MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
STONEHILL at UCONN
When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: XL Center, Hartford
2021-22 Records: Stonehill 15-12 (Division 2), UConn 23-10
TV: FoxSports.com, Fox Sports app
Radio: UConn/IMG Sports Network, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WICC-Brideport (600 AM), WINE-Danbury (940 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM), 97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford
KEEP AN EYE ON
WHO’S STARTING?: Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins are givens. Andre Jackson Jr. is a given once he returns from a broken pinky finger. Who’ll fill out the rest of the starting lineup on Monday night?
There have been two main battles over the past month of practices: point guard and power forward. A pair of transfers, Tristen Newton (ECU) and Hassan Diarra (Texas A&M) have battled at the point.
“It was good playing against Hassan every day,” Newton reported. “He’s a great defender. Offensively, he’s very crafty, so he makes me work on my defense.”
At power forward it’s been sophomore Samson Johnson vs. redshirt freshman Alex Karaban.
“We’ve been going at it since Day One of summer,” Karaban said. “He’s my match-up every day. he’s been super-helpful. He’s so athletic, he’s smart, he can do pretty much everything. I think I won’t find a match-up as difficult as him in the Big East. And I feel like I’ve been doing the same for him, helping him defensively and offensively.”
Ultimately, Hurley’s decision on a starting lineup (and, for that matter, on his rotations) came down to “the combination of everything that we’ve seen this summer, which is a ton of plays running through your mind. It’s a cumulative thing. Then, obviously, the closed scrimmages, gut, eye test, what you think fits best.”
WHY STONEHILL?: The SkyHawks are in their first year of a four-year transition to Division 1. They won’t be allowed to play in the NCAA tournament or NIT until 2026-27, though they will be able to play in the Northeast Conference championships in two years.
Stonehill is a veteran team that includes a pair of Connecticut products. It could provide a headache for the Huskies by playing five men behind the 3-point line on offense. Coach Chris Kraus said his team was among the most popular for D1 teams to inquire about adding to their non-conference schedule. He said he reached out to the UConn staff, and they were receptive to setting up the game.
X’D OUT OF XL: UConn wasn’t able to practice at the XL Center on Saturday due to a UConn hockey game, or on Sunday due to UConn women’s basketball. the Huskies have yet to practice at the site.