Favored Huskies wary of Aztecs in championship game
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[April 03, 2023]
HOUSTON -- The trap has been set for the fourth-seeded UConn
Huskies.
Prior to the start of the Final Four, the Huskies were installed as
prohibitive favorites to claim their fifth national title, a total
that would match Duke and Indiana for the fourth most in NCAA
Tournament history behind UCLA (11), Kentucky (eight) and North
Carolina (six).
The Huskies earned that tag in part because the three other
participants -- San Diego State, Miami and Florida Atlantic -- were
all making their first Final Four appearances and because UConn
rolled into NRG Stadium having won each of its Tournament games by
double digits.
UConn did little to dispel the notion that it is a runaway train
with its thorough, 72-59 dispatching of the Hurricanes in the second
national semifinal on Saturday. And now, with the fifth-seeded
Aztecs standing between UConn and history, the Huskies are leery of
the hype.
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"The heavy favorites haven't fared very well in this one," UConn
coach Dan Hurley said. "So we're just going to try to ignore that
tag. I just think it helps us a lot just what we went through in
January. We know that if we get away from our identity for a tick,
we become very vulnerable."
After opening the season 14-0, the Huskies (30-8) dropped six of
eight games, a slump that both exposed their vulnerabilities and
reinforced how UConn has to perform in order to maximize its ample
talent. Maintaining its identity includes sourcing points from
numerous options offensively, notably via junior forward Adama
Sanogo and sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins, while also committing to
a brand of defense that is effective if not overlooked by the
masses.
What UConn did in stifling Gonzaga and Miami, top-six ranked
offenses according to KenPom.com ratings, should not be discounted
in any analysis of their title odds. The Huskies held the Bulldogs
and Hurricanes to a combined 32.8 percent shooting, and their
defensive preparation for the Aztecs (32-6) is foremost in their
minds. San Diego State is physical and determined, and UConn is well
aware.
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"I would say guarding the ball one-on-one and being
able to guard the ball screens," Huskies junior guard Andre Jackson
Jr. said. "And the way they're going to be ducking in our bigs,
making sure we cut off those drives and not let them get points at
the rim, also keeping them off the offensive glass and defense
rebound the ball."
The Huskies are third in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
With a multitude of shooters around Sanogo and guards capable of
attacking the rim and forcing defenses to collapse, UConn could
serve as a stern test for the Aztecs. San Diego State's brute force
and deep collection of grizzled seniors complement its exacting
defensive prep.
"Obviously we have to control them in transition," Aztecs coach
Brian Dutcher said. "They're as good a 3-point shooting team in
transition that we've played all year.
"And the 3-point shot ... it's such a weapon. We have to take way
transition threes. We have to do a good job in the low post on
Sanogo. He's strong and tough."
No one would question the Aztecs' mental fortitude. Lamont Butler
sent them to Monday with his buzzer-beater against FAU, but San
Diego State set the stage for his game-winner by doing the things
that have come to represent its identity, namely defend and crash
the offensive glass.
Their hometown has embraced everything the Aztecs are. One more win
would set off a party.
"It's an awesome feeling to see that the whole city has our back no
matter what happens," Butler said. "And we're going to keep doing it
for them. We love them. We need their support and we're going to
keep going."
--MK Bower, Field Level Media
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