UConn HC Demands Fundamental Fixes After St. John’s Loss
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The UConn Huskies are 22-2, with a 12-1 conference record this season. Before their last game, the Huskies had not tasted defeat in months and were on an 18-game winning streak. However, the Huskies' previous game against St. John's ended in an 81-72 loss.
Next up, the Huskies take a road trip to Butler. However, before they do, Dan Hurley spoke to the press about their upcoming match. Instead of talking about the same, Hurley went on to reveal some “fundamental” issues that gave the Huskies their second loss of the season.
“So you know, every game’s different. St. John’s is more of a pressure-switching team, and now you’re looking at Butler, who at times has top-locked and played in the drop, and now has played more zone. So you’re obviously preparing to guard them differently than you did St. John’s. They shoot the ball a lot better from the three-point line, and their defensive principles are different,” said Hurley.
Hurley is not wrong. UConn shot 54.7 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from three. That should win most games, but the Huskies were out-attempted 31-12 at the free throw line, committed 15 turnovers, and were whistled for 23 personal fouls.
St. John’s turned fouls into points, scoring 22-of-31 at the stripe while UConn went just 5-of-12. The Red Storm also shot 60.9 percent in the second half. A 10-0 run midway through the final frame turned the momentum, and UConn never fully recovered.
Hurley also went on to add, “But the fundamentals for us, again, turning the ball over the amount of times we did, not being able to make free throws when three-point plays should be three-point plays but become 0-for-2s at the free-throw line, not being able to defensive rebound free throws, and giving up 60% from the field in the second half, you can’t win anything doing that.”
In fact, the truly frustrating part is that this is not the first time the Huskies have had a defensive rebounding issue this season. Earlier this year, Hurley flagged the Huskies’ 131st national ranking in defensive rebounding rate, which is a stark contrast to the championship-winning teams.
The winning teams under Hurley have had a top-15 national ranking in offensive and defensive rebounding rate, according to KenPom. Additionally, the Huskies also have fouling issues that keep popping up.
UConn has committed 444 fouls this season, and opposing teams have attempted nearly 100 more free throws overall. The Huskies have routinely lived in the 20-plus foul range: 21 against Butler earlier this year, 21 at Seton Hall, 20 against Texas, and Providence. But they survived it. However, the road ahead might not be all that easy.
Dan Hurley and the Huskies take a trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse
Next up, UConn heads to Hinkle Fieldhouse to face Butler. The Huskies are 11-0 against the Bulldogs as conference foes and 5-0 at Hinkle. The first meeting this season was a 79-60 win behind Solo Ball’s 26 points and a 13-block game.
While this matchup might not be as tough as St. John's, Butler brings different challenges. Finley Bizjack averages 17.9 points per game, and Michael Ajayi leads the league in rebounding. The Bulldogs are 9-4 at home.
However, let's not forget that the Huskies are top-20 nationally in scoring defense, field goal defense, three-point defense, and blocks. Additionally, all five starters for the Huskies are averaging double figures in conference play.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.