No. 9 UConn men look to rebound from tough loss with trip to Georgetown Saturday: What to know

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Tasked with responding from a tough road loss at Villanova on Wednesday, Dan Hurley and the UConn men’s basketball staff were able to point out a number of plays that could’ve prevented the game ending with a pair of missed free throws from Alex Karaban in its final seconds.

Much of the reason for the loss could be traced back to the first half, when the Huskies sloppily turned the ball over nine times and got just 15 points from anyone not named Jaylin Stewart.

UConn – its veterans Karaban and Hassan Diarra, in particular – will need to get off to a better start in order to respond on Saturday as visitors to Georgetown in the nation’s capital.

“Alex is going to grow more comfortable as the season goes on with it being his team and having to deal with that pressure and having to deal with that type of expectation,” Hurley said Friday. “It’s a heavy load that you carry when you win or lose games and now you’re the guy, whether you’re the head coach or the star player, or the point guard or the quarterback, and everyone’s pointing in your direction when it’s over.”

The Huskies will be without freshman Liam McNeeley for the third straight game as he recovers from a high ankle sprain, progressing now to the point where he no longer needs to wear a walking boot. Without him, even more production is required from Karaban and Diarra.

“I don’t want to see the stat sheet and see Alex have three shot attempts at halftime,” Hurley said. “I want to see him attacking these games even more so with Liam out. And Hassan, you just can’t be the point guard on the team and be a little bit disengaged for the first half. I thought he played a really strong second half, but it’s not enough to win on the road.”

In year’s past, a sub-par effort could’ve been enough to win at Georgetown.

Not this time.

In Year Two under Ed Cooley, the Hoyas have quickly turned from basement dwellers to contenders in the Big East. They’ve already secured the program’s…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/no-9-uconn-men-look-234900228.html

Author : Hartford Courant

Publish date : 2025-01-10 23:49:00

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