High-wire No. 2 UConn men host wayward Providence in Storrs
The UConn men’s basketball team’s sterling 9-0 start in Big East play has been anything but perfect.
It’s 15-game win streak, the program’s longest single-season streak since the 1994-95 campaign, has been marred by offensive inconsistencies and second half collapses.
It feels off-putting to say, but it’s true: The Huskies (19-1, 9-0) haven’t been playing up to their No. 2 billing in the AP Top 25 poll. Dan Hurley will be the first to tell you.
“I think we have a will to win,” Hurley noted after UConn’s overtime win against Villanova Saturday. “We don’t have the ability to sustain the level of basketball we need to play on both ends of the court… that’s why I feel like it’s more like the ’23 team; there are things we’re still working through.”
The Huskies’ “will to win” has been their silver lining since New Year’s; Seton Hall’s furious comeback was staved off by Silas Demary Jr. and Tarris Reed Jr. in Newark; Georgetown’s best shot was narrowly dodged in Washington D.C.; it took extra time to down Villanova last weekend.
Yet no late-game drama has matched the Huskies’ 13-point comeback staged in Providence three weeks ago. What should’ve been a season-altering win for the Friars, who led by 12 with less than eight minutes to go, quickly turned into Connecticut’s display of “championship-level resiliency.”
Providence has spiraled since, losing five of its last six and plummeting to 10th in the Big East standings. Its rabid and steadfastly loyal fanbase has turned bitter. Ed Cooley was only the second most hated coach in the building last Saturday when Georgetown came back from down 20 at the AMP.
Kim English is at the end of his rope.
But that doesn’t mean the Friars can’t compete with the Huskies.
Freshmen Jamier Jones and Stefan Vaaks are in the running for Big East Freshman of the Year while Jaylin Sellers and Jason Edwards both rank top five in the conference in scoring. The venerable Corey Floyd Jr. and youngsters Ryan Mela and Oswin Erhunmwunse provide supplemental scoring for the Big East’s top offense.
It’s defense that’s been the problem in Friartown. Providence doesn’t force turnovers (339th nationally), struggles to defend the 3-pointer (336th) and is outside the top 200 in defensive rebounding percentage.
That calls for a few things for Connecticut.
Keys to Victory for No. 2 UConn
Shooters got-to shoot. Solo Ball must capitalize on his 24-point, 5-made 3-pointer game Saturday. With Braylon Mullins (concussion protocol), who scored a game-high 24-points in the team’s last meeting, likely out on a tight turnaround, Ball and Alex Karaban will have to absorb the production from the 3-point line. There isn’t a better team in the Big East to fire away against from behind the line.
Clean the glass. Reed struggled against Villanova’s Duke Brennan Saturday before he fouled out early in overtime. Exploiting the Friars on the defensive boards will be pivotal, especially when Erhunmwunse is off the floor.
| Providence OR%/A with Erhunmwunse on floor | Providence OR%/A without Erhunmwunse on floor |
| 30.1% (51st percentile nationally) | 34.1% (19th percentile nationally) |
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