The Boat has arrived.
UConn stumbled down the stretch, but freshman guard Ryan Boatright came to the rescue in his first career game.
UConn/Florida State: Pregame Thoughts
Five minutes to tip, here are a few things that jump out at me before the game:
* First of all, Ryan Boatright looks like a giddy little kid on Christmas morning. He dunked his first layup (everyone else casually laid the ball in) and he’s bouncing around with a ton of energy, as you’d expect.
* Not a big turnout for FSU. Surprising, considering Tallahassee is much closer to the Bahamas than Storss. Maybe it’s still football season at FSU.
* Florida State is almost as big as UConn. The Noles pounded Central Florida, 73-50, just 12 days ago.
* UConn has won its last seven games vs. ranked opponents.
* FSU has led the nation in field goal percentage defense two years running.
Live coverage: UConn vs. Florida State
UConn will attempt to do something today that the Huskies haven’t done since the first game of last year’s Big East tournament: Rebound after a loss.
The Huskies, losers yesterday to Central Florida in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals, play Florida State in the tournament’s third-place game.
Beat writer Kevin Duffy will host his usual in-game live chat tipping off at 2 p.m. right here:
UConn vs. Florida State Preview
The Battle 4 Atlantis unfolded exactly how everyone predicted it would. Fourth-ranked UConn takes on No. 20 Florida State on Saturday.
One thing, though: The Huskies and Seminoles are playing in the consolation game.
Florida State's Bernard James (AP)
That’s right — either UCF or Harvard will reign supreme in the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis. UConn fell apart at the seams in a 68-63 loss to UCF and Florida State was atrocious offensively against the Crimson. The ‘Noles missed their first 15 shots and stumbled to an ugly (to say the least) 46-41 loss.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game like that,” said Harvard coach Tommy Amaker. “I find it hard to see how we were able to come out on top against a nationally ranked, outstanding defensive team in Florida State.”
At halftime, the score was knotted at 14 and the two teams were a combined 8-for-47 from the floor.
Yikes.
That said, there’s a reason FSU was ranked No. 20. The ‘Noles are big, athletic and have all the tools to turn this weekend into the Disaster at Atlantis for the Huskies.
WHAT TO WATCH
* Ryan Boatright’s six-game suspension is over. He makes his long-anticipated debut Saturday and is expected to add another dimension to the Huskies’ offense. He’s a true “blow-by” guy, as Calhoun would say. Right now, Shabazz Napier is the only guy consistently penetrating.
* FSU has led the nation in field goal percentage defense two years in a row. Only five other schools have ever earned that distinction, the most recent being Marquette in 1993 and 1994.
* Florida State forward Bernard James is probably the best big man UConn has faced (although UCF’s Keith Clanton may have something to say about that). At 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, he’ll give Drummond and Oriakhi all they can handle.
* I’m not a big believer in “Team A beat Team B, so if Team B beat Team C, Team C should automatically lose to Team A.”
But here are the facts: Florida State manhandled UCF 73-50 just 11 days ago. James went for 18 and 11 against the Knights. What does this mean for UConn?
* Junior Michael Snaer is FSU’s leading scorer and top outside shooting threat. He “exploded” for 10 points in the loss to Harvard.
Notes/Quotes from UCF: “I didn’t keep my guys poised…and I lost the game.”
Some call it a shocker.
In a sense, they’re right. The way UConn unraveled against UCF in Friday’s loss wasn’t normal. When a team leads by 17 points with 15 minutes to play, it wins 99 percent of the time (not an official stat, but that’s my personal estimate).
Roscoe Smith (Getty Images)
UConn did everything wrong in the final 15 minutes. The Huskies couldn’t contain dribble penetration, and though the big guys blocked 10 shots, UCF got to the rim with ease as the game progressed.
A 17-point lead dwindled and when UConn finally hit the panic button, it was too late.
“I told the guys ‘it’s crunch time — let’s see what we’re made of,’” Oriakhi said.
It was UConn’s first ‘crunch-time’ situation all year. And, as you saw, it wasn’t pretty.
“It’s a shock,” said point guard Shabazz Napier.
At the same time, it wasn’t for this reason: UConn hadn’t truly put its foot down and buried a team yet. In their first five victories, the Huskies let the opponent hang around.
Unlike the others, this UCF team was capable of physically competing with the Huskies. The result was UConn’s first loss of the season.
“I don’t think there will be an undefeated team,” Calhoun said. “But how we lost is very disheartening.”
Shabazz, Lamb take the blame
Both guards were quick to accept responsibility. Lamb said he “let the team down” while Napier took it a step further.
“Nothing to do with the big guys, nothing to do with anybody else, I put it all on me,” he said. “In the second half, they kind of got into us defensively and I didn’t keep my guys poised…and I lost the game.”
Napier, who had been exceptional in the first five games, was 2-for-7 with four points, five assists and seven turnovers.
The most discouraging stat: UConn has committed more turnovers than assists in five of its six games.
No backlash for Oriakhi’s Tweet
In case you didn’t see it, Alex Oriakhi tweeted “I know sum BS” in response to a tweet about him losing the starting job. After Friday’s loss (which also happened to be Oriakhi’s best game of the year), he said the coaching staff didn’t make an issue of the tweet.
“I guess people are looking for a story,” Oriakhi said. ” I didn’t really think it was a big deal at all.”
UCF 68, UConn 63
PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS — A colossal late-game meltdown ended the nation’s longest win streak and simultaneously brought up some serious questions for the UConn men’s basketball team.
Who can step up in a time of need?
How will this team respond to tight situations?
On Friday, it didn’t respond well.
Fourth-ranked UConn squandered a 17-point lead and lacked any semblance of offensive organization down the stretch as it collapsed and fell to Central Florida 68-63 in Friday’s Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal.
With 16 minutes to play, The Huskies took a 50-33 lead on a five-point play. Alex Oriakhi converted a layup plus the foul and Jeremy Lamb knocked down two free throws that resulted from a Marcus Jordan technical foul.
Jordan, the son of Michael Jordan, never lost his composure again. He scored 20 points and iced six free throws down the stretch to hold off UConn.
Oriakhi, who had been in the doghouse for quite some time, had 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
But no one — not Oriakhi, Jeremy Lamb or Shabazz Napier — could settle the Huskies when UCF stormed back.
The Knights (4-1) outscored UConn 35-13 in the final 16 minutes. UConn, which drops to 5-1, went scoreless for a six-minute stretch in the game’s final 7:30.
UConn vs. UCF: Halftime thoughts
The Huskies lead 38-29 at the break and their leading scorer isn’t Jeremy Lamb or Shabazz Napier.
It’s actually Alex Oriakhi, who, at least for the moment, has broken out of his slump. Oriakhi came off the bench Thursday and again today. He entered the UCF game with just eight points and four boards in his last two outings.
And he also voiced some frustration via Twitter.
Oriakhi has nine points, four boards and two blocks in 14 minutes. He’s looked active and motivated. Makes sense, because for the first time in his career, he’s actually in a fight for playing time.
Outside of AO, Shabazz Napier picked up two fouls and played only 11 minutes. The offense was pretty much “Watch Jeremy Lamb and hope to get an offensive rebound if he misses” when Shabazz went to the bench.
UConn Fans in Bahamas
An hour and a half before Friday’s tipoff, Dave and Jackie Merchant sat on a bench outside of the Imperial Arena in matching white UConn basketball T-Shirts.
Residents of Plymouth, Conn., the Merchants made the trip to Maui last year and decided to come down to the Bahamas for the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis.
This married couple has spent considerable time following the Huskies. Dave said they haven’t missed a home game in 20 years.
“We’ve traveled to Florida, BC, New York, Villanova,” Dave said. “Any time we can out and watch them, we try to.”
Atlantis, they said, is remarkably different than any other place they’ve seen the Huskies. The resort is enormous, its design majestic. And the Imperial Arena, a converted ballroom, is small and dimly-lit.
“It reminds me Madison Square garden because it’s so dark,” Jackie said.
The Huskies pulled off five games in five days — a feat that had never before been accomplished — last year at MSG. At Imperial, they’re trying to make it three games in three days.
“I think they have alot of talent, but more important than that, I think they have the right attitude and they seem like nice kids,” Jackie said.
Added Dave, “To win a championship, you have to have chemistry. Last year, they had chemistry and I see that same chemistry this year. I don’t see anything but good chemistry out there.”
