At the midway point
Where are the Huskies right now, and where are they going?
The calendar turns to February on Monday, and while that alone may not cause Jon Rothstein to start hyperventilating, we’re getting closer.
March will be a month away. This strange, frustrating, somewhat fascinating college basketball season is heading down the home stretch. Even if there are teams that have only played four, five or six games to this point.
UConn has played 11 games. Two more and the Huskies meet the NCAA’s required minimum to be eligible for the NCAA tournament. That shouldn’t be an issue. How many games will the Huskies end up playing? There are currently nine left on their regularseason schedule. There should be a few make-ups added; there probably will be more postponements/ cancellations. Then comes the Big East tournament, still slated for March 10-13 at Madison Square Garden
Where do the Huskies stand right now? How did they get to this point? And what does the next month hold for them? A “midseason” look at UConn’s biggest issues:
‘BOUK’ OF THE MONTH CLUB?
When Marquette’s Koby McEwen crashed down on the Big East leading scorer’s left arm during a scramble for a loose ball on Jan. 5, did UConn’s NCAA tournament hopes come crashing down, as well? Or will the Huskies’ resiliency and relative success without Bouknight end up serving as an unintentional boon to the team?
How much more time Bouknight misses remains a mystery. At first, coach Dan Hurley predicted his return would be “soon.” Then it was surgery to remove bone spurs, and 2-4 weeks. Then it became about four weeks. Then, 4-6 weeks. Most recently it’s “we’ll see him when we see him.”
Could Bouknight “opt out” on the rest of the season? Doesn’t seem likely. The maturity and team-first mentality he displayed throughout the preseason and even now, as an avid cheerleader on the bench, would dictate otherwise. He wants to play and help his team.
He’s also a consensus first-round NBA draft pick and possible lottery pick who is held in high regard by NBA scouts. A return to action could certainly boost his stock, but it could also hurt it. It’s tricky, but Bouk
night is a mature young man with a great family behind him. He’ll make the right decision for himself.
ACTION JACKSON
Andre Jackson had knee surgery last spring that severely inhibited his development over the summer. Then, a few days before Christmas, he broke his wrist in practice and has been out ever since.
Hurley said that there’s a pretty good chance Jackson could be back for Saturday’s game against Seton Hall. And when he does return, the Huskies are ready to unleash his considerable talents.
“We’re going to throw him in there,” said Hurley. “We’re going to invest in him.”
Jackson was an even more highly-touted recruit than Bouknight. A long, freakishly athletic forward with brilliant passing skills, he was pegged as Bouknight’s possible heir apparent. Jackson struggled in his first four collegiate games, for a variety of reasons. But Hurley is intent on getting the most out of him the rest of this season.
BIG FIND
When Adama Sanogo changed his mind at the last minute and chose UConn over hometown Seton Hall back in May, the Huskies knew they had a top-notch big man who had legit NBA aspirations. They didn’t know they’d have perhaps the team’s best and most consistent offensive player since Bouknight’s injury.
Over his past three games, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward is averaging 11 points and five rebounds per game. He displays great hands and a good nose for offensive rebounds. His continued development this season will not only bode well for the Huskies’ hopeful bid for March Madness, but for the next season or two, as well.
IF ‘IF’S’ AND ‘BUT’S’ WERE CANDY NUTS …
UConn is 8-3 overall and 5-3 in the Big East, good for third place. If R.J. Cole hits a couple of free throws against Creighton on Dec. 20, if Sanogo plays the last 11 minutes against St. John’s on Jan. 18 … heck, if Bouknight, Jackson and Akok Akok had been healthy and available all season, who knows where the Huskies would be right now. 10-1? Undefeated? Ranked in the Top 15? Top 10?
But, as a Big Tuna once said, you are what you are. And here we are.
THE PATH AHEAD
Entering Saturday’s action, UConn was ranked No. 44 in the NET rankings, the chief metric used by the NCAA tournament selection committee. That will get you into the Big Dance.
The Huskies are 1-2 in Quadrant 1 games (both losses to Creighton), but opportunities remain. Three of their next five games are Quad 1 opportunities, the other two are Quad 2 games. And another Quad 1 game at home against Villanova could still be re-scheduled.
UConn has gone 3-2 without Bouknight (4-2, when you consider the Huskies mounted a 16-point comeback at Marquette largely without him). If they continue to play well, or even hold serve, until Bouknight returns, the Huskies could be in good shape. Players like Sanogo, Cole, Tyrese Martin, Tyler Polley, maybe even Jackson, will have had experience as being the focal point of the offense. The team will have the confidence to know it can win without its best player. And the selection committee will take into account Bouknight’s absence, and likely conclude that a fully-healthy UConn squad is a team that can win games in the NCAA tournament.