UConn's Three Keys to Victory Over Loyola-Chicago
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Head coach Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies have started the season about as well as they could have asked for. They are at a measly 2-0 and have defeated two non-conference teams in the Louisville Cardinals and the Florida State Seminoles rather easily. Now they get an even easier non-conference opponent contest, against the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers.
The Huskies should absolutely cruise in this one and improve to 3-0. But just because they should win this game and steamroll their opponent, there are always things to work on.
1. Get Serah Williams more open looks
It seems like coming into the year so far, superstars Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd are going to carry the team. But with the season being long and conference tournaments not being till March, they are going to need help.
Insert transfer Serah Williams into the equation. She had a decent game against the Seminoles where she finished 4-9 from the field with 9 points. The Huskies are going to have tougher opponents on the schedule coming up sooner rather than later.
They are going to want to look more to their depth players rather than just Fudd and Strong. Williams needs to get more plays drawn up for her and it feels like there are way more coming. She just needs to keep doing what she is doing and shoot the ball.
2. Get Kayleigh Heckel more involved in the offensive game plan
Another player that the Huskies need to look to outside of the two usual suspects. Heckel transferred from the University of Southern California and so far, looks to have more of an advanced offensive role.
Keep feeding her the ball and make her prove to Husky nation that she can be counted on in big moments. With this game likely being another blowout, she should get some decent minutes and a chance to get some shots up.
She needs to get some open looks and let it rip. She finished 6-12 from the field with 12 points from the Seminoles and her workload should only increase from here.
3. Watch the turnovers
Against an inferior non-conference opponent, the Huskies can get away with turning the ball over quite a bit. But if this was a big team like the South Carolina Gamecocks or the Tennessee Volunteers who like to keep games really close, they would not be able to get away with that.
Against the Seminoles, the Huskies committed 13 turnovers. That is not going to fly against a bigger opponent. They need to get this number under control before they end up playing somebody of significance.
Auriemma is usually good about getting his players to play the right way. He should be able to get this problem fixed really fast.
Tyler is a 25 year old Journalism graduate from Georgia Southern University. Tyler is a big fan of hockey, baseball, basketball, and football, and also is a staff writer for Fansided.