(PHOTO COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES – MITCHELL LAYTON)
The UConn Huskies are hitting their peak, and the timing could not be better. Coming off of a program-changing win vs. Villanova on Tuesday, Sunday’s matchup against Georgetown had all the signs pointing to a possible trap game, where UConn would have a letdown even though their adversary sits at the bottom of the Big East, winless.
That story looked to have some truth behind it during the game, for about three or four minutes. Adama Sanogo got into early foul trouble, and the Huskies looked flat, all pieces of a perfect storm to cripple UConn’s tournament resume.
After the under sixteen-minute TV timeout, Jordan Hawkins and Tyler Polley provided sparks off the bench, creating shots and propelling UConn to their 21st win of the season, 86-77.
The final score may have ended in single digits, but the game was much more out of reach than the score would lead you to believe. The Huskies took control of the lead seven minutes into the first half and never looked back, leading by twenty with less than four minutes left in the game. Coach Dan Hurley brought in the back end of the bench, with Samson Johnson, Rahsool Diggins paired with Jalen Gaffney, and the lead was quickly shrunk on a 9-0 run by the Hoyas. Hurley ended up bringing Cole, Martin, and Whaley back in the game to close out the last minute, but the game was decided before that.
Hawkins put a statement on the first half performance by UConn with a massive and-1 poster on the head of a Hoya, something that UConn fans were not expecting but were pleasantly surprised and excited to witness.
JORDAN HAWKINS WITH AUTHORITY!!! #ThisIsUConn | #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/9FY4SApoGe
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) February 27, 2022
This dunk accounted for two 0f Hawkins’ eleven points in the game, a welcome performance for the Huskies. Hawkins and Polley each pieced together double-digit performances once again, and if this UConn bench elevates their play to this level on a night in, night out basis, their ceiling can rise to a Final Four Caliper team.
The Huskies were again led by the calming presence of senior leader RJ Cole, who had an eighteen-point performance, shooting 4/6 from three-point land. Tyrese Martin had a massive game on the glass and was one point shy of another double-double, with nine points and fourteen rebounds. Isaiah Whaley and Andre Jackson helped pick up the slack of Adama Sanogo, scoring a combined twenty-three points on a day where the big man was limited on minutes and struggled when on the court.
UConn looks forward to a game at Creighton Wednesday night. With a win, the Huskies will clinch the number two or three seed in the tournament, setting them up for a possible third round against Jay Wright, Collin Gillespie, and the Villanova Wildcats.
UConn moves to 21-7 overall with a 12-5 Big East record. They will look to make it a season-high six wins in a row on Wednesday with their showdown against Creighton at 8:30 pm.
Go Huskies!
