The Huskies are now on a one-game winning streak
There was never a scenario where the No. 2 UConn men’s basketball team could have come out against Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday night and pleased everybody. Facing one of the worst teams in Division I after losing three in a row meant the Huskies would either disappoint or do exactly what they were supposed to.
It doesn’t make the Huskies’ 99-45 win any less significant.
In their first game after the Maui Invitational — a game that historically has given UConn fits— the Huskies got better as the game went on, dominating on both ends to improve to 5-3.
Head coach Dan Hurley spoke with the Peacock broadcast team after the game and underscored the importance of getting back on the court just days after their Maui meltdown.
“We just needed to get back on the court, try to rebuild the psyche of our program because we’re not used to, obviously, what just happened [in Maui],” he said.
Most team stats need to be taken with a grain of salt considering the opponent. The Hawks are now 2-9 with a 47-point loss to Illinois and 74-point drubbing to Arkansas to go with their defeat on Saturday. KenPom rates them No. 361 out of 364 Division I teams.
But after three games where UConn seemingly couldn’t guard a folding chair, the Huskies held UMES to 0.65 points per possession and the Hawks shot 36% from inside the 3-point arc.
There’s still plenty of room for improvement. Hurley called out Liam McNeeley for letting his man drive by him three times in the first half, for example. UConn also continued to foul too much, though it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was earlier in the week.
The Huskies closed out better on 3-point shooters and didn’t find themselves in “no-man’s land” as their opponent moved the ball to find open looks. That was a problem a few times in Maui.
There was a lot to like on the other end as well. UConn shot 25-27 from the line. While UConn shot a perfectly fine 75% in Hawaii, they struggled to get to the stripe. Saturday was a step in the right direction.
UConn also outscored UMES 17-3 on the fast break and out-rebounded the Hawks 48-23. The Huskies rank sixth in the country in offensive efficiency, and those were indicators that the best could be yet to come.
“That’s basically with getting not much offensive rebounding and nowhere near the transition that we’re used to getting because we’re not getting stops and we’re not getting clean, defensive rebounds,” Hurley explained.
With Alex Karaban out with what Hurley called a “mild concussion,” Jaylin Stewart had another strong game, tallying 16 points (3-4 3PT), seven rebounds and three assists in his first career start. Jayden Ross came off the bench to add a double-double with 10 and 10.
”I think that’s something that I look to do going forward — just attack the glass offensively and defensively, and we’re all going to do that as a team as well,” he said after the game, per Sam Calhoun of the Daily Campus.
Aidan Mahaney had his best game of the season by offensive rating with a 139 rating. He has become something of a punching bag among the UConn fanbase for his rough start, and while he only played 16 minutes, there seemed to be a shift in his approach. He made more of an effort to get to the basket, not forcing the 3-point shot. Given the team’s physical advantage over UMES, he was rewarded for it. He scored 11 to go with four assists.
Then there was the simple reassurance that McNeeley was OK. The freshman clearly played hurt against Dayton on Wednesday when he missed all nine of his shot attempts. Even though he went 1-8 from three on Saturday, he managed 16 points and made all seven of his free throws.
Lastly, in a game that was over by halftime (UConn led 40-18 at the break), Hurley had the luxury of giving his second unit extended minutes. Ahmad Nowell played a career-high 17 minutes and looked every bit the part of a productive Big East bench player. Isaiah Abraham had his moments as well, despite picking up four fouls in 10 minutes.
UMES was the last cupcake on the schedule. UConn faces Baylor on Wednesday in the Big East-Big 12 Battle before heading to Austin to face Texas and stopping by Madison Square Garden for a game against Gonzaga. After that, it’s on to Big East play.
“We’re gonna need grace and we’re gonna need patience. And just incredible support from our fans and our crowd, not just in attendance, but also externally, on social media,” Hurley said. “This team is a work in progress. You get so many new guys, you get so many young guys, you get so many people that have moved into much bigger roles or are playing for the first time or just got here and are now carrying the weight of the monster program that we’ve created here.”