The UConn Fast Break - 2/4/2022
Are you mad about UConn basketball?
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Is the Creighton loss cause for concern?
UConn’s loss to Creighton Tuesday night comes on the heels of a flat performance at DePaul, even though the Huskies won that one. UConn shot a season-low 30% from the field against Creighton and was a dismal 13% from three against DePaul.
The offense, which has struggled all year with consistency, has been struggling extra hard lately, and everything from Dan Hurley’s coaching to the fervor of fans is under question during these seemingly dire times.
Those claiming this team is “not good” may want to chill out, though. UConn is 15-5 with 10 games left in the regular season, and all five losses coming by four points or less. They’re ranked 19th in KenPom and (allegedly) fully healthy. They’ve beaten good teams and played others really close. Don’t forget how far we’ve come.
Currently ranked 17th in the AP Poll, the Huskies are likely to drop a little, but they could prevent that and make all of this concern moot with a win over no. 12 Villanova. I think the Huskies are focused on making a statement and perhaps overlooked Creighton with this big opportunity coming up Saturday and will be ready to step up.
Tomorrow the Huskies need to prove that they belong on the court with Villanova, the program that has unquestionably been the class of the Big East since it was reborn. UConn needs to remind everyone why they were picked to finish second in the league.
He’s not perfect, nobody is, but Dan Hurley has shown an ability to get the most out of his players and at this point deserves a lot of credit for where he’s taken the program. Unless you were expecting this year’s team to be a Final Four contender or Elite Eight shoo-in, I’m not sure what you have to be upset about.
If UConn lays an egg Saturday or puts itself in danger of finishing below .500 over these final ten games, we can talk about this team not being good enough. Right now they’re in a funk. It happens.
We’ve also seen people mad about the state of the women’s hoops team. Those people should seek help, immediately.
Weekly Rewind
No. 17 Men’s basketball falls to Creighton - UConn started slow and finished with a whimper in a 59-55 loss on Tuesday.
Men’s basketball gets road win at DePaul - It was an ugly affair in Chicago, but the Huskies took a 57-50 victory on Saturday, extending their winning streak to five.
Football transfer tracker - With National Signing Day in the rearview mirror, keep track of the comings and goings with former and future UConn players.
Connecticut Ice Festival - Men’s hockey had an opportunity to win a trophy and played a strong game in the final after topping Yale, 5-1, but No. 2 Quinnipiac proved too much for the Huskies.
Geno Auriemma to return to sideline soon - Geno missed Wednesday’s victory over Creighton due to a non-COVID-19 illness. He was slated to return to the bench Friday night but that game has been canceled.
No. 10 Women’s basketball comes back against Creighton - Down 12 points in the first half, the Huskies stormed back against the Bluejays for a 20-point win on Wednesday.
Women’s basketball outduels Providence - Despite 19 points from Christyn Williams, the Huskies were unable to pull away from the Friars, winning 69-61 on Sunday.
WNBA free agency opens - There was plenty of movement among UConn alumni, including Gabby Williams and Katie Lou Samuelson being traded for each other
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Play of the Week
Men’s hockey surrendered a goal early in the first period of the Connecticut Ice Festival semifinals against Yale but then scored five straight in a decisive win over the Bulldogs.
In the second period, Carter Turnbull threw the puck on net from below the goal line and caught an unsuspecting Yale defense napping, lighting the lamp for UConn’s fourth goal.
Memory Lane
On Feb. 3, 2015, Geno Auriemma crossed hit the 900-win mark as the Huskies easily took care of Cincinnati. He became the fifth coach to reach that milestone and the fastest ever, doing it in 1,034 games.
Six Huskies reached double figures, led by Gabby Williams’ 18 points and 14 rebounds on 8-11 shooting off the bench. They also played this incredible video tribute at the XL Center that night.
Check out The UConn Blog’s story on Auriemma’s milestone. UConn also put together this video including Auriemma’s commentary after the win.
UConn, Great Pic
Men’s basketball took an ugly loss to Creighton on Tuesday evening at XL Center, but Ian Bethune was there to snap some fantastic pics of the action.
Parting Thoughts
If any readers are in Philadelphia for the men’s basketball game at Villanova, hit us up! You can reach us on Twitter or Facebook @TheUConnBlog or reply to this email.
Aman will be there and would love to chat before the game, at halftime, or after the game to hear your thoughts on the team and where things are going. You can also try him directly at @AmanfromCT on Twitter.
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