UConn, Seton Hall men have plenty of motivation tonight
Desperate college basketball teams are dangerous teams, especially in early March.
UConn recently fit in that category before winning four of its last five games to stabilize things, while its Big East opponent on Wednesday (6:30 p.m., FS1) at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., resides there now.
Seton Hall is almost in must-win territory after losing two straight to put its NCAA tournament hopes in jeopardy. The Pirates (13-10, 10-7) have slipped to No. 53 in the NCAA NET Rankings.
The two teams are fighting to finish as high as third place in the Big East, with UConn (12-6, 9-6) sitting just ahead of fourth-place Seton Hall in the standings. Each side has two regular season games remaining.
Despite his team's recent surge, coach Dan Hurley still considers the Huskies a desperate team. UConn, which is 35th in the NCAA NET Rankings, is building a post-season worthy resume but it is not done yet.
"We're healthy, we're playing well," Hurley said Tuesday. "We know (Wednesday) is going to be a tough game, two desperate teams. It's Senior Day (for Seton Hall) and obviously a huge game for them. And it's a big game for us.
"We still have a chance to finish in the top three in our first year back in the Big East dealing with everything we've dealt with. I look at (Wednesday) for us more like an opportunity."
In the first meeting on Feb. 6, UConn never led, falling behind by double digits in the first half and never fully recovering, losing 80-73 in Storrs.
The Huskies had trouble containing Big East player of the year candidate Sandro Mamukelashvili and senior Myles Cale who combined for 42 points. Seton Hall frequently got to the foul line, sinking 27 of 31.
"They played great against us and they jumped us," Hurley said. "We've got to be a lot better because they've had a week off to really get re-energized . ... So we've got to be really dialed in."
One big difference this time will be the presence of sophomore James Bouknight, whose elbow injury kept
him out of the last game against the Pirates. He's averaged 20.8 points and 6.5 rebounds since returning to action Feb. 16. The Huskies also have improved defensively.
In the last four games, they've held opponents to a combined 38.2 percent from the field and an average of 65 points. They lead the Big East in scoring defense and blocks per game and rank third in field goal percentage defense.
The return of versatile freshman Andre Jackson, who missed seven games due to a wrist injury, has strengthened the defense. At 6-foot-6, he can guard multiple positions.
"Andre has helped our defense a lot," Hurley said. "We had a bad stretch of games where we were soft defensively and we saw what playing soft defensively does to your chances of winning and losing. So the team just understands at this point how important defense is and Andre has helped a lot."
While UConn's hopes of securing an NCAA tournament bid won't be ruined with a loss on Wednesday, it can certainly improve its odds by winning.
There's also an added bit of motivation for the Huskies. Hurley will be coaching against his alma mater in a building located within a shore drive of where he grew up in Jersey City. Guards R.J. Cole and Jalen Gaffney also are from New Jersey.
"For me, driving in here was really cool," Hurley said. "Seton Hall is right up the street, St. Benedict's, where I coached, is right up the street. We've got a great opportunity game tomorrow, so let's go . ... Two really good NCAA caliber teams are going to play, so it should be a fun game."
In other news, the playing status of senior Josh Carlton, who left the Marquette game on Saturday after rolling his ankle, will be a game time decision.
"Josh is really a good older player, so he knows what these games mean," Hurley said. "I think he's got a good chance to be in there."