Rapid Recap: Huskies take care of business in win vs. New Hampshire
In their XL Center debut, UConn men’s basketball had plenty to be excited about, similar to their first game of the season. Besides the obvious fact of coming off a win, the team would be getting back Jayden Ross, who’s had quite the hype going into this matchup.
Despite the team’s win and having a sizable halftime lead, things certainly didn’t look the best on paper, especially when you consider the level of competition. The team as an entire unit shot just 15.4% from beyond the arc and 36.7% overall. While those are certainly not the hottest numbers on the stat sheet, they were able to get to the line for 15 free throws (Alex Karaban had 6 free throws by himself).
Another interesting storyline that continued to evolve in the first half was with Tarris Reed Jr. In the first half with Samson Johnson racking up 3 fouls, the Michigan transfer played about 10 minutes and was the most efficient player on the floor with 7 points on 3/5 shooting from the field. With how much mystery surrounded the tandem of Johnson and Reed, the St. Louis native has shown to be a very effective addition to this unit thus far at the five spot.
The good news for this unit in the first half was that New Hampshire was doing even worse on the offensive floor at 30.8% FG shooting. The Husky defense certainly played a part in this, as they were all over shots in the first half. Alex Karaban, for instance, continued his block party with 3 first-half swats, while Solo Ball made an impact with two steals of his own.
The second half though? That’s a different story.
The Huskies completely flipped a switch in the second half, shooting 63.6% from the field and 46.7% from the three-point line. They were solid on both ends of the floor, with the offense truly getting into a groove. If that wasn’t enough, other players also had stellar halves, including Ross who added 12 points and two triples.
In total, UConn had five scorers in double figures, including Karaban who was the leading scorer with 17 points and had an offensive rating of 139.8. Liam McNeeley also continued to show why he has so much hype going into this season with 10 10-point, 11-rebound double-double performance.
Lastly, the three biggest statistical differences between these two rosters were total rebounds, second-chance points, and points off the bench. A 42-26 rebounding difference certainly was a huge exclamation point for this roster that prides itself on that category, but the 20-4 second chance points difference was perhaps even more impressive. Thanks to the play of players like Ross and Reed off the bench, that 40-5 difference in bench points was another huge mark.
It’s certainly still a work in progress for UConn, especially considering what the team’s first half looked like tonight. But, if things are able to connect like they were in the second half tonight, watch out, especially as Ross continues to collect more experience in an important role for this roster.