Take The Money And Run

You can still smell the rubber left by UConn’s bus, as it squealed out of the parking lot. The Huskies showed some grit and tenacity in climbing back into the game. They withstood another barrage of threes from a star player. They seem to give their ‘A’ game when playing the pups. This time Deonta Vaughn went 10 out of 14, and 8 out of 11 from three. Those are outstanding numbers. The Huskies took Cincinnati’s best punch and clawed back in it. Doing it on the back of free throw shooting.

UConn’s smaller guards are getting bumped off their man. In the past Anderson and Brown could muscle their way through screens but Price, Dyson and Wiggins have to use their speed. So far it has not been pretty. Great shooters are having a field day with clean looks. Down the stretch, the smaller guards started to produce steals and combined for 8. Cincinnati barely ventured inside the paint because they couldn’t miss from outside. They shot 47% in the first half and 50% in the second.

And it was UConn’s greatest flaw last year that has become their major weapon this season, the free throw line. Going 32 for 37, will win ballgames. They outscored the long distance onslaught with pressure defense and attacking the basket.

Thabeet showed that he isn’t all about the blocks today. He rebounded well, 7, controlled the ball, made his free throws-8 of 9, and finished around the rim. Both big men combined for 34 points an helped combat Deonta’s awesome night.

But the win fell on the shoulder’s of the player in the longer slump. Early Dyson couldn’t find the rhythm of the game, dribbling through the pressure defense, not getting to loose balls, hanging on the rim (his second this year) and missing shots. But when they needed him the most, he hit back to back threes. That’s got to feel good. His counterpart, Price, had a solid game in his limited time. He shot the ball well and ran the break and half-court fluidly.

Stanley continues to try to find a consistent game. He skied early for boards but didn’t show any tenacity that fuels his game. If he committed more to the boards, he would double his points. He is strong and has the hops to out jump the big men.

There was another Mandeldove sighting and he picked up a board in his 2 minutes. Kelly needed 7 minutes to pick up 2 of his boards. Austrie came in and ran the offense effectively in Price’s early absence. He is a special weapon to put in when you need to sink free throws. He has ice water for blood.

There is no downplaying this win. UConn has positioned themselves in contention for the Big East. The road only gets harder from here. They will have another road test in Indiana. They have been tested pretty good by Cincinnati and came away with the win but will they carry that momentum into the next game?