will have the type of homecourt advantage that many teams in the Big East, including UConn, have not had this season: actual fans in the stands.
About 1,700 fans, or 10 percent capacity, will be allowed in the building. It’s the first (and last) time paying fans will be able to attend a Seton Hall home game this season.
Of course, it’s also a sort of homecoming for some members of the UConn traveling party. Hurley was born and bred in nearby Jersey City, where he starred at St. Anthony High under his father, Bob Sr. Dan was also point guard for the Hall from 1991-96, scoring 1,070 career points. He’s still not ready to get too emotional about playing his old school.
“I think the (relative) absence of fans changes a lot of the emotion and energy of these games,” Hurley said. “I don’t think you’ll feel any of that type of nostalgia until we get back into arenas next season with a full house. But for me, driving in here was real cool. Seton Hall, St. Benedict’s, where I coached, right up the street. It’s a big game tomorrow. Let’s go.”
Three of the Huskies’ players also hail from the Garden State: R.J. Cole (Union), Jalen Gaffney (Columbus) and Adama Sanogo (who is from Mali but played at The Patrick School in Hillside). In fact, Sanogo, a freshman forward, was practically signed, sealed and delivered to Seton Hall this past April before Hurley, assistant coach Kimani Young and the Huskies swooped in.
Sanogo committed to UConn in early May.
Cole has been particularly hot lately, averaging 17 points over his past five games and 19 over his past two, earning him Big East player of the week honors.
Cole said he wasn’t thinking too much about his homecoming.
“I just want to go out there and play,” he said. “Going back home really doesn’t matter to me. It’s a basketball game, and we’ve got business to handle, so that’s how I’m taking my approach to the game on Wednesday.”
RIM RATTLINGS
The winner of Wednesday night’s game will have the upper hand in finishing in third place in the Big East standings and, obviously, earning the No. 3 seed for next week’s conference tournament. The Huskies are currently percentage points ahead of the Pirates, but Seton Hall would jump them with a win. If that happens, UConn could still seal the third-place spot if it beats Georgetown at home Saturday and the Pirates lose at sixth-place St. John’s.