Sometimes in basketball, no matter who the opponent is, the game is just tough. Other times, it’s easy no matter the opponent. Saturday’s bout between the No. 3 UConn men’s basketball team and New Hampshire was a tale of two halves, with each representing easier and tougher times on the court.
The first half was a slog, with the Huskies feeling the effects of the late 8 p.m. start time. As a result, getting any separation from the lowly Wildcats seemed impossible, akin to swinging a baseball bat with a weighted donut on it. The second half was much of the opposite. They looked calm, collected and electric, getting whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it en route to a 92-53 victory.
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“The standard is high here,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “That was a below-standard performance for us in a number of ways, particularly on on-ball defense. On offense we were scatter-brained, especially in the first half. It was typical for an early-season performance…It’ll take some time for this group to gel.”
Looking at the overall box score you wouldn’t know that it was such tough sledding to start. Connecticut had a 42-26 rebounding advantage and 20 assists to UNH’s 8. On top of that, UConn managed to finish the game over 50% on field goals.
Alex Karaban put together another All-America-caliber day, with 17 points on 8 shots, along with 5 boards, 4 blocks and 4 assists. He’s absolutely stuffed the stat sheet through these first two games and has been impacting the game in a bevy of ways. His impact on the defensive end has been apparent, making the life of his assignment miserable. Karaban’s growth from a liability on the defensive end his freshman year to a great defender has been remarkable, and huge for the team.
“He’s handling these games the way he needs to handle these games,” Hurley said of Karaban. “He’s doing a lot of his offense on his own–which is a good thing. We’re struggling a little bit with the guard play. He’s generating it on his own, which is an evolution, a next step for him. He’s blocking, he’s stealing, he’s assisting, crashing the offensive glass, scoring 17 points on 8 shots. That’s what you should do in a game like this.”
Jayden Ross made his season debut on Saturday after a much hyped summer. He spent most of last year buried on the bench, but came into this campaign ready for his moment. Ross finished the game with 14 points and a swat, but brought energy that goes beyond the stat sheet. His plus/minus was +34, demonstrating his impact. The team looked smoother with him on the floor and his minutes should reflect it in the future.
“He settled in,” Hurley noted of Ross. “First half he was a little jittery, missing Gampel opening night; but you saw that type of flurry, the size drives, threes. He’s a guy who’s going to get a lot better. We’ve got to invest in Jayden Ross…His second half, that’s what it’s supposed to look like.”
Ross attributes much of his progress to his ability to develop in practice last year.
“The one thing about this program is that development is a key piece,” he noted. “Last year, it’s not like I was rotting on the bench behind a bunch of these players. I play against these guys every day. I learned from them every single day. I motivated myself every day to be better in practice and over the summer.”
Solo Ball and Liam McNeeley each also contributed nicely to the win, with the former posting 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while McNeeley recorded a 10-11 double-double. Neither were incredibly imposing on the offensive end, but did their parts when the time came to help the team. A note on McNeeley, he’s the first Husky since Jeff Adrien to start a season with two straight double-doubles. He’s the first freshman to do so since Corny Thompson in 1978.
“My mom tells me to crash the glass a lot,” McNeeley quipped. “I just got to keep it up, keep contributing to the team.”
Minor woes at center have been apparent through two games, with foul trouble becoming a serious concern. Samson Johnson had 3 fouls in the first half and Tarris Reed Jr. had 2. The pair cleaned things up at the break, but it’ll be worth keeping an eye on how they manage in that category against more talented teams. New Hampshire is not going to be the toughest frontcourt they’ll play, so they’ll need to pick it up.
“He’s got to stop doing it,” Hurley mentioned of Johnson’s foul troubles. “It’s dumbfounding. I don't know why he keeps putting himself in these situations. He’s such a great guy and he wants to do well so badly that he’s pressing and he’s fighting for every inch. He’s playing with a level of desperation that’s admirable. But in playing with that level of desperation, he’s mauling people.”
Aidan Mahaney had a reassuring game, scoring his first 9 points as a Husky. His goose egg in the opener was a bit concerning, but he’s let the game come to him and the results will follow.
Not unlike the opener, the Huskies were stiff out of the gate, unable to find anything on the offensive end. They couldn’t move the ball well and weren’t finding many shots. Reed Jr. was the only player finding shots, but him and Johnson were in and out with foul trouble.
Things turned around marginally as Karaban drilled a triple from the wing and then found a cutting Ross for a layup on the next play. The Wildcats burned a timeout, which helped stabilize them momentarily. Connecticut wasn’t able to stretch the lead more until the waning moments of the half, heading into the locker room with an 11-point advantage.
The start to the second frame was similar to the first, with the Huskies having a ton of trouble finding separation. 5 UConn points were met with 4 from New Hampshire. A Karaban three met with a Sam Pissis three. But then a switch flipped.
Diarra finished a tough layup and swatted a shot at the other end, igniting a 37-13 run where everything just seemed easier. The ball started to move smoother and the shots found the bottom of the net. There was nothing the Wildcats could do about it.
Reed found himself inside for a jam, Ross got a triple and a layup and Diarra connected with Jaylin Stewart for the first of two dunks. Things clicked out of nowhere and suddenly it was a 30 point game.
“In the second half, these guys looked like UConn players,” Hurley noted. “Making shots, making plays, getting steals, throwing lobs. We looked more like ourselves in the second half.”
With the outcome in control, Hurley put the end of the bench in the game, as UConn emerged with a 39 point victory.
This contest was a bit of a scare, but emerging with such a margin is nothing to feel poorly about. Some teams play poorly and lose buy games, UConn played a poor stretch and won by 39. Nobody will think twice.
“The standards are high here,” Hurley said. “We won by 39 points, but the reality is that the game was below-brand for a considerable amount of time.”
Next up is another game at the XL Center, coming at 7:00 p.m. against Le Moyne.
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