Notes & Quotes: UConn survives against St. John's without a key starter (again)

NEW YORK – Injuries, foul trouble, poor shooting nights – it seems like no matter what you throw at this UConn team, the Huskies find a way to win.

Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden was no exception. The No. 1-ranked Huskies used defense, rebounding, and some timely buckets to hold off St. John’s, 77-64, for their tenth straight win.

About an hour and a half before tip-off, the team learned it would be without Alex Karaban, who hurt his ankle in the win over Providence on Wednesday.

When the Huskies beat St. John’s at home earlier in the season, Donovan was out with an injury. Once again, the Huskies were without one of their best players as they took on a feisty Red Storm team led by Rick Pitino.

No matter. Hassan Diarra stepped into the starting lineup, Tristen Newton stepped up his toughness, and Cam Spencer made big shot after big shot to fill the void.

Oh, and Stephon Castle had his second consecutive career game, this time scoring 21 points on 7-12 shooting and playing elite defense, including stretches at the 5 as Donovan Clingan and Samson Johnson battled foul trouble.

“I didn’t imagine we’d play as well, as tough as we did without Alex,” head coach Dan Hurley said after the game. “He’s kind of like the brain center of the program. To out-rebound that team by 15 speaks to how we showed up here today.”

Part of that was keeping Joel Soriano, one of the best post players in the conference, in check. Despite Clingan not staying on the floor consistently, UConn held Soriano to six points and four rebounds, keeping him uncomfortable throughout.

Hurley explained the strategy on Soriano, who drew assignments from Clingan, Johnson, and Castle, with help from just about everyone else.

“I thought we pushed him out of the scoring area a little bit, which made it tougher for him to get it in his spots,” Hurley said. “We sunk in on guys we thought weren’t three-point shooting threats to make it harder to throw it in.”

St. John’s took a one-point lead into halftime behind a raucous crowd that seemed to favor the Red Storm in the first half. Still, it was the Huskies’ defense that covered for some bad shots early as UConn created live-ball turnovers and forced St. John’s to convert tough looks (which, to be fair, the Red Storm did).

All the while, Castle keyed the offense, making two early threes and appearing far more comfortable with the ball in his hands.

In the second half, Spencer made his mark. He finished with 23 points, hitting 5-of-7 from three, making back-breakers from deep, and working one-on-one to sink contested two-pointers. After a competitive run through the first half and into the second, St. John’s couldn’t quite seem to close the gap in the final 13 minutes.

“After I see a couple go in I think [I] have a greater rhythm so certain stuff looks more open than it might be,” Spencer said. “We definitely had to work for everything tonight and I just think we just did a better job of finding holes in the second half.”

When the Red Storm finally backed off, the hefty UConn contingent made itself heard, confirming MSG’s status as Storrs South after the Huskies’ fourth win in four tries there this season.

“We love playing here and the crowd was great for us,” Newton said. “I feel like the whole game it was more UConn than St. John’s, so like I said it’s a home game and we love playing here.”

With the win, the Huskies are now 10-1 in the Big East, a full two games ahead of second-place Marquette with nine to play.

What Went Well

Stephon Castle has arrived: After an injury sidelined the five-star phenom for six games at the beginning of the year, Castle has finally caught up to his teammates and is beginning to consistently show his otherworldly talent. He shot just 21% from three over his first 13 games but is 5 for his last 7 from deep. 

“It feels great just putting in that work and seeing that it’s finally starting to show off,” Castle said. “I feel like teams are gonna have to start playing me more honestly.”

That second part is key. Similar to what teams did to Andre Jackson last season, opponents were letting Castle shoot, sagging off of him to prevent him from getting to the rim, where he’s proven to be an elite finisher. They can’t get away with that anymore.

Dan Hurley: “What freshman in the country is playing better than him? What freshman in the country is playing better defensively, on the backboard, making threes, getting paint…taking away top players in our league and shutting them down…what freshman currently is playing better than him?”

The defense is elite again: Clingan doesn’t have to score a point to have an impact, and since returning from injury, he’s illustrated that time and again. Whether it’s blocking shots, preventing second chances, or scaring guards out of the lane, he’s made UConn into a different defensive team over the last few weeks. While UConn dropped in defense efficiency during Clingan’s absence, the team now has the 14th-most efficient defense in the nation, per KenPom. And since Clingan returned, UConn has held four of its last five opponents to under a point per possession.

Quality Minutes: Clingan and Castle’s injuries – and now Karaban’s – have shown off something we thought could be a weakness at the beginning of the year. This UConn team can absorb a blow. Whether it’s the leap Johnson made from last year to this, Solo Ball making an immediate impact, or Diarra improving his shot, the Huskies have answers. The box score will show that UConn played just eight on Saturday, but it was a quality eight that would have been nine with a healthy Karaban.

Hurley: “As coaches we want to play the vets, especially early in the season…Solo Ball and Jaylin Stewart, getting those guys minutes, obviously Samson getting a bunch of minutes, getting a lot of experience. To be able to still win while we were going through that adversity, I think, brought this team to a confidence level that’s approaching where we were last year at some key points.”

What Needs Work

Keeping Clingan on the Court: For a guy who can often get a whistle for just Being Big, Clingan has been good this year at avoiding foul trouble. He came into the Providence game averaging just 3.3 per 40 minutes, but fouls have taken him out of long stretches each of the last two games.

Fans will comment on the tough whistle he’s gotten, and there’s no doubt there have been some questionable calls. But there have also been some that have fallen squarely on Clingan —  plays where he needs to learn to stay on the ground and rely on being a humongous monster. Just remember: He’s a sophomore. He’s got time to work this stuff out.

Misc. Notes

UConn has now won 10 in a row during the conference season for the first time since 2008-09…The Huskies shot 20-22 from the foul line and 7-15 from three…St. John’s had only six offensive rebounds…Newton again flirted with a triple-double, compiling 18 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. It was his second consecutive double-double and his sixth of the season… This was UConn’s fourth win at Madison Square Garden.

Up Next

The Huskies return home on Tuesday to face a Butler team they defeated by seven in Indianapolis on Jan. 5. Expect a battle. The Bulldogs just won at Creighton in the Big East Game of the Year so far and played UConn to the final few minutes last month.

The 81 points UConn gave up in that game are a season-high, though it should be noted Clingan did not play in that one. 

Butler has won four in a row and boasts the No. 33 offense in the country, per KenPom. The Bulldogs’ recent hot streak has put them square in the middle of the NCAA Tournament conversation and a win in Hartford would likely push them into the field in most tourney projections.