Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Taking Care Of Business

So this is what a game looks like when an opponent doesn’t have a player go off for a career high. UConn controlled all aspects of the game. The front court dominated the paint, though the rebounding ended up even. The back court slashed into lanes and executed plays. The defense intimidated and flustered the Saint John’s young team and they got easy buckets on turnovers. Its much easier to win a game if you are not bombarded by the three ball.

Price had a solid game, 7 assists to 1 turnover, and controlled the pace of the game. Dyson continued to throw his body around and drive to the basket relentlessly. He had more dunks in this game then in the previous ten. He was more active in the passing lanes then at any other time. Wiggins had an unproductive 13 minutes and seemed hesitant taking the shot when open. His shot isn’t there yet. The smalls played great defense and kept Saint John’s from catching the ball and going up for a shot.

Robinson is a fun player to watch. He is by far UConn’s most athletic player and he has the confidence in his game to take chances. He is as impressive on the defensive side of the ball as he is on the offensive, which is a 180 degree turn from last year. Its also great to see him take those outside shots. He is, as predicted, the most improved player on the team.

Thabeet has improved so much this year that a 8 point, 6 rebound and 3 block performance is lackluster. Last year we would have been content with a line like that from him. Adrien put together his finest game of the season so far, with 20 points and 14 boards. Its great to see his feet leave the floor and remind everyone that he can dunk. Edwards did well in the reserve roll. He didn’t show up in the box score but he played his man well and protected the paint. Kelly came off the bench and played hard. His minutes had dwindled down to nothing lately and he has the motivation to play hard when on the court.

The only knock against the Huskies tonight was their free throw shooting, a paltry 12 for 26. Its definitely a step back from their improvement. Against a more comparable opponent that poor shooting would have cost them the game. Lets hope it’s a fluke.

They took care of business at home against a divisional opponent and now are ready to make a statement against Georgetown. If they could pull off the win, then it would most likely catapult them into the top 25 and secure a place among the top Big East teams. Before we get all excited about this team, they need to knock off a top tier team and Georgetown is ripe for the picking. Their offense isn’t clicking now and they are relying on their stellar defense to carry them. If UConn can score in the 70’s, then they should pull off the victory.

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