Huskies have their hands full
UConn will try to contain ECU’s Gardner without Wilson
GREENVILLE, N.C. — UConn has had a propensity to allow big games from relatively unheralded players this season. On the flip side, the Huskies have largely done a good job against opposing teams’ high scorers. At least over the past few weeks.
With the rather large exception of Tulsa’s Martins Igbanu, who has torched UConn for 57 points in two games, the Huskies have contained most of the league’s top scorers this season.
On Feb. 20, UConn held Temple’s Quinton Rose, the AAC’s No. 2 scorer, to 3for-15 shooting. Eleven days earlier, the Huskies frustrated the league’s thirdleading scorer and reigning Player of the Year, Cincinnati’s Jarron Cumberland, into a 1-for-11 shooting game. In between, Precious Achiuwa of Memphis, who ranks sixth in the league in scoring, was 3-for-15 against the Huskies before scoring four baskets down the stretch and finishing 7-for-22 in a UConn victory.
“Guys have done really good job of following the game plan and forcing
other guys to beat us,” coach Dan Hurley said. “It’s worked.”
The Huskies may be in for their toughest challenge yet on Saturday, when they go up against the AAC’s leading scorer and thirdleading rebounder in ECU’s Jayden Gardner at Minges Coliseum (2 p.m., ESPNU). Gardner is averaging 19.7 points per game in league play and 20.1 ppg in all games played, both best in the AAC. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound sophomore is also hauling down 9.6 rebounds per game in league play.
“He’s an uncanny scorer,” Hurley said. “Kinda reminds you of Bernard King or Adrian Dantley. He’s surrounded by a number of pretty good perimeter players that have good size.”
UConn, already undermanned due to a pair of season-ending injuries, will have to try to stop Gardner without any help from another forward. Redshirt sophomore Sid Wilson has been suspended indefinitely from the team for a violation of team rules.
UConn did a good job against Gardner last season, holding him to 2-for-10 shooting and just nine points in a win in Hartford, then 11 points in a regular season-ending, 82-73 win at Minges. Tyler Polley did the honors holding Gardner in check last year, but he is out for this season with a torn ACL. Akok Akok, the Huskies’ starting four-man, is also done for the year with a torn Achilles tendon.
Now, with Wilson also out, UConn will likely go with Isaiah Whaley on Gardner, with help from some guards, as well as 6-foot-11 center Josh Carlton.
With just seven scholarship players, the Huskies will have to work extra hard to stay out of foul trouble.
“We can’t play as aggressive as we’d like to play,” Hurley noted, adding that he may play more zone or a less-aggressive man-to-ma defense.
There’s also the option of letting Gardner “get his,” so to speak, and not let other guys beat them.
“You go back and forth on that a lot in game-planning,” Hurley admitted. “If you overhelp now, or you send too many people to the ball when he catches it, now you’re opening up opportunities. Especially at home. Those other players tend to play better at home.”
One way or another, the Huskies will have to stop the AAC’s leading scorer with a very short-handed roster.
Maybe Hurley wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I love the feeling of having my back against the wall,” the coach confessed. “I love adversity, difficult situations. If you’re worth anything as an athlete or a competitor, you love situations like this, where the numbers are down and the task is more challenging.”
RIM RATTLINGS
Hurley wouldn’t elaborate on what Wilson did to earn his suspension.
“These are things you deal with as you try to build a great organization ... To have to do this at this time of year, already down in numbers, it's a real letdown. But the seven guys that have been playing have been playing real well.”
He added: “From marketing to the head coach to strength and conditioning to academic support to every player that’s on scholarship to the walk-ons to the facilities to what we feed our players to how we help them recover and get ready to play, we can’t have any weak links in the chain.”
The coach provided an update on freshman Richie Springs, who is sitting out this season as an academic redshirt.
“Richie had a rough (practice) today. We’re toughening him up and getting him ready. He looks a lot like what Akok did at this time last year — eyes wide open, learning a lot. He’s got a couple of skills we can really use, which he’ll use next year at the four or the five ... Richie’s gonna help us at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later.”