Notes & Quotes: UConn contained, then overwhelmed Butler

HARTFORD — UConn’s strategy of “having numerous highly-talented players who are absolute dogs and also fit well together” paid off once again as the Huskies handily defeated Butler in a game where they admittedly were not at their best.

“That was a dogfight,” head coach Dan Hurley told FOX’s Bill Rafferty after the game. “We got away with not being at our best today, but we did enough to win a tough league game.”

Two of the team’s leading scorers as of late, Tristen Newton and Stephon Castle, started a combined 0-for-6 from the floor. Newton missed some time in the first half with an injury. The team was playing its fourth game in nine days.

Alex Karaban, returning from a one-game absence due to injury, had a quiet start with just two points in the first half. The Huskies were outrebounded by four at the break and had hit only two threes by then, tying up the rebounding total by the end of the game and finishing an average (by their standards) 35 percent (6-17) from behind the arc.

Still, they won by nine and never trailed.

Donovan Clingan got them going early, as he hit some hook shots and banged down low on his way to 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting with 14 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

Cam Spencer led the way with 20 points (7-12 FG, 4-8 3FG). The grad transfer from Rutgers by way of Loyola (MD) has filled multiple key roles for the Huskies this season, and not just with his tremendous shooting, 53%/44%/90% (FG/3FG/FT).

Hurley noted that Spencer at UConn has been “a perfect marriage, like me and Andrea,” he joked, referring to his wife. The head coach mentioned that the Maryland native has fit seamlessly in the lineup but also brings a dogged mentality to their everyday work, an attitude that was lost with the departures of Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo.

“This guy’s wired the way we’re wired,” Hurley said of Spencer. “He’s over-delivered in every possible way. You don’t even see the day-to-day pressure that he puts on other people on the team, to get in the gym, to compete…

“If you don't show up to compete against him in practice, he will destroy you.”

Clingan agrees.

“What you see out there, on the court in the games… during practice, he’s just as fiery,” Clingan shared. “If you’re playing the way you’re not supposed to or playing bad defense, he’s gonna let you know… He's got a lot of intensity. He's a warrior… He’s a great teammate to have.”

Spencer is one of many heroes this team can turn to when it needs. Another is Hassan Diarra, who sparked the Huskies off the bench with nine points, all in the first half.

“I thought Hass was really good off the bench,” Hurley said, adding that the game would’ve been a lot closer without his first-half boost. “[He] made some great plays defensively, he drove it, he got paint.”

Ultimately, it was a display of talent and depth, and the ability to survive a battle. All season, UConn has proven adept at making the most of its talent and remaining calm under pressure. After starting 6-0 the deficit never got closer than three.

Butler did an admirable job of keeping the game somewhat close, but the Huskies maintained their buffer.

“They’ve got all the pieces,” Butler head coach Thad Matta said. “You take one thing away, somebody else does something. Not a good team, a great team.”

Here’s a closer look at the victory.

What Went Well

Defensive Lockdown. Against a Butler side that had just scored 99 points in regulation against Creighton and was averaging 80.9 points per game on the season, UConn held the visitors to 61 points. Before hitting a flurry of shots in the final seven minutes, the Bulldogs were 15-of-48 (31%) from the floor.

The Huskies blocked seven shots, led by Clingan’s three, and grabbed eight steals, two days after stealing the ball 10 times against St. John’s. The Huskies have held their last seven opponents to fewer than 70 points.

Dan Hurley: “Felt like there was a lid on the bucket a little bit.”

Butler head coach Thad Matta: “They made us miss a lot of shots, because of their length and they challenge a lot of shots.”

Clingan Working. The big man notched a career-high in rebounds in his first double-double of the season while also finishing with just one foul. He scored 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and it could have been an even better night given some missed opportunities. As the sophomore continues to sharpen his offensive game, and if he can stay out of foul trouble, performances like this could become more common.

Clingan: “I wasn’t happy with my last two performances. I came in with a good mindset today, just realized I had to kill my opponent and do whatever I can to help my team win.”

Clingan again: I’ve felt the best I’ve ever felt, lost a lot of weight, getting my cardio up, just trying to change my mentality every day and how I approach practice and how I approach games, and just be more locked in, be more focused, and realize all the little things I have to do.”

Matta: “Clingan’s just a different breed in terms of how good he is and the impact he has on the game, altering shots inside…I thought he played tremendous tonight.”

Karaban Returns, Newton Powers Through. Karaban wasn’t at full strength according to his coach, but was still a difference maker. Newton sat about five minutes of game-time with an ailing ankle but returned and played through it, notching a nice block shortly after returning.

Hurley: “Alex, he’s our security blanket…I thought Alex really gutted it out… Alex at 75-80% is a game-changer. He’s a problem-solver… he’s had limited practice and he’s compromised, but it’s like having that extra coach on the court.”

What Needs Work

Rest & Relaxation. The Huskies were a little flat at times and missed some decent looks as well. Hurley attributed some of that to the four games in nine days that his team had just completed in league play. Looking ahead, they have a day off and the next two games are against the basement of the Big East, at Georgetown and DePaul, before a big home matchup against Marquette on Feb. 17.

Rebounding. Hurley mentioned some early rebounding struggles. This has happened with the Huskies in a handful of games, though they often seem to recover and get the rebounding totals to a respectable place. This game ended with 33 rebounds for each team, but the fifth-worst offensive and defensive rebounding percentages in a game this season for the Huskies.

Misc. Notes

UConn is now 9-0 against Butler all-time. … The Huskies are also a perfect 13-0 at home including 7-0 at the XL Center. … The 14 rebounds are a career-high for Clingan. … Clingan has blocked a shot in all 18 games he’s appeared in this season, with 12 multi-block games. … Spencer has scored 12 or more points in 19 of 23 games this season and 20 or more a team-high six times. In the last 11 games, his only game with less than 13 points was the Huskies’ big win over Xavier. … UConn is 47-9 all-time when playing as the No. 1-ranked team.

Up Next

The Huskies visit Georgetown in Washington DC for a game where they will be heavily favored. The Hoyas are ranked 181st in KenPom overall and projected to lose 81-65 on Saturday. The game will tip off at noon on FS1.