Hurley: “No time for Huskies to become complacent”

By Ken Davis

After a road trip to New Jersey, and a 69-58 victory over Seton Hall that put UConn on solid footing for a bid to the NCAA Tournament, coach Dan Hurley said he knows exactly what the Huskies face as they try to maintain their momentum in March.

“Just the urgency,” Hurley said after the game Wednesday night. “That’s pretty much it. We practice hard, we prepare well. We’re just going to stick to the script.”

The script, heading into the final chapter of this strange and complicated regular season, is an almost perfect read right now. And better things could be ahead.

UConn (13-6, 10-6 Big East) has won three consecutive games and five of its last six. The only loss in that stretch came at Villanova (68-60), which wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament with a 72-60 victory over Creighton Wednesday night. The Huskies have locked up the tournament’s No. 3 seed, which is more than respectable for UConn’s return season to the Big East.

There are other factors that could make a huge difference in New York next week.

Villanova (16-4, 11-3) has lost star point guard Collin Gillespie to a torn MCL. The school announced Thursday he is expected to miss the rest of the season and that is a crushing blow to the Wildcats. Gillespie has been Jay Wright’s starting point guard the past three seasons and the Wildcats will play their first game without him Saturday at Providence.

At the same time, Creighton (17-7, 13-6) is a team in turmoil after consecutive losses to Xavier and Villanova on the road. The Bluejays wrap up the regular season against Butler Saturday without head coach Greg McDermott, suspended by the school for “insensitive” remarks he made to his players in a locker room speech.

That means no one should be surprised if UConn wins the Big East tournament.

Call the Huskies a “buzz team” with the postseason about to begin.

The college basketball community is starting to realize that UConn might be capable of much better things. The Huskies will be heading back to Madison Square Garden in New York for the Big East championship that begins March 10 as a serious contender for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

That’s why Hurley simply wants to stick to the script. And that’s why his accomplishments in three seasons at UConn has earned him a contract extension. UConn announced the two-year extension Friday. It will keep him with the Huskies through March 31, 2027.

“During Dan’s introductory press conference almost three years ago, I said that he is the absolute right fit for UConn,” athletic director David Benedict said in a statement.  “The success of the team this year, the culture he has instilled in his program, and the excitement the Huskies have generated throughout UConn Nation make it abundantly clear that Coach Hurley is the right leader of our men’s basketball program for many years to come.”

Through all the pandemic pauses, the lockdowns, the injuries, and other distractions, the Huskies are exactly where they wanted to be. But there’s no time to let up.

Hurley made that clear, saying the approach will be “hammering home the point” to his players that they cannot afford complacency heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale against Georgetown (9-11, 7-8) at Gampel Pavilion (noon, CBS).

UConn won at Georgetown 70-57 on Feb. 23. Since then the Hoyas posted victories over DePaul and Xavier.

“We know how good those guys are playing,” Hurley said “Then as we head to tournament time, obviously the stakes are raised. People are literally playing for their lives, or for their careers for older players.”

These Huskies have no experience dealing with those stakes. And that does make a difference. UConn’s NCAA history and the national championships won under Jim Calhoun and Kevin Ollie won’t help this squad. Hurley’s postseason experience will be a great asset, but UConn hasn’t been a tournament participant since 2016.

The postseason is a different world. Any veteran of March Madness will tell you that. In that regard, the Huskies are entering the great unknown.

“I would watch the tournament in the years where we didn’t make it,” senior big man Josh Carlton said. “It was hard. But knowing you won’t be a part of it, and just being able to watch it and see how electric the environment was and how exciting the games were, was my motivation. That’s where we want to be at one point.”

The Huskies have climbed back to reach that point. The losing seasons and the struggles in the American Athletic Conference seem to be behind them.

UConn has moved up to No. 32 in the NCAA NET Rankings, the third highest team from the Big East behind Villanova and Creighton and well ahead of Xavier at No. 53. After beating Seton Hall (No 57 NET), the Huskies are generally forecast as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament,

Hurley says he doesn’t want to talk about the bubble. And he shouldn’t.

“We recruited the right guys, we developed them and we built a culture,” Hurley said. “The players we inherited have helped us build that culture. It’s program building.”

Sophomore guard James Bouknight is the main attraction after returning from his injury. Guard R.J. Cole has become a force. But Carlton, Tyler Polley and Isaiah Whaley, who will be honored on Senior Day against Georgetown, have been key ingredients in this winning formula.

This is what those guys imagined when they came to UConn.

“Now to be a part of UConn history, the good side of it,” Whaley said. “I’m just sticking with the same goals I came in with and working on that.”

The Huskies have demonstrated some remarkable traits during this win streak. And the good continued to blossom against Seton Hall,  a team with talent and promise that hasn’t handed the stakes as well as the Huskies.

Whaley had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win at Seton Hall. With Bouknight and Cole struggling in the first half, Whaley helped keep the Huskies alive. They fell behind 13-4 and trailed 26-19. But after 3-pointers by Cole and Bouknight, Whaley made a follow-up to give UConn a 27-26 lead at half-time. The Huskies wasted no time growing that lead to 46-34 early in the second half.

Hurley called Whaley the game’s MVP.

“They really punched us in the mouth and we were able to stabilize,” Hurley said.

Whaley’s growth could make a world of difference in the NCAA Tournament.

“He has improved a lot,” Hurley said. “His first year was tough. He wasn’t ready to play our first year but he had a great summer. He started getting minutes his junior year. He kept improving and he changed his body. Players decided minutes, I don’t decide minutes.

“As he continued to play and grow better, he’s become invaluable.”

After the Georgetown game, the next step will be coping with the pressure of a Big East tournament – just one more thing these players have never encountered. With a limited crowd, it won’t be a typical March Madness scene, but the Huskies could make it a time to remember.

“It’s an amazing place to play,” Polley said of Madison Square Garden “The first time I played there was the most nervous I had ever been. UConn has a lot of history there. Just representing UConn playing there means a lot.”

 

And that’s especially true after the seniors battled through all the difficult times.

“It’s UConn,” Polley said. “I can’t imagine going anywhere else. Our name is so big. The history behind this program. That’s why I stuck it out. I just want to be part of something special and bring back UConn to where it was.”

The best is yet to come.

“My favorite moment hasn’t happened yet,” Carlton said. “When our name is called on Selection Sunday and we know we’re going to play in the [NCAA] Tournament, that’ll probably be my favorite moment. My first Selection Sunday with the team.”