UConn men’s basketball vs. UMass Lowell

Dan Hurley called on Jaylin Stewart to make more of an impact prior to UConn’s season-opener against New Haven, and the junior responded.

Stewart looked, for better or worse, like the Huskies’ best player for most of the game, particularly on the offensive end and on the backboard, where he played with a level of assertiveness the team has been looking for. But Hurley couldn’t get through more than 20 seconds of his post-game evaluation of “J-Stew” before his mind went back to the team’s disappointing defensive effort.

“There were definitely some encouraging things there, I think there’s a lot for him to build on. Jaylin is a guy we need,” Hurley said. “Just thought he could’ve guarded better, we just needed to guard better.”

It was a team issue, but it was also opening night. And the Huskies were without two starters.

There is another prime opportunity for fine-tuning when UMass Lowell visits PeoplesBank Arena on Friday night, where UConn showed a much better defensive effort just last week in its exhibition game against Michigan State. The Huskies were a bit too aggressive in that one, fouling 34 times, and the messaging came from the coaches to tone it down a bit – maybe a bit too much, as it turned out.

They will look to meet somewhere in the middle on Friday night against a River Hawks team made up similarly to New Haven, with an almost entirely new roster and a frontcourt that doesn’t feature a player taller than 6-foot-9. Both compete in traditionally one-bid leagues, as UMass Lowell finished 6-10 in the America East last year, while UNH will embark on its first season in the Northeast Conference.

As for the missing Huskies starters, Stewart will likely find himself back in the starting lineup in place of highly touted freshman Braylon Mullins, who is recovering from an ankle injury. Jacob Furphy, the freshman who can make an impact off the bench, will also likely be unavailable with an ankle sprain.

UConn center Eric Reibe, left, guards New Haven forward Andre Pasha, who proved a tough matchup for the Huskies’ frontcourt. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Freshman center Eric Reibe, who was quiet in the opener, may find himself back in the starting five depending on what the UConn medical staff determines with Tarris Reed Jr.‘s availability.

Reed suffered a hamstring injury in early October and rested for a few days before returning to practice and injuring it again. He didn’t play in either exhibition and warmed up ahead of the opener before changing back into street clothes. The Huskies would like for Reed to see some game action before their first ranked matchup against No. 8 BYU on Nov. 15, but Hurley won’t rush it and risk losing him a third time.

“We can’t bring him back prematurely and have the hamstring linger, because we can’t do this without him,” Hurley said after the opener. “He’s a focal point, he’s going to improve our defense, he’s going to improve our offense, he’s going to improve our rebounding, he’s going to improve our energy.”

UMass Lowell, in its 13th year under coach Pat Duquette, began its season with a 107-55 win over Division III Rivier on Monday.

Shooting concerns?

Hurley isn’t worried.

UConn shot just 23.5% from beyond the arc in its exhibition against Boston College, 37.5% against Michigan State and 34.8% against New Haven. Sure, the Huskies are missing a “flamethrower,” per Hurley, in Mullins, but the team’s 3-point shooting across the board is supposed to be one of its greatest strengths.

“I think we’ll shoot it well enough,” Hurley said, with several other areas of concern much higher on his list. “Obviously Tarris is going to solve a lot of offensive issues by having a guy that’s gonna have the ball in his hands every other possession or every third possession at the minimum, he’ll create better 3s. But I’m not worried about the 3s.”