UConn men at DePaul
The Huskies have won back-to-back road games in the Big East, an impressive feat regardless of the attendance, and are going for a third in a row at DePaul on Monday night.
They appear headed back to the national rankings after an absence of nearly five years, and are in or near the top 25 in the key metrics, so the program is again on the national map, though many tough conference opponents lie ahead.
DePaul is UConn’s first repeat opponent. The Huskies won
The basics
6 p.m.
Wintrust Arena, Chicago
UConn, 10-1
UConn, 82-61, Dec. 30 at Gampel Pavilion.
UConn W3, DePaul L4
FS1 (Adam Alexander, Nick Bahe)
UConn IMG Radio Network (Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman); 97.9 ESPN Hartford, WINE 940 AM, WGCH 1490 AM, WICC 600 AM, WAVZ 1300 AM, WXLM 980 AM, WATR 1320 AM, WILI 1400 AM, 95.3 FM, XM 386, Internet 986.
Information can be found at the Fox Sports website.
UConn (6-1, 3-1 Big East) probable starters, sixth man Jalen Gaffney, G, 6-2, So.; Isaiah Whaley, F, 6-9, Sr.; So.; R.J. Cole, G, 6-0, Jr.; Tyrese Martin, G/F, 6-6, Jr.; Brendan Adams, G, 6-4, Jr.; Tyler Polley, F, 6-8, Sr.
DePaul (1-3, 0-3) probable starters, sixth man
Nick Ongenda, C, 6-11, So.; Javon FreemanLiberty, G, 6-4, Jr.; Ray Salnave, G, 6-3, Sr.; Charlie Moore, G, 5-11, Sr.; Romeo Weems, F, 6-7, So.; Pauly Paulicap, F, 6-8, Sr.
The matchup
Tyler Polley stepped decisively at Gampel Pavilion to start the current winning streak. They had James Bouknight (20 points) in that game, and probably won’t Monday, but are evolving into a team with multiple scoring weapons and ways to win. Tyler Polley, Tyrese Martin and Isaiah Whaley have come up big in the games at Marquette and Butler, and Akok Akok is back to offer a new dimension on defense.
DePaul, after its late start to the season, is still looking for its first Big East win, after losing to Seton Hall on Saturday.
in when Bouknight injured his elbow at Marquette and has been a force from the 3-point line, making 10 of 16 in the two games, scoring 42 points. The 3-pointer has become more prominent in the Huskies’ attack, with Martin and even Whaley getting into the perimeter act. That should open things up for more driving the lane, as teams adjust.
Butler shot better than most opponents, but the Huskies held them scoreless for six minutes in the first half to take control of Saturday’s game. Akok made his return after missing nearly a year recovering from a torn Achilles, and his shot-blocking presence figures to give opponents an even narrower path to the basket, with more pressure.
DePaul is missing a scoring option with Oscar Lopez Jr. out with a knee injury. Things revolve around Moore, Weems and Freeman-Liberty, who scored 22 vs. Seton Hall last game, but the three combined for only 23 points vs. UConn on Dec. 30, as the Blue Demons shot 38.1 percent.
DePaul has done a good job against the 3-pointer, opponents shooting 29.5 percent, but inside the arc is a different story, 53.2 percent. The Blue Demons are allowing 81.3 points per game and have been outrebounded, especially on their defensive boards. UConn had 15
offensive rebounds, 16 second-chance points and 38 points in the paint last time.
With Bouknight out and the 3-pointer established as a threat, the Huskies need better penetration and scoring from guards Cole and Gaffney, who began to do that better late in the game at Butler.
Polley. It’s hard to take one’s eye off a hot 3-point shooter.
Dave Leitao,
60, from New Bedford, Mass., coached at UConn on Jim Calhoun’s staff in two separate stints as an assistant; he was there for UConn’s NIT title, the Dream Season, the early Big East championships and the first national championship in 1999. As a head coach, he has been at Northeastern, Virginia and twice at DePaul, his career record 208-230.
In the early 20th century, an announcer referred to them as the D-men, and that evolved into Demons and stuck.
George Mikan, Mark Aguirre, Rod Strickland, Dave Corzine, Wilson Chandler and Terry Cummings are among those from DePaul who’ve played in the NBA.