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Film Review: UConn Over Georgetown

The Huskies had a lot to be pleased with after Saturday's performance.
The Huskies had a lot to be pleased with after Saturday's performance.

The Huskies gave the fans who weathered Saturday’s winter storm what they wanted with a 68-62 win over former Big East rival Georgetown. UConn improves to 14-5 on the year in its final out-of-conference matchup.


After re-watching the film, here's what stood out from the Huskies’ performance:


Finding Shooters Defensively

It was obvious watching the game live, and more evident when you re-watch the tape, that UConn struggled mightily finding shooters on the three-point line against the Hoyas.

By my unofficial count, 21 of Georgetown’s 31 three-point attempts were wide open or without a solid contest. Husky bigs got sucked into the paint on high-ball-screen action, the transition defense failed to locate shooters sprinting to the corners and on at least one occasion Sterling Gibbs got stuck going under a high-ball handoff.

Luckily for UConn, the Hoyas only shot 29 percent from beyond the arch with a handful of long rebounds leading to easy transition buckets for the Huskies.

UConn’s struggles locating shooters in transition or bigs getting pulled into the lane has been noted in recent film reviews. Kevin Ollie and his staff are likely showing the Huskies these miscues in practice in hopes of improving defensive awareness.


Staying Aggressive

Fans have been tormented this season by the seemingly stagnant spells the offense goes through every game. Often, the Huskies can’t create easy shots going towards the rim, settling for poor shots late in the shot clock.

While UConn had one such spell in the second half, at least there was no settling for jump shots. The Huskies attacked the rim early and often drawing more than double (27-13) the personal foul calls as Georgetown. UConn finished the game 29-of-36 from the charity stripe while the Hoyas were just 7-of-8.

The Huskies have five players who can create off the dribble in Omar Calhoun, Rodney Purvis, Daniel Hamilton, Jalen Adams and Gibbs. All five put their slashing skills on display, attacking the seams of the Hoyas’ 2-3 zone, getting into the heart of the defense and creating high-percentage shots at the rim or kick outs to open shooters.

Hamilton and Purvis both hit big threes in the first half but credit to the UConn coaching staff for not letting them fall in love with the three-ball as the game went on. The Huskies stayed aggressive, overcoming a poor shooting performance in the second half by getting into the lane and to the line.



Daniel Hamilton helped the Huskies stay aggressive offensively and get to the free throw line.
Daniel Hamilton helped the Huskies stay aggressive offensively and get to the free throw line. (Ian Bethune)

Gibbs and Miller Against Man-to-Man Defense

Georgetown did a nice job of mixing up its defensive looks all game long, switching frequently between man-to-man pressure and a 2-3 zone. The Huskies were effective attacking the seams of the zone, forcing the defense to collapse leaving shooters and bigs open for easy looks.

But against the man-to-man looks, Ollie relied heavily on his two most experienced players in Gibbs and Miller. As the primary ball handler in high-ball-screen action, Gibbs frequently used his crossover after receiving the screen to cut off the angle of the helping big or to find open players on the perimeter. The Huskies called Gibbs’ number on three straight possessions in the first half, helping to build a 35-28 lead.

While at one point against Georgetown, Miller seemed to be forgotten in the offense, the fifth-year senior made his presence felt late in the game. A jump hook ended UConn’s field-goal drought in the second half, which cut the Hoyas’ lead to 60-58. Holding a slim 63-62 lead in the final possessions of the game, UConn fed Miller on the block who rewarded his team’s confidence with another clutch bucket, extending the advantage to 65-62.


Purvis Rebounds

Since being moved to the bench, Purvis has turned in three disappointing performances. But on Saturday the junior returned to form, scoring 17 points, hauling in five boards and coming up with a huge steal and some clutch made free throws late to help seal the victory.

Purvis was dynamic in transition and efficient when driving to the rim, getting himself to the free-throw line or setting up easy looks for teammates.

While Purvis’ shooting numbers (4-of-13) still leaves plenty to be desired, he didn’t settle for many jump shots, instead buying into the team mantra of attacking the basket.

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