The Huskies have a much-needed tuneup before some critical upcoming non-conference games.
After a disastrous trip to the Maui Invitational, No. 2 UConn men’s basketball returns to the continental U.S. with a home matchup against the UMES Hawks. The Huskies (4-3), who lost three-straight games to unranked opponents, take on a 2-8 Hawks team that is amongst the worst in Division I. UConn is hoping to avoid losing four-straight for the first time since the 2020 season.
TV: Peacock
Radio: UConn Sports Network
Odds: UConn -37.5, over/under 143.5
Location: XL Center – Hartford, Connecticut
KenPom Predicted Score: UConn 89, UMES 57 (99.8 percent win probability)
Series History
The Huskies and UMES have played three previous times in a series that dates back to the 1987-88 season. UConn has a 3-0 record against the Hawks and won 72-63 at the XL Center in the last matchup between the two teams exactly three years earlier than this year’s game.
What to Watch For
Karabanged up
On top of not picking up any wins in Maui, the Huskies may have to contend with a potential injury blow to star Alex Karaban, who hit his head late in the loss to Dayton on a play around the basket. Karaban stayed in the game, but received a CAT scan post game and was cleared to fly back to Connecticut with the team. With such a short turnaround between the Dayton game and the matchup against the Hawks, it’s entirely possible the Huskies may opt to sit Karaban, especially with critical games against No. 17 Baylor, Texas and No. 3 Gonzaga looming.
Liam McNeeley, who suffered a hip iniury against Colorado, played against Dayton but did not look like his usual self. The standout freshman had zero points on 0-9 shooting but did add five assists and four rebounds.
It’s possible both players sit out against the Hawks or play very limited minutes. If they do play sparingly, expect more minutes for the likes of Jayden Ross and Jaylin Stewart, who scored 22 points across 37 minutes in three games in Maui.
Just win, baby
It has been a rough, eye-opening week for the program, as the Huskies had its flaws exposed on the national stage. With some time to rest, recover and adjust following the trip to Maui, UConn has a chance to begin to address some of its major flaws ahead of a crucial stretch of non conference games.
The Huskies have obvious issues on the defensive end, as teams in Maui were able to get by perimeter defenders with ease. Over rotation on broken plays was an issue in Hawaii too, and Dayton especially owned the boards in its win in the seventh place game. These issues can’t necessarily be fixed overnight, but UConn can take a step in the right direction by locking down an offense that ranks towards the very bottom nationally in offensive efficiency and struggles to shoot the ball from deep, as the Hawks shoot just 29.6 percent from three as a team.
And then there’s the foul trouble. UConn’s propensity for fouls plagued the team in Maui and played a major role in Dayton being able to constantly thwart the Huskies’ comeback attempts. Opponents in Maui attempted 98 free throw attempts across three games, compared to just 48 for the Huskies. UConn needs to be more disciplined on pump fakes from shooters and avoid reaching in on defense in order to keep its best players on the floor for longer, as Dan Hurley is extremely averse to playing players with two fouls in the first half.
A dominant win over this UMES team would do wonders for morale, especially if the Huskies can own the glass and keep the Hawks’ offense locked up. With so many key non-conference games on the horizon, UConn can get back on track against UMES and try and work at least some of the issues that plagued the team earlier this week in Maui.
An offensive buzzsaw
Lost in the midst of this team’s struggles is that the offense is still amongst the best in the country. UConn’s offense ranks seventh overall in offensive efficiency and is shooting 62.3 percent on two-point shots, the third-best mark in the country. That last statistic is largely in part due to the Huskies’ emphasis on trusting the analytics, which stress easy two-point shots around the basket and 3-pointers as opposed to midrange jumpers. UConn also ranks seventh in assist rate, a number in line with the elite offenses the Huskies put together in each of its last two national championship seasons.
In the second half against Dayton, UConn was getting open looks along the perimeter, but the shots weren’t falling as the Huskies shot 2-13 from deep. The Huskies have the talent to shoot through its slumps, but also need to get to the basket and create contact to prevent scoring droughts. UConn will have plenty of chances to be aggressive downhill against the Hawks, who boast one of the worst defenses in Division I and are surrendering over 94 points per game to teams inside of the KenPom top 100.