Bench duo of Jordan Hawkins and Tyler Polley are heating up at the right moment for No. 18 UConn men

As the madness of March approaches, Tyler Polley and Jordan Hawkins’ recent play has unlocked a new ceiling for the UConn men’s basketball team.

The bench pair helped lead the Huskies to a 86-77 victory over Georgetown on Sunday at Capital One Arena. Polley and Hawkins had 11 points each and accounted for 22 of 30 UConn bench points.

Both players are primarily known for their scoring, but they’ve had inconsistent seasons until recently. For Polley, his 3-point shooting percentage ( 34.7%) is a career low and overall he has struggled to score. Hawkins, a freshman, has shown flashes of brilliance on the court and puts together some nice games, but he’s still finding his way.

In the last three games, both have found their groove on both ends of the court. Polley is averaging 12 points per game in that span while shooting 55.5%. Hawkins has started to showcase an impressive defensive ability and get more comfortable with the game’s pace.

UConn is 5-0 when Polley and Hawkins score double-digits. The average margin of victory in those games is 13.2 points.

The Huskies’ identity is built around defense and physicality, but they become tough to beat when they get consistent bench scoring. UConn shoots 48.4% on 2s, which ranks No. 237 in Division I, according to KenPom. So, if they can’t get consistent 3-point shooting, the team can struggle to score.

Hawkins and Polley help solve UConn’s scoring woes. The Huskies have two games left in the regular season before the Big East Tournament (March 9-12) and the NCAA Tournament after that. So there’s no better time for bench players to start playing well.

UConn coach Dan Hurley says when the duo is clicking, UConn becomes a different team.

“It allows us to take to another level what we can accomplish with the team,” he said. “The one question mark about this team is the firepower from the perimeter. Do they have enough firepower to beat the best teams? If we get that type of production from our bench, we know how we rebound and we know how we defend.”

Against Georgetown, Polley gave a big boost off the bench. He shot 3-for-7 and had impressive drives to the basket that led to free throws, and he went 4-for-4 from the line. His spacing is pivotal for this team that has been inconsistent offensively. It opens up the floor for other UConn players to operate in the paint.

The Huskies’ two most efficient five-man lineups are Polley replacing either Isaiah Whaley or Adama Sanogo and playing with the other starters. Per EvanMiya, Polley coming in for Whaley has an adjusted team efficiency margin of 44.3. When he replaces Sanogo, it’s 41.3. These lineups are the No. 7 and No. 8 best five-man lineups in the Big East.

Adjusted team efficiency margin is calculated by taking the offensive efficiency minus the defensive efficiency, which determines how many points a team would outscore an average Division I program.

Hawkins has started to figure out the college game. Against Georgetown, he showcased an impressive array of offensive moves. He had at crafty Euro step finish for a layup and even had a dunk over Georgetown’s Aminu Mohammed. Perhaps most important, Hawkins looked the most confident he has all season.

The most impressive leap for Hawkins has been on defense. He’s not making the mistakes he did earlier in this season, and it has paid off with an increase in minutes. Hawkins is rotating well on switches and has recently shown impressive lateral movement against some of the Big East’s best scorers, which has helped keep them in check.

Hurley has been impressed by Hawkins’ play.

“Man, that guy. There’s not a lot of freshmen playing in college basketball in these types of games, especially in our league where it’s so physical,” he said. “His growth on the defensive end, his growth on the backboard and his growth on putting a body on somebody on the defensive glass ... That guy is going to be a huge star here. His freshman to sophomore year jump, this is going to become his show. Obviously, his sophomore year as we lose guys. Guy’s been making huge, huge strides.”

Hawkins has grown from the mentorship of coaches and older teammates.

“There’s been a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “I learn from my mistakes I make every game. I learn from the coaches and older guys. Take everything in this year, doing everything I can to get better.”

R.J. Cole knows how important Hawkins and Polley are for UConn.

“(Hawkins has) really grown into his own, and I’m proud to see,” he said. “He’s been huge. He’s been doing very well for us right now. We need him off the bench. He’s one of our sparkplugs. When he’s playing well and Tyler is playing well, the game is going to go well for us.”

Huskies rise to No. 18

In the latest AP men’s basketball poll released Monday, the Huskies (21-7, 12-5 Big East) moved up three spots to No. 18. UConn went 2-0 in its previous week with wins against Villanova, 71-69, on Tuesday and Georgetown, 86-77, on Sunday.

The Big East has three teams in the rankings, with Providence at No. 8, Villanova at No. 11 and UConn.

UConn’s Cole made Big East Honor Roll. he averaged 15 points while shooting 54.5%.

Shreyas Laddha can be reached at sladdha@courant.com or at shre98 on Twitter.