Depth is a luxury in college basketball. UConn knows that as well as anyone.
It put the Huskies’ last two national championship teams over the edge. They could demoralize opponents with a second unit almost as effective as their first, an extra spark that could be counted on every night. UConn’s roster, much younger and less experienced this year, hasn’t provided that luxury on a consistent basis.
Outside of Tarris Reed Jr.’s 15 points and six rebounds as he evenly split minutes with starter Samson Johnson in Sunday’s loss to St. John’s, UConn’s bench provided just two points on only three shot attempts. In a season that’s featured more injuries than the last two, the reserves haven’t been able to earn trust and a longer leash from coach Dan Hurley.
“Our quality is way off from where it’s been,” Hurley said Sunday, as he explained why the Huskies weren’t able to maintain the momentum that allowed a 22-point deficit to be cut to nine in the second half.
UConn men’s basketball blown out by No. 10 St. John’s at Madison Square Garden, 89-75
UConn hasn’t been able to reach that next gear at all this season with its rotation largely limited to just six or seven players.
“You put your best players on the court this time of year,” Hurley said on Feb. 14, a day before the stunning loss at Seton Hall. “We’ve just got to get our best players on the court and make it work.”
The problem is, UConn’s best players are playing upwards of 35 minutes each night. When they are struggling or fatigued, Hurley doesn’t have anywhere else to turn for a reliable lift. Reed has strung together a pair of productive games, but others, like Aidan Mahaney, Jayden Ross, Ahmad Nowell or even Jaylin Stewart, haven’t been consistent enough in their limited opportunities to earn more of them.
At the time of year when rotations are typically trimmed down to where they are most effective, the Huskies have to search for ways to expand theirs. They can’t survive a night where their three best players (Alex Karaban, Liam McNeeley, Solo Ball) combine to shoot 3-for-18 from the field in a half, the way they started Sunday’s game.
“This team can’t overcome that. It’s not deep enough,” Hurley said. “And just overall, obviously we don’t go deep enough with the quality.”
Where have the 3-pointers gone?
Since UConn combined to make 12 of its 19 3-point attempts – a ridiculous, hard-to-beat 63% – against Marquette on the road to start February, the team has collectively gone cold.
The Huskies have attempted 123 shots from beyond the arc and made just 32 of them in the last five games, three of which were losses. The 26% clip over that stretch is worse than any team in Division I this season. Cal State Fullerton (6-22 record) is currently last in the country at 27.01% from beyond the arc.
UConn went just 1-for-10 in the first half on Sunday at MSG. Karaban, suffering through the worst shooting stretch of his career, finally seemed to find his stroke in the second half as he made 3 of 5 attempts – perhaps a positive sign moving forward.
“That was huge for the team,” Reed said.
To reach its ceiling, which could still be that of a contender, UConn needs the 3-ball.
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Bad matchups for the Huskies
Sunday’s loss, as lopsided as it was, didn’t change Hurley’s perspective of his team’s ceiling.
“Unlike our past teams where there were literally no bad matchups for us, there are some teams that just are not great for you. Teams that pressure full court and get after you, we have the obvious issue with people that can handle and create and break down pressure,” Hurley said. “I just think that some teams for us this year, with this team, are maybe not great matchups.”
Of UConn’s four remaining regular season opponents, Marquette is the best at challenging the Huskies in that way, as evidenced by their 25 turnovers in Milwaukee. It may not be a recipe for a third consecutive national championship, but the Huskies could make a run with the right draw.
Takeaway: St. John’s is a legit contender
Hurley loves to use the phrase, “championship-level.” He got to say it so often with his past two teams, describing a standard that they were capable of living up to. He used it again on Sunday, only in referring to St. John’s defense, which is ranked No. 2 in the nation by KenPom.
The Red Storm played like a national championship contender in the matinee on Sunday, which drew a sold-out crowd of 19,812 to the World’s Most Famous Arena, most in the building wearing red as opposed to recent matchups against Connecticut’s team.
After shooting 8-for-16 from beyond the arc in the first half, there was no way Rick Pitino’s team was going to lose that game.
“With that defense, that rebounding and those type of wings, and Zuby Ejiofor, and the pressure they put on the paint,” Hurley said. “If they shoot the ball like that from the perimeter, they’re gonna be a problem for anyone.”
The Johnnies moved up to No. 7 in Monday’s AP Top 25 poll, and will likely improve from their position as a projected No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to Joe Lunardi’s latest ESPN Bracketology.
