Game Of The Day: UConn at Cincinnati
By RYAN COLAIANNI
Robinson peaking
It is hard to not notice Connecticut star Stanley Robinson when he is on the basketball court. His athletic 6-foot-9 body and versatile ways of scoring always make him a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches.
In his third year at UConn, it appears that Robinson is becoming a complete player. He’s scored in double figures in each game this season and scored a season-high 29 points in last week’s win over Iona. He is averaging 17 points per game, up from 8.5 points per game last season.
"Stanley makes the game look easy," UConn coach Jim Calhoun told the Hartford Courant. "And when a guy makes the game look easy, that means there's a lot more he can do."
Complete games
Cincinnati has been plagued by inconsistency this year. The Bearcats often play tremendous defense but have labored at times to get into an offensive rhythm, leading to stretches where they can’t score. If Cincinnati is going to compete for an NCAA tournament bid it will need to solve those offensive woes.
“We’ve got the talent to play with just about anybody,” forward Yancy Gates told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “When we’re focused, we’re just as good as anybody running our offense and playing defense. Our weakness right now is just a little immaturity. And we’ve got to get back to rebounding the ball and taking care of the ball.”
Cincinnati only has two players averaging double figures, Lance Stephenson at 12.5 points per game and Gates at 11.1 ppg.
Walker struggling
Connecticut point guard Kemba Walker has been struggling shooting the ball in his last four games, going a combined 13-of-42 from the field. He is still a great distributor, with 30 assists in those four games. But if Connecticut is going to win the Big East and make a legitimate run in the NCAA tournament, it is going to need Walker to be a consistent scoring weapon.
“He's just got to take better shots," Calhoun told the Hartford Courant. "Like anything else in life, as soon as someone adjusts to you, you've got to adjust yourself. He's kind of over-penetrating. If we reversed the ball more, and if he reversed the ball more, as opposed to trying to make that initial hit or just going [straight to the basket], he'd be much better off. We're very used to challenging, going into the middle, and that's not anywhere near as available now.”
Sixth man
With Big East Conference play beginning for Cincinnati, coach Mick Cronin knows the importance of having depth during the 18-game conference schedule.
Over the last three weeks it has been guard Dion Dixon who has proven that he can be the Bearcats’ sixth man. In Dixon’s last three games, he has averaged better than 12 points per game.
"You look for a guy who can come in off the bench and can change the game. He can come in and give you offensive rebounding. He can give you scoring and he can also give you defensive energy. He's a guy who's had a great attitude this year. He brings a lot of life to our team,” Cronin told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Slow starters
In two late December games against lowly opponents, Connecticut has found itself tied or down at halftime. Against Maine, the Huskies were tied 26-26 at the break and against UCF, they were down 25-20 at halftime before finally winning both games. This level of inconsistency will continue to magnify in conference play when the level of competition improves.
“We just have to be better for longer periods of time. That's the big thing: Can we be better for longer periods of time?" Calhoun told the Hartford Courant.
Trends
The under is 7-1 in Connecticut’s last eight road games. Connecticut is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games vs. Big East.
Cincinnati is 0-4 ATS in its last four games overall. Cincinnati is 0-4 ATS in their last four Big East games. The under is 7-1 in Cincinnati’s last eight overall.