Q&A: UConn beat reporter breaks down Huskies’ struggles in Maui, Alex Karaban’s evolution, keys against Gonzaga
If there’s any PTSD left over from Gonzaga’s double-digit losses to UConn the past two seasons, it should be reassuring to know these will hardly be the same old Huskies lining up against the Bulldogs on Saturday night in New York City.
Four players who accounted for 51 of the 76 points scored by UConn in a 13-point win over Gonzaga last year in Seattle heard their names called at the 2023 NBA draft. Just one starter, Alex Karaban, remains from the team that throttled Gonzaga 82-54 in the 2022 Elite Eight.
Without Stephon Castle (No. 4 overall to San Antonio), Donovan Clingan (No. 7 to Portland), Tristen Newton (No. 49 to Indiana) and Cam Spencer (No. 53 to Memphis), the Huskies were bound to look much different in their next meeting with the Zags – this time held in a more UConn-friendly environment at Madison Square Garden. UConn nearly had a fifth defection to the NBA, but coach Dan Hurley turned down a lucrative offer from the Los Angeles Lakers to return to Storrs, Connecticut, and chase a third straight national championship.
Relative to the past two seasons, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Hurley’s new group through 10 games, but the Huskies have shown some resolve since returning from a disastrous three-game skid at the Maui Invitational.
We invited David Borges, who’s been covering UConn’s recent national championship runs for the New Haven Register, back to the Q&A space to analyze the new-look Huskies ahead of Saturday’s 5 p.m. matchup in the Big Apple.
Q: With a 76-65 win at Texas on Sunday, UConn improved to 7-0 in the continental United States. Can we assume the Huskies are a national title contender as long as NCAA Tournament games aren’t played at Lahaina Civic Center? All jokes aside, what’s the biggest difference – and I’m sure there are multiple – between the team that lost three straight in Maui and the one that returned to notch impressive wins against Baylor and Texas?
Borges: ”UConn’s defensive effort was much better against Texas, particularly in the first half when it held the Longhorns to 8-for-26 shooting. Texas heated up in the second half, but a lot of that was Tre Johnson hitting some remarkable shots over a smaller defender. The return of Alex Karaban also helped (double-double in first game after sitting out previous two with a concussion).
Of course, Karaban wasn’t there against Baylor, and neither was UConn’s defense. But the Huskies rallied without their captain and top scorer, found some other guys to come up clutch (Liam McNeeley, Aidan Mahaney).
Maybe the biggest difference in these two games is that Dan Hurley seems to have settled in on a more consistent rotation: Hassan Diarra at point, Mahaney off the bench as a two-guard, more minutes for Jaylin Stewart, etc.”
Q: Alex Karaban has shown the ability to do a handful of things – scoring, distributing, rebounding, defending – about as well as anyone in the country at his position. Which of those traits is most valuable to this specific UConn team?
Borges: “I’d say his most valuable trait is his leadership. He’s struggled with being a vocal leader, though he’s becoming better at that. But his presence on the floor, having started all but one of 86 games he’s played at UConn and winning two national titles, is invaluable for all the traits you mentioned. He never left the floor against Texas.”
Q: UConn’s bigs, Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr., have been effective in some instances but liabilities in others, fouling out of a combined six games this season. Where are those two most productive when they’re on the floor and why has it been easy for opponents to bait them into foul trouble?
Borges: “Johnson has been in foul trouble seemingly since he first stepped on campus a few summers ago. Opponents know this and are taking it to him hard, as Texas did to some effect on Sunday. He does seem to be making an effort to not commit bad fouls out on the perimeter and to stay tall and straight against bigs down low. He is most effective as a rim-runner, catching alley-oop lobs for dunks or layups.
Reed is a much more classic, back-to-the-basket big with excellent footwork, nice moves and a nifty touch around the basket. Sort of in the Adama Sanogo mold.”
Q: Transfer guard Aidan Mahaney played for Gonzaga’s main rival in the WCC and finished his Saint Mary’s tenure with a respectable 3-3 record against the Zags. What’s been the biggest obstacle Mahaney’s faced fitting in with a new team and how do you envision his role as the season progresses?
Borges: ”Part of it was adjusting to a new program where the expectations are huge and the offseason and practices are probably a little (or a lot) more demanding. And Hurley seemed to want him to handle starting point guard duties, and it didn’t really work. He seems much more suited as a shooter off the bench, as another WCC transfer, Joey Calcaterra, was a couple of years ago.”
Q: Saturday marks the third matchup between these programs over the last three years. What’ll be the keys for UConn in this one and how do you see things playing out?
Borges: “UConn pretty much silenced Graham Ike last year, but it helped having 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan down low. Clingan is gone now, not far from you in Portland, and UConn’s defense has suffered. Too many guards have blown by UConn defenders in the early goings, and while the Huskies were a little better with that at Texas, keeping Ryan Nembhard from driving and dishing will be a huge task.
Still, the Huskies had that old look to them in Texas and seem to be rounding back into form. And the pro-UConn crowd at Madison Square Garden will be a boost.
I’d say the key is how well Hassan Diarra plays. If he can somewhat contain Nembhard and continue to be the distributor he’s been (11 assists vs. Texas), UConn should be in good shape. Easier said than done.”