PC Looking for Answers Against #11 UConn

PC Looking for Answers Against #11 UConn

Some Words About the Marquette Loss

Over the last two seasons, it has often been possible to look at many of the PC losses and point to one or two things that resulted in the loss - a key turnover, a couple of untimely missed free throws, a key player getting into foul trouble, a last-second potential 3-pointer that rimmed the basket, or a two-minute cold shooting stretch.  None of those apply to the Friars’ 78-50 loss to Marquette this past week at the AMP.  It was a pure and simple beatdown by Marquette. The Friars did nothing right. Many of the players on this edition of the Friars weren’t even born the last time PC lost on its home court this badly—20 years ago to the University of Pittsburgh team, 88-61.

 

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There's no use looking at all the stats of the Marquette game. They are all embarrassing. One observation is worthwhile to point out and is worrisome. The Friars played their best half of basketball of the season in the first half against St. John’s and led at halftime by 13 points.  In the second half, old friend and new nemesis Rick Pitino made one simple adjustment—he employed a half-court stifling press. The PC guards couldn’t get the ball to the bucket for shots, and when they tried to dribble through the press to the basket, they committed 12 turnovers.

 

The first half of the Marquette game was a repeat of the second half of the St. John’s game. Marquette coach Shaka Smart (aptly named) looked at the film of Friars-St. John’s game and employed the same type of press.  The result:  14 first-half turnovers by the Friars, virtually all by the PC guards, and a 47-20 halftime deficit.

 

Coach Kim English has had a couple of days to figure this out. 

 

Surging UConn Up Next

Remember just before Thanksgiving time when the UConn hoopsters and bashful coach Dan Hurley were making boastful Three Peat predictions for the Huskies?  UConn then went on to the Maui Tournament and got spanked with three losses in a row.  Hurley endured eating crow for Thanksgiving, and PC fans thought that maybe UConn wasn’t so good and perhaps a beatable team.

 

Unfortunately for PC fans, UConn has got its mojo back. Since getting beat by Dayton in late November, the Huskies have reeled off 7 wins in a row, are 11-3 overall, and 3-0 in the Big East.  Their non-conference wins include impressive wins over Baylor, Texas, and Gonzaga.  Their most recent win was an 81-68 drubbing of Big East doormat DePaul.  PC will have to play the rejuvenated Huskies on their home court in Gampel Arena on the Huskies campus, where PC hasn’t won in seven years.

 

UConn lost four players from last year’s national championship team to the NBA.  They have plenty of firepower back, however, and have re-fueled with some rapidly developing freshmen.  The Huskies, at this point in the season, are a well-oiled and reliable machine.  Junior forward 6’8” Alex Karaban, a star from last year’s team, is leading the team in scoring at 16.6 pts/game and is a candidate along with Marquette’s Kam Jones to be the Big East player of the year.  The other UConn starting forward, freshman 6’7” Liam McNeely, is scoring a robust 13.6 points/game.  He twisted his ankle in the DePaul win, however, and is questionable for the PC game.

 

UConn’s leading rebounder is 6’10” Tarris Reed, who pulls down 8 boards/game. The point guard is a speedy whirlwind senior Hassan Diarra, who dishes out 6.4 assists/game.  He is the catalyst in the UConn offense, which averages 20 assists/game. Other noteworthy metrics that correspond with the Huskies' current winning streak include the following:  an overall field goal average of 49.3%/game, an average for 3-pt field goals of 36.9%/game, a free-throw average of 78.3%/game, and an average of only 10 turnovers/game.

 

In watching several of the UConn games this year on Fox, the most remarkable aspect of this year’s UConn squad is their depth. Hurley can comfortably play any of nine players in a given game.  This gives him an amazing advantage over his opponents.  He can customize his lineup to play against the varying strengths of his opponents; or he can freely substitute to match the substitutes of other teams.  And not lose maturity and skill level on the floor.

 

UConn is peaking; PC is going backward. The hope is that PC bottomed out in the Marquette game, that the PC offense can figure out how to beat the press, that Hopkins will get some quality minutes, and that PC is at least competitive.  If those things happen, PC fans can look forward to a competitive won-loss record in the Big East for the remainder of the year.

 

Tip-off time is Sunday afternoon at 2 PM on NBC Sports.