Taking only two shots, Andre Jackson Jr. showed why he can be difference-maker: Everything to know about No. 25 UConn men vs. Delaware State

UConn men’s coach Dan Hurley only expected junior guard Andre Jackson Jr. to play 10-12 minutes when he made his season debut off the bench against UNC Wilmington Friday night, but Jackson was just too good.

When Jackson first checked in at the 12:13 mark in the opening half, with a fresh haircut done by his older brother and his left pinky finger taped, UConn was leading the Seahawks, 10-9. His first stretch lasted about five minutes and helped the Huskies to a 21-16 advantage around the seven-minute mark. Jackson came back in two minutes later and jolted No. 25 UConn to a 17-6 scoring run into halftime.

“He basically had one day of live practice in five weeks and went out there and did that,” Hurley said of his co-captain who broke his pinky in mid-October.

“That” included diving onto the floor for a loose ball with his team up 31, the game already in hand. The enamored crowd inside Gampel Pavilion chanted his name in return, thrilled to get a glimpse of Hurley’s vision for the squad he built.

“It meant a lot,” Jackson said, “because I’ve always been a fan of UConn basketball and just to see that UConn nation has an appreciation for me, it really means a lot and really just made me want to work that much harder.”

Jackson only took two shots in 19 1/2 minutes on Friday, making one, but led the team in assists with five while blocking a pair of Seahawks shots and grabbing a steal. His presence as a pest on the defensive end was active every second he was on the court.

“I wasn’t really that tired,” he said. “There was a couple times where I had to ask Hawk (Jordan Hawkins) to switch onto one of the guards because I needed a possession off, but after I got right back to it, got right back into him. It definitely helps when you got four other guys on the court working with you, it kind of lets you conserve some of your energy.”

Hurley, who identifies Jackson as his type of player, was impressed with how he changed the game. UConn was outplayed on the boards early by a strong rebounding team in UNC Wilmington (which outrebounded No. 1 North Carolina in its opener) but when Jackson was on the floor, the Huskies dominated in every aspect.

“He’s a rare type of player. He flipped that whole game, taking two shots. Just the energy that he brought, I mean plus-33 – sometimes the plus-minus is coincidental, but in this instance he just changed the whole tenor of the game,” Hurley said. “He just doesn’t care about anything but helping his team win and elevating the play of his teammates and he’s obviously a ruthless competitor. The guy’s just a total savage.”

UConn, 4-0, returns to action against Delaware State (1-3) on Sunday, hoping for another 40 minutes of team basketball. As long as everyone “feels good,” Hurley said there will be no minute restrictions.

Here’s what you need to know:

Site: XL Center, Hartford

Time: 5 p.m.

Series: UConn leads, 1-0.

Last meeting: Dec. 1, 2008 – UConn 79, Delaware State 49.

TV: FS1

Radio: UConn Sports Network on 97.9 ESPN, Mike Crispino and Wayne Norman.

Hawkins made it all look easy: After missing the last four games of last season, sophomore Hawkins crashed onto the floor, hitting his head, less than 10 minutes into the season-opener against Stonehill. He entered the concussion protocol and missed the next two games.

In the starting lineup Friday, Hawkins dropped a career-high 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting while making 5 of 8 from deep.

With 15 minutes left in the second half, the stardom Hurley envisioned out of his squad was on full display. Jackson used his length to cut into the Seahawks’ passing lane on the perimeter, corralled the steal and saw Hawkins sprinting toward the basket, ahead of everyone.

Catching the pass just inside the arc, Hawkins took two steps and rose up. With two hands the sophomore cocked-back, summoning all the frustration and pain of missing games, and slammed the ball through the hoop. Upon landing, “Hawk” let out a hoarse scream, one typical of his red-tailed counterparts.

“It’s been miserable,” he said, “the hardest times of my life, not playing basketball.”

With mighty expectations of a major production leap, UConn nation got its first glimpse of why on Friday.

“We saw that a lot in the closed scrimmages,” Hurley said. “It was unfortunate, him getting hurt in the opener and not being able to get the fireworks going earlier, but he looks sharp. He let it come to him, a little rusty I think with the ball, but that happens – it’s the hardest thing to get back when you miss time, hand-eye coordination. He was bobbling the ball a little bit too out there, but for a guy that’s been out, and a team that plays as hard as they do, he looked pretty damn good.”

Sanogo overshadowed: Adama Sanogo, co-captain with Jackson, scored a team-high 24 points but it took seven minutes for him to be mentioned in the post-game press conference.

“He did what he was supposed to do,” Hurley said of the Big East preseason player of the year. “He played great. Obviously the other night (against Buffalo), he was disappointed with his performance. An All-American level player, player of the year in your league, you should expect those types of games from him, it’s no surprise.”

Sanogo kept the Huskies afloat early on as the team got off to another slow start. Scoring 10 of the team’s first 16 points, the 6-foot-9 big man showed off his post moves on a consistent basis, making post-hook after post-hook, shedding defenders consistently with the low spin move.

The junior made 8 of his 12 shots, and went 8 of 8 from the free throw line.

AleX-factor: Alex Karaban, who earned the first Big East freshman of the week honors this season, has continued to be a do-it-all player for the Huskies. On Friday Karaban played a massive role in changing the game on the glass – he also scored 12 points on 3 of 6 shooting from deep, highlighted by a corner 3 that beat the halftime buzzer.

“We’re lucky to have Alex here,” Hurley said. “Hockey assists, just moving the ball, the guy is just gonna be a great, great player. (It’s) just about who he is and his maturity and the commitment and how simple he keeps his life. It’s ball and school and UConn basketball and trying to be great. He’s got just a perfect approach for a team that’s trying to win something, you just need people that keep their life simple.”

Karaban added five rebounds, a pair of assists and a block.

On Delaware State: The Hornets, 1-3 coming off two close losses on the road against Villanova (60-50) and Columbia (70-65), are led by 6-11 forward Brandon Stone, who has averaged 15.8 points and 7.8 rebounds through the team’s first four games.

“Looking at Delaware State, obviously they were up two on the road at ‘Nova,” Hurley said.

Delaware State held Villanova to just 60 points when they played Nov. 14, allowing the Wildcats to convert on just 37% of their shots from the field and 18.5% from deep. The Hornets also outrebounded Villanova, 28-27, but struggled with 19 fouls and 14 total turnovers.