Brendan Adams stepping up big for the Huskies
When in doubt, "keep shooting" is how Brendan Adams looks at things.
The UConn sophomore was on the mark from the get-go Sunday, hitting two straight 3-pointers on his way to a career-high four and tallying 16 total points in the Huskies' 72-71 upset of Cincinnati.
“I can shoot,” the second-year guard said. “I’ve been cold for a couple games now, but I can shoot, and I’m always working on my shot.”
After coming off the bench in 30 of 31 games last season and being at the backend of the rotation, Adams has played himself into a sizeable role with the Huskies this year.
The most notable improvements are in his offensive game, where he’s scoring 7 points per game this season after only averaging 2.6 a year ago. He’s making 41.9% of his shots from the field and his 23 three-pointers rank fourth on the team.
Two of those 3-pointers helped turn the momentum in Sunday's win over the Bearcats as Cincy held its largest lead (28-18) when Adams subbed back into the lineup with 6:20 to play in the first half.
Eleven seconds later, Adams dropped a 3-pointer from the corner then followed that up with a fast break triple to ignite a 16-2 closing run by the Huskies.
“Brendan, he just stepped up - he made the big plays,” said UConn freshman James Bouknight. “He’s just always hitting the tough shot, and Brendan, he’s going to stay in the fight. He’s never going to fall down. He’s staying confident."
The former URI recruit followed head coach Dan Hurley to Storrs but didn’t see a lot of minutes (12.7 per game) in his freshman season. The things Adams is doing this season are the result of being more comfortable as a Husky.
“Way more comfortable, way more,” Adams said, about the difference between last year and now. “People just have to make plays on this team and I feel like that’s everybody’s job to make plays, and whatever opportunities you get, you make the plays. I feel like I can do that.”
Adams and the Huskies (13-10, 4-6 AAC) will ride their 2-game win streak into Dallas on Wednesday for a matchup with the SMU Mustangs (16-6, 6-4) and their 12-1 record at Moody Coliseum this season. SMU enters the game tied with Memphis for third place in the American while UConn shares seventh place with USF.
The Huskies have yet to leave Dallas with a victory, as SMU is 5-0 at home in the series. The Mustangs have also won five of the last seven meetings, including wins by both teams at home last season.
Despite their past struggles, the Huskies are rolling into Moody having won their last two games and are looking to snap this losing streak to the Mustangs. Having recently ended both a five-game road winless stretch at Tulsa and eight-game skid to Cincinnati, this UConn team is paying little attention to past failures and should give SMU everything they've got in pursuit of that coveted "W".