More Of The Same

Uconn 69 Morgan State 65

The first game of the season looked like UConn’s last game of the year. They had worked hard earning a marginal lead and watched as the offense sputtered for 5 points in 7 and a half minutes. From the 16:48 to 9:14 mark of the second half, they couldn’t finish fast breaks, stop the opposing team from getting 5 offensive boards, missed 6 shots, and gave up 3 threes.

Morgan State, projected to finish 5th in their conference, attempted 71 shots compared to Uconn’s 49. UConn’s big men couldn’t rebound, the guards didn’t defend the perimeter and the team couldn’t find a jump shot.

Curtis Kelly was a bright spot. He deserves an applause for the work from the line, going 7 for 7, pulling down 7 boards and making 3 for 6 from the field. While Thabeet struggled with 3 points and only 7 boards, never being a factor in the game. Adrien had a solid night with 12 points and 7 boards but was dominated inside by Coly, who had 15 boards with 8 being offensive.

Dyson shot well but played sloppy defense, committing 4 personal fouls but made his free throws and some clutch shots down the stretch. Price had a lackluster night with 5 points, 9 dishes, 3 turnovers and 3 steals. He needs to be more assertive, 4 field goals in the game is not going to cut it, and he needs to make a play during these droughts. Doug Wiggins did well in reserve, making a crucial three, his only, to pull away. He didn’t turn the ball over and made free throw shots to seal the game. Austrie had a good line with 8 points on 3 for 5 shooting, 5 boards, 1 dish, 1 turnover and 1 steal.

Stanley Robinson didn’t make a shot and had 5 turnovers. Calhoun should give Robinson an offensive foul get out to jail card. Let him drive to the hoop without fear. Once he feels his shot isn’t there, he starts turning the ball over. His offense feels out of rhythm and needs to let the game come to him.

This game, which should have been a confidence booster, has now put a seedling of doubt into Husky Nation. Are they the same team as last year? A team that shot the ball poorly, couldn’t make free throws and turned the ball over way to much or are they more experienced and ready to take the next step. Let’s cross our fingers.