Some quick thoughts on UConn’s 83-73 win at Memphis Thursday night:
- UConn fans shouldn’t worry about whether this was an “upset” or not. It was just a very important win for coach Kevin Ollie and his Huskies – and it has nothing to do with the fact that Memphis is ranked No. 17 in the polls. This is a victory that will resonate with the NCAA tournament selection committee when it gets around to seeding the Huskies. The committee takes notice of conference road victories against other teams in the tournament pool. Memphis will fit that description come March. The Huskies can put this one on their resume next to the Dec. 2 win over Florida at Gampel Pavilion. Polls and power rankings mean nothing to the selection committee but there is great emphasis on who you beat and where you accomplished it. The Huskies are a Top 25 team; they just didn’t play that way in Texas for two games. I’m guessing UConn would have remained in the polls with a win at Houston and a loss at SMU. Now there is little doubt the Huskies would return to the rankings with a win Saturday over Louisville at Gampel Pavilion. Not that that means anything, but it is a safe place to reside. More importantly, the Huskies are 2-2 in the American Athletic Conference after that poor start – with only Cincinnati (5-0), Louisville (4-1) and Memphis (3-2) ahead of them.
- It seems I’ve written this a million times, but the Huskies need consistency from DeAndre Daniels. He may be entering a groove similar to the one he found at the end of last season, when he finished so strong. Against Memphis he had 23 points and 11 rebounds in 38 minutes. Daniels committed only one foul, was 9-for-15 from the field, hit 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and added three blocks and two steals. The less Daniels thinks about his role, the better he plays. When he produces those kind of numbers, does it really matter if he is the small forward, power forward or center? If Daniels just takes the floor and plays his game, very few opponents will be able to stop him. He is that talented.
- This was a total team effort. Daniels and Shabazz Napier (17 points, 10 assists) led the way but Lasan Kromah (13 points, 2 rebounds), Omar Calhoun (7 points in 15 minutes), Amida Brimah (6 points, 5 rebounds) and Phillip Nolan (4 points, 5 rebounds) made big contributions. Tyler Olander made some big plays down the stretch and Niels Giffey did some things that didn’t show up in the box score. Good to see Calhoun shooting with ease and confidence. Kromah deserves to start but Calhoun could become very important to this team as postseason play approaches. When nine guys play 10 or more minutes and you win on the road, that’s a good sign.
Here’s what the two coaches had to say after the game, courtesy Memphis athletics:
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Memphis coach Josh Pastner: Opening Statement: “They (Connecticut) hit some big shots throughout the game and down the stretch. They do so well on sucking you in and then hitting three’s. We did not hit shots at the end and that was the difference in the ball game. With Geron (Johnson) out with foul trouble, we had to step up and we did not. Connecticut hit some big shots and you have to give them credit. We did not do a good job on the glass in the second half. We were up in the first half but lost it there down the stretch. I thought the crowd was great and I am just disappointed in us for not coming up with the win tonight.” On the execution down the stretch: “Joe (Jackson) was right there at the rim towards the end of the game and he missed it. They were not going to foul and then they went down and scored on the other end. That was the game right there.” On Connecticut’s performance: “We came out and played zone and they made shots around our players. They found the deep corners and were effective. DeAndre Daniels was a big difference tonight. Shaq (Goodwin) got sucked out on him and he was able to knock down some three pointers. Overall, they had players make baskets and we did not.” On the strategy moving forward: “I did not think we played very poorly, I actually thought we played very well in some |
UConn coach Kevin Ollie:
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On his team’s adjustments in the second half: We did a phenomenal job adjusting. We were ball hunting, that’s what we do, we go hunt the basketball. Our pick-and-pop plays were great, which is really hard to stop when it gets going. Our offensive rebounding was huge. We continued to execute and eventually got some stops. On playing at FedExForum: This is a very hard place to win; especially a Memphis team coming off of a loss. That was a tournament atmosphere. 18-thousand fans, that’s a great crowd, it got the guys juiced up a little bit. On a potential budding rivalry with Memphis: I think it could absolutely develop. With all the talent they have over here, and Memphis is a hotbed of talent. I respect Josh (Pastner) for the job he’s doing, taking over a difficult situation and now taking it back to where it was before. Hopefully we can come back and play them in the conference tournament. On transition defense: Yeah, we held them to just two fast break points, that and rebounding were definitely keys to the game. |
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