The Kids Are Alright

Here is Art Benedict discussing the end of the season for the UCONN Huskies men's basketball team. If you need info on the Huskies, Art is your man!!!!

Article by Art Benedict

So now that we are close to the end of the regular season for both the UConn men’s and women’s 2015-2016 basketball season, I felt it was time to start plunking the keyboard and start writing some articles. I know, a lame excuse, right?  Well, it’s the best I could come up with.

So I am not going to bore you with articles about the “new kids on the block.” I’m sure you are all familiar with Sterling Gibbs, Shonn Miller, Jalen Adams, and Steven Enoch. And I’m sure I don’t have to mention the fact that the 7’0” 232-pound center Amida Brimah was out of commission for several weeks when he broke a finger during practice and how everyone stepped up to keep their head above water until his return two games ago. And I’ll not mention the fact that the game against Cincinnati which the Huskies lost by one point put a few more gray hairs on this aging head of mine…

So now that I have caught you all up, its time to look at the rest of the regular season be it only a few weeks.  So I was trying to pick out the perfect song that would match the UConn men’s basketball season to date. After careful consideration I came up with the classic “Who “song “The Kids are Alright”. (for you younger generation, Google it).

The Huskies opened up the season with some lopsided wins against the University of Tampa, New Haven, Maine, New Hampshire and Furman and Husky fans were thinking National Championship at this point. They then traveled to Paradise Island in the Bahamas on November 25^th and opened up with a 74-60 victory over Michigan. Not bad!  Then on the 26^th they faced off against a very familiar opponent in Syracuse. It was like the Big East days all over again. But they came up short losing 79-75 and then followed that up with a 73-70 loss to Gonzaga. Don’t panic Husky fans! These were three big powerhouses and UConn came up respectable. Back to the states and the Jimmy V Classic where they dropped a 76-66 count to ranked and very talented Maryland. Whoa! Stop the presses. That’s 4 losses in a row. Still don’t panic Husky fans!

Some home cooking at the XL Center and Gampel Pavilion produced wins against Ohio St, UMass-Lowell, and Howie Dickeman’s Central Connecticut Blue Devils. Are you feeling it? Then they went to Texas and Tulane for two more wins. Looking good! A bump in the road with a close 55-53 loss to Temple and it was back on the winning train with a win at Memphis. They went 5-2 from there until their last win, an 18-point victory against East Carolina. And that’s where the UConn men stand at this point. They are 17-6 overall, and 7-3 in AAC play. So what lies ahead for the rest of the regular season? They have 8 games left to the regular season. Four games at home against Tulsa, SMU, Houston and a home finale against UCF in Storrs. They also have 4 important road games beginning tonight at Temple along with Cincinnati, (revenge time) USF and SMU.

 The Huskies are peaking exactly when they should. They have won back to back to back road games and 6 of 7 true road games since Dec. 29^th. They have won 12 of 15 since that loss to Maryland at MSG.

Sophomore guard Daniel Hamilton has been coming around as of late as evidenced in his 16 point 13 rebound game against Memphis. He followed that up with 12 point 16 rebound double-double against ECU. The roster which includes holdovers from the 2014 championship team like seniors Omar Calhoun and Phillip Nolan as well as juniors Kentan Facey and Brimah plus transfers Rodney Purvis, Sterling Gibbs and Miller have come together as one cohesive unit all contributing either together or a different times. And let’s not forget the contribution of freshman guard Jalen Adams. His last game against ECU he logged 33 minutes and had 14 points.

 And one more thing that sums it all up for this team. The Huskies are doing a lot more on defense. They have held their opponents under 40 percent shooting for the past nine games. At Memphis, they were able to get 10 steals and 20 turnovers.

So their fate is in their hands for the rest of the season.  With SMU failing as of late, the Huskies need to keep their eyes on the prize. A possible regular season or AAC tournament championship and a shot at the NCAA tournament in March.

 Yes indeed! The kids are alright.

Next week: The UConn woman’s basketball team. And yes, I will come up with a song for them as well.