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For most folks who get the opportunity to visit Hawaii, the experience is often one that has them raving about paradise when they return to the mainland. But Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies may have a different perception, because there was no shortage of trouble in paradise throughout the extent of their stay in Lahaina. After three consecutive losses and a stunning 8th-place finish in the Maui Invitational, the two-time defending NCAA Champion UConn Huskies are officially in trouble.
4-3 is UConn's worst seven-game start in Dan Hurley's seven year tenure in Storrs, and while that record — and an expected freefall out of the AP Top 25 Poll this Monday — are certainly cause for concern, it's not just the record and the unranked tag that are troublesome. It's that this team, which Hurley touted as potentially has most talented back in April, has easily identifiable issues less than one month into the season, and to be honest, there may not be much they can do to fix them.
“When you come to a tournament like this, and it's three games in three days, it starts to go bad, there's no way of fixing it because there's no time to,” Dan Hurley said after Wednesday's loss to Dayton, per ESPN. “You just have to deal with the situation. It was a humbling trip obviously for the program that's accomplished what we've accomplished.”
Problem #1 – UConn's equal opportunity offense has no alpha dog
For as talented and important as Alex Karaban is, he's not the type of player who can take over a game in a traditional sense. Solo Ball has shown flashes of being a top-tier scorer in the Big East, but thus far, the sophomore guard is averaging a shade under 13 points per game. Liam McNeeley arrived in Storrs with the chance to become this guy, but the five-star freshman struggled in Maui, shooting 33 percent from the field and going scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting against Dayton.
Tarris Reed is the only other Huskies player averaging double-figures scoring this season, but the transfer center from Michigan isn't the type of big you can just dump the ball to in the post and rely on him to score consistently with the game on the line. After back to back seasons averaging 13.9 points per game at Saint Mary's, Aidan Mahaney is averaging just 4.1 points per game and shooting an abysmal 27 percent from the field. Neither Jayden Ross and Jaylin Stewart have popped like Huskies fans hoped.
Now all the sudden we're down to Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson, two guys who gave UConn great bench minutes last season, but haven't yet proven to be equipped to handle a greater share of minutes and responsibility.
So that leads me to an important question: who is getting buckets for this team when the you need a bucket down the stretch? Right now, it doesn't look like there is a good answer.
Problem #2 – Size does matter for Huskies defense
People tend to forget that before the last two UConn championship squads came damn close to perfecting a Euro-style offense masterminded by Dan Hurley and assistant coach Luke Murray, traditionally, the calling card of Hurley-coached teams has been their defense. And yes, the Huskies routinely showed how dominant they could be defensively, but what Maui proved, as if there were any doubt before the season started, was that this year's team doesn't have that gear.
Sure, against the LeMoyne's and East Texas A&M's of the college basketball world, it's easy to look great defensively. But UConn's defense cratered over the course of their time in Maui, as they allowed their three opponents to shoot a combined 52 percent from the field and 53 percent three-point range. Per ESPN Research, UConn hadn't given up 70-plus points in consecutive games versus unranked non-conference opponents since the 2018-19 season. They did so in three consecutive games this week.
This isn't necessarily a schematic issue… it's an issue with personnel. The big, physical guards that UConn's starting lineup featured last season — Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Stephon Castle — are off in the NBA, as is the imposing presence in the middle — Donovan Clingan — who was a one-man shot-blocking brigade last year.
The Huskies just don't have those guys this year.
Problem #3 – UConn carrying abnormally large target on their back
The Huskies have a get-right game versus Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday night before a tricky two-week stretch with games against Baylor, Texas, Gonzaga and Xavier begins. But no matter who the opponent is the rest of the way, UConn is going to get everyone's best punch from now until the season ends. There is blood in the water, and this team that beat the hell out of just about everyone who crossed their path over the last two years is vulnerable.
That's a dangerous reality for a team whose confidence has got to be shook after what happened earlier this week.
