STORRS – Dan Hurley doesn’t expect his second-ranked UConn men’s basketball team to be a final product, or really even close to it by the time the Huskies land in Maui this weekend. But these first four games – which they’ve won by an average of 38.7 points – provided a good idea of what they have to work with.
“I think we’ll be tinkering for a while,” he said Monday evening, before the Huskies host East Texas A&M (formerly Texas A&M-Commerce) in their final tuneup ahead of the Maui Invitational on Tuesday. “Just there’s so many new people. There’s been some pleasant surprises, there’s been some guys we’ve got to get going, and then you just never really know as a coach who you really like the most when you start to play games when you’re really threatened. So it’s hard to tell right now who you like the most, who you trust the most until you play the hard ones.”
But Hurley doesn’t mind the way the early schedule fell for the reigning back-to-back champs. Their strength of schedule has been among the easiest in the country at this point, and that won’t change after Tuesday night.
UConn is currently ranked fifth overall by KenPom; No. 7 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. It takes a bit of scrolling to find the Lions, ranked No. 352 of the 364 Division I programs by the efficiency metrics, which carry over some elements from last season.
Last season was only the Lions’ second as a Division I program, and their second consecutive year with a 13-20 final record. Their eighth-year head coach, Jaret von Rosenburg, is familiar with Connecticut from his time at the University of Hartford, where he played three seasons and spent two as an assistant coach for the Hawks.
Losing all five starters from a 13-20 year, East Texas A&M (1-2) opened this season with losses to Iowa, South Dakota and Texas A&M by an average of 20.7 points. The Lions held off Southern University (SWAC) behind 18 points from 6-foot-1 guard Khaliq Abdul-Mateen.
“This game is unique because they switch one through five on-ball, off-ball, which is unique, you just don’t see it a lot. So you have to prepare for that, the first time you see that is an adjustment, it’s unconventional,” Hurley said. “You prepare to play against that, which it is good to get a look at that type of defense.”
The goal for Tuesday, as it has been each game this season, is to get closer to “our level of bulletproof basketball,” Hurley said. He was happy with the turnover total (7) last time out against Le Moyne, the 24 assists and the 55.6% shooting percentage from the floor.
“Obviously the level of competition is going to increase significantly, so we’re ready for that,” he said.
After the Maui Invitational – which begins with Memphis, then either Colorado or Michigan State, and a third opponent from the opposite side of the bracket – UConn has one last buy game against Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) before a gauntlet of three straight against No. 13 Baylor, Texas and No. 3 Gonzaga.
By then, the rotations should be settling in stone.
“I think you definitely see it coming to form, but at the same time, it’s so early in the season and so many different lineup changes can happen,” said three-year starter Alex Karaban. “We had lineup changes happen last year too, with Solo (Ball) and Steph (Castle) in particular, so I think there’s always time to adjust and always time to change, especially this early. When we get to Maui and we get to the bigger nonconference games too, those type of lineups can change. I truly think no one is ever safe, or no one’s ever set in the positions they are right now.”
Hurley: Feed Slamson
With Samson Johnson finally staying out of foul trouble against Le Moyne, and Tarris Reed Jr. progressing in his adjustment to the program, Hurley likes the direction the center position is headed. Production from that spot will only improve once they get on the same page with the guards for lobs or entry passes.
“I like the way things are trending with center, I think we’ve got something there with Samson and Tarris,” he said. “I just think that our biggest concern right here is getting that quality out of that primary handler as a guard, whether that’s Hassan (Diarra) or Aidan (Mahaney)… The guards are hurting Samson, hurting his production. I think he’s getting antsy, we’re not getting him in the lob game the way we have in the past. The guards aren’t seeing it yet.”
During the team’s film review of the Le Moyne game, Hurley dedicated an entire segment to the missed opportunities that could’ve been easy baskets for both centers.
“We need to be looking for them more often and it’s on us… to really provide them the easy buckets,” Karaban said. “Because they do so much for us on the court, the least we could do is reward them with a lob.”
What to know
Site: Gampel Pavilion, Storrs
Time: 7 p.m.
Records: UConn: 3-0, East Texas A&M: 1-3
Series: First ever meeting.
TV: FS1 – John Fanta, Donny Marshall
Radio: Fox Sports 97-9 – Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman
Pregame reading:
