Connecticut Huskies
American (24-10, 11-7)
Connecticut may have been forgotten about by the national media for most of the season, but in retrospect, they had some pretty good nonconference wins against teams like Michigan, Ohio State and Texas. But an up and down American Athletic Conference slate has raised some questions about this group.
Big Wins: 12/29 at Texas (71-66), 2/13 Tulsa (75-73), 2/18 SMU (68-62)
Bad Losses: 11/27 vs Gonzaga (70-73), 1/5 Temple (53-55), 2/28 Houston (68-75)
Coach: Kevin Ollie
Why They Can Surprise:
Coach Kevin Ollie has built this team around guards Sterling Gibbs and Rodney Purvis, wing Daniel Hamilton and forward Shonn Miller. Gibbs came to the Huskies for one season and has done what most had expected; turned into a consistent scoring threat and a decent ball handler who can knock down three-pointers. Purvis is also a double-digit scorer who has been consistent from beyond the arc. But sophomore Daniel Hamilton is still the star of this team. After an amazing freshman campaign, Hamilton picked up right where he left off and is averaging 12.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Obviously he can do it all and defending the 6-7 wing is very, very tough. But even if Hamilton is not scoring all that much, he will help his team in other ways. Shonn Miller, a transfer from Cornell, has made a surprisingly large contribution. He leads the team with 12.8 points per game and is second with 5.4 rebounds. Throw in Amida Brimah and his shot blocking ability, and Connecticut has the tools to be successful in March.
Why They Can Disappoint:
This team is great on defense, especially inside the arc. Teams will score some points against Connecticut, but it will not be from easy buckets. However, the Huskies do not get many easy points themselves. They will not force many turnovers nor will they get to the charity stripe very often. And for a team that has athletes who can attack the basket, that is a big deal, especially considering most of the team is very good from the line. Players like Purvis, who is the one bad free-throw shooter on the team, need to be more aggressive attacking the basket. If this team can pass up a mid-range jumper every once in a while and attack the basket instead, they can avoid offensive slumps and win games by continuing to play solid defense.
Probable Starters:
Sterling Gibbs, Senior, Guard, 12.0 ppg, 2.3 apg
Rodney Purvis, Junior, Guard, 12.5 ppg, 2.2 apg
Daniel Hamilton, Sophomore, Guard, 12.4 ppg, 4.9 apg, 8.9 rpg
Shonn Miller, Senior, Forward, 12.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Amida Brimah, Junior, Center, 6.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.6 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Jalen Adams, Freshman, Guard, 7.3 ppg, 2.5 apg
Omar Calhoun, Senior, Guard, 4.5 ppg
Kentan Facey, Junior, Forward, 3.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.4 (193rd in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.2 (10, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.9 (84, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.3 (5, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.9 (181, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.9 (122, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 77.8 (2, 1)
Rebound Margin: 2.4 (103, 5)
Assists Per Game: 13.7 (142, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.3 (45, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NIT First Round loss to Arizona State
2014 NCAA Second Round win over St. Joseph's
2014 NCAA Third Round win over Villanova
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Iowa State
2014 NCAA Regional Final win over Michigan State
2014 NCAA National Semifinal win over Florida
2014 NCAA National Final win over Kentucky
2012 NCAA Second Round loss to Iowa State
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Bucknell
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Cincinnati
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over San Diego State
2011 NCAA Regional Final win over Arizona
2011 NCAA National Semifinal win over Kentucky
2011 NCAA National Final win over Butler
2010 NIT First Round win over Northeastern
2010 NIT Second Round loss to Virginia Tech
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Tennessee-Chattanooga
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas A&M
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Purdue
2009 NCAA Regional Final win over Missouri
2009 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Michigan State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to San Diego
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Albany
2006 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kentucky
2006 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Washington
2006 NCAA Regional Final loss to George Mason
*all team stats through 3/6
