Notes & Quotes: UConn Men's Basketball Exhibition vs. New Haven
A look at what went right and what needs work after UConn's 83-68 win over the University of New Haven in front of 5,826 fans at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
Freshman Vance Jackson scored 15 points to lead a Husky squad that opened the preseason with five players scoring in double digits, including four starters.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
New Blood
Three players stood out in the Huskies’ win, and two of them were playing their first game with the team. Jackson was instant offense in the second half on UConn’s 13-0 spurt after it had become a one-point game. Eventually the Huskies made it 72-51 with 7:40 to play. Jackson scored six points on the 13-point swing and 12 altogether on the run. He finished 5-for-7 shooting (4-for-6 on 3-pointers which helped open the floor for the offense) with four boards in 20 minutes.
Kevin Ollie: “I was very pleased. He kind of broke the game open, he and Terry (Larrier) on that 13-0 run and that’s what we are going to need. I think he was the only one to make some three’s tonight, we got to shoot a little better, but I like when the young fellow steps up and knocks down those three’s. He’s a shooter, but he can do a lot more of things – take it off the dribble – and he just knows how to play on the offensive end.”
Old/New Blood
Jackson had the hot hand in the second half, but redshirt sophomore Terry Larrier was solid throughout with 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds over 31 minutes in his debut after a year off after transferring from VCU. Larrier showed little rust, as he attacked the hoop early in the game on his first basket. He figures to be a matchup headache for opponents with his ability to play either forward spot and maybe even of-guard.
Larrier: “It felt good. I waited for it for a long time. I just wanted to go out there, play hard and have fun and get the win. (I was) slightly nervous, you know I haven’t been on the court for a while, but once I got out there, got run I felt right at home.”
Unsung Hero
With all the new players on the court, senior forward Kentan Facey might have gotten lost in the shuffle, but he was almost perfect in 17 minutes with 13 points and three rebounds. Facey was 5-for-5 from the field and 3-for-3 at the foul line, plus he was one of the few big men to avoid first-half foul trouble. Toss in a few more rebounds and the Huskies will sign up for this performance from Facey all season.
Facey: “I feel like my role includes being one of the vocal leaders on the team, sharing some of my experiences being a senior and having some time under my belt with the younger guys. And just rebounding – I feel that’s the one thing that’s going to stick out the most as far as defining my role.”
Great Warm-Up
The Chargers, who also played UConn last season, seem to be the perfect first opponent for the Huskies to open up the preseason. Ollie said the gritty effort from UNH will be a good teaching lesson for him to build on this week in practice.
Ollie: “I like playing New Haven because they make you play defense the whole possession. I thought it was good for our guys. We are just going to keep developing and having some success. We are going to have to play better defense going down the line, but it’s going to really give me an opportunity to really coach these guys up.”
WHAT NEEDS WORK
Defensive Effort
The Huskies' one major flaw against UNH was nobody could stop guard Danny Upchurch, who torched the defense for a game-high 33 points on 11-for-22 shooting. Upchurch was 5-for-11 on 3-pointers and the team went 10-for-30 there as the Huskies continue to struggle stopping shooters on the perimeter.
Ollie: “We got to play better defense – all our guards. If you got Upchurch a transfer (from D-I Charleston Southern) coming in and getting 33 points – that’s the thing I’m going to be keying on if nothing else. We are going to play better guards, but he was really good.”
More Brimah
UNH’s lineup – everyone was 6-foot-7 or under – dictated some of Amida Brimah’s limited playing time, but no points and four rebounds with no blocks was not a productive day from the 7-footer. But, the biggest flag is Brimah picking up two fouls in less than a minute in the first half, which sent him to the bench for the final 6:26. Two young big men, sophomore Steve Enoch and Mamadou Diarra also got into first-half foul trouble.
Ollie: “It was kind of hard for Amida to play because they were popping out and going to the 3-point line, so why have Amida out there chasing someone out on the 3-point line. … The match ups dictated my patterns of substitution.”
Spread it out
Jackson was the lone Husky to make a 3-pointer and the rest of the team was 0-for-9 there. The first half was especially painful with the team hitting just 1 of 7. UNH didn’t have the weapons to stop UConn in the paint (34-18 scoring advantage), but the Huskies need a consistent 3-point threat or two to keep teams honest during the season.
Ollie: “It’s a process and I just want these guys to have a habit of success.”
UP NEXT: Saturday, vs. Southern Connecticut State, 1 p.m. Gampel Pavilion in the final exhibition game.