UConn men vs. Southern Cal: What you need to know as Huskies return to action in ‘Bubbleville’

Dom Amore, Hartford Courant
·4 min read

It seems strange, but UConn and Southern California have never met in men’s basketball. That changes Thursday in Mohegan Sun’s “Bubbleville.”

The Huskies opened the season with wins over in-state mid-majors Central Connecticut (by 27 points) and UHart (by 12), the games coming six days after the end of a 14-day COVID-19 quarantine. With five days to recover and prepare for this game, the Huskies figure to be closer to normal, whatever that means in 2020.

UConn could be running into a defensive buzzsaw. The Trojans have a huge, talented front court, though young, and are working in a lot of new players via the transfer portal, effectively so far. The Trojans appear to have improved with each of their three games and beat BYU by 26 points on Tuesday, holding their opponent to 27.5 percent from the floor.

The Huskies will need to use their speed and hit from the perimeter, and as always this season, will need James Bouknight to set the tone, take over the game when needed, and sustain his level of play the full 40 minutes. These were the issues coming out of the last game.

All in all, this figures to be a tough, but necessary early test for Dan Hurley’s rebuilt Huskies, who could start a Top 25 discussion with these games at Mohegan Sun, against USC and NC State on Saturday.

The Basics

Time: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Venue: Mohegan Sun Arena

Series: First meeting

Streaks: UConn W2, Southern Cal W3

TV: ESPN (Jon Sciambi, Jon Crispin)

Radio: UConn IMG Radio Network (Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman); 97.9 ESPN Hartford, WINE 940 AM, WGCH 1490 AM, WICC 600 AM, WAVZ 1300 AM, WXLM 980 AM, WATR 1320 AM, WILI 1400 AM, 95.3 FM.

Live stream: For information on live-streaming ESPN content via WatchESPN, go to http://www.espn.com/watchespn/about.

UConn (2-0) probable starters, sixth man

Jalen Gaffney, G, 6-2, So..; Isaiah Whaley, F, 6-9, Sr.; James Bouknight, G, 6-4, So.; R.J. Cole, G, 6-0, Jr.; Tyler Polley F, 6-9, Sr.; Tyrese Martin, G/F, 6-6, Jr.

Southern Cal (3-0) probable starters, sixth man

Drew Peterson, G, 6-8, Jr.; Evan Mobley, C, 7-0, Fr.; Isaiah Mobley, F, 6-10, So; Tahj Eaddy G, 6-2, GS;, Ethan Anderson, G, 6-1, So.; Isaiah White, G, 6-7, Sr.

The matchup

UConn’s offense: Everything still revolves around James Bouknight. The UHart game, in which he scored 12 points early as UConn built a 19-point lead, then disappeared as the lead evaporated, emphasized that point. UConn will need to stretch Southern Cal’s defense; getting to the basket won’t be easy, so transition offense and 3-point shooting figure to be important.

UConn’s defense: The Huskies could be at a size disadvantage for the first time, so their front-court depth will be tested, and could be an advantage if fouls start to mount on both sides. Will this be the game Josh Carlton re-emerges? Can freshman Adama Sanogo continue his impressive play against high-major competition? Ball pressure could be a key for UConn, with USC averaging 15.4 turnovers.

Southern Cal’s offense: USC is shooting 53.5 percent from the floor, and 36.2 on threes, attempting 47 threes in three games. They like to get it inside to 7-footer Evan Mobley (16.3 points) and 6-10 Isaiah Mobley (10.3). Drew Peterson, 6-8 transfer from Rice, could present matchup problems at wing.

Southern Cal’s defense: Opponents are averaging 67.3 points, shooting just 35.6 percent from the floor, and 35.2 on threes. They’ve out-rebounded their three opponents 141-92. The Trojans could take a page from UHart’s plan and try to force the Huskies to make tough 2-point shots.

UConn key: Stepping up in competition, can the Huskies sustain solid play on both ends for 40 minutes?

Player to watch: Guard Tahj Eaddy, from Notre Dame-West Haven, has had immediate impact as a grad transfer at USC, averaging 12.7 ppg.

About Southern Cal’s coach: Andy Enfield, 51, who played at Johns Hopkins, became a national name when he led Florida Gulf Coast, a No. 15 seed, to the Sweet 16 in 2013, his second season as a head coach. He’s won 20 or more games four times since moving to USC, including last season (22-9). Enfield has NBA experience as an assistant with the Bucks and Celtics in the 1990s, and was an assistant at Florida State.

Southern Cal’s mascot: A white horse, named Traveler, has carried a costumed trojan warrior around the stadium at football games since 1961.

Famous alums: Dozens of legendary athletes. Of area interest, Bobby Valentine, Tom Seaver, Fred Lynn, Frank Gifford, Sam Darnold, Aaron Boone.

Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com

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