How UConn is making the smaller lineup work

When Donovan Clingan went down with a foot injury against Seton Hall, UConn’s on-court strategy needed to be fundamentally altered. Without the 7-foot-2 monster in the middle, the Huskies would undoubtedly be scrambling to fill gaps in defense and rebounding created by his presence.

But since that day, all the Huskies have done is win. UConn is 4-0 since Clingan’s injury, thanks in large part to the creativity of head coach Dan Hurley and his staff. Against Xavier, UConn played 19 minutes without a traditional big man but still came away with the victory.

Let’s take a look at how UConn attacked and guarded Xavier with their small-ball lineup.

Samson Johnson subbed out at the 13:15 mark, and immediately we see the offensive advantages of the small-ball lineup. Ousmane, a true 5, trying to guard Karaban is a tough task.

Defensively, Karaban is straining but it’s not going poorly. Karaban didn’t win every rep, but he hung tough and didn’t allow anything easy. According to the team websites, Karaban is giving up 35 pounds in this clip.