UConn Looks To Bounce Back In Maui: 'We Are A Program With A Lot Of Character'
It already feels like Monday’s heartbreaking loss at the Maui Invitational will be beneficial for the health and strength of the UConn Huskies.
It wasn’t a “moral victory” (if those exist), but rather a necessary loss for a Huskies team that isn’t anywhere close to the level of the last two national championship clubs.
Not yet, anyway.
This is going to be a different kind of team and a different kind of season for UConn. They’ll still be in the mix come March, but they aren’t going to steamroll the best the country has to offer as they have over the past two seasons.
The 2024-25 Huskies are deep, but they’ll need much better guard play to have a chance at a three-peat.
They’ll also need to be way tougher and more physical when faced with high ball pressure like that of Memphis, which took UConn completely out of its offense during the first half on Monday.
It was only Memphis’ inability to sustain their defensive pressure (through sheer fatigue) that allowed the Huskies to get back into the game.
The season is a marathon, and while UConn needs to be ever-mindful of seeding and not lose too many games, a loss like this will force the Huskies to return to the drawing board, regain some potentially lost humility, and forget about what the program has accomplished in the past.
During a postgame presser in Maui, Dan Hurley and Alex Karaban both discussed what UConn’s approach will be moving forward after Monday’s game.
“We aren’t used to losing, but I think we are a program with a lot of character,” Hurley said. “We’ll respond. This hurts. This sucks. You know, we came here to win the championship. But Memphis is an excellent team. We’ve got to respond the way UConn responds.”
“It’s on my shoulders completely,” Karaban said.
“100% on my shoulders how the team responds, how the team acts, how we watch film, how we do everything … I got to continue to do a better job …. we gotta wake up.”
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org