Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

College Hoops Week in Review: Team of the Week - UConn Huskies

Shabazz Napier, Keith Appling

Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier (13) and Michigan State guard Keith Appling (11) challenge for the ball during their NCAA men’s basketball game on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012, on the Ramstein U.S. Air Force Base, in Ramstein, Germany. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

AP

Team of the Week: UConn Huskies

UConn wasn’t supposed to be relevant this season. Not with their postseason hopes taken away. Not with two players entering the NBA Draft and two others transferring out of the program. Not with Jim Calhoun retiring. This was supposed to be the year where UConn scrapped and clawed and did everything in their power to ensure that Kevin Ollie remained their head coach next season, when they would actually have something to play for.

And then something funny happened: the Huskies went out and punched Michigan State in the mouth at Ramstein Air Force base in Germany. They jumped out to a lead that was as big as 15 points and held on down the stretch, out-executing Sparty down the stretch. Shabazz Napier led the way with 25 points while Ryan Boatright and Deandre Daniels added 13 and 12, respectively. This group may end up being the nation’s biggest spoiler this season.

And I think it’s safe to say that Ollie’s bid to get a contract extension has gotten off to a perfect start.

Teams Deserving of a Shoutout

Creighton Bluejays: It was supposed to be one of the most exciting games of the weekend, but Creighton wasn’t having that. Instead of exciting the nation with a battle featuring all-american Doug McDermott and future lottery pick Tony Mitchell, what Creighton’s 71-51 win over North Texas proved was the difference between a team that knows how to execute offensively and one that doesn’t. What makes this win all the more important for Creighton is that UNT is the kind of team they normally struggle with. Quicker, more athletic, penetrating guards. Factor out Mitchell, and UNT shot 14-54 from the floor and 0-11 from three, a promising sign for Creighton’s defense.

George Mason Patriots: Mason was the forgotten about team in the CAA heading into the season. Drexel was the favorite and Delaware was the contender. But after one weekend, Mason is the only one of those three to remain unscathed. The Dragons lost in overtime to Kent State and La Salle dropped Delaware. The Patriots, on the other hand, knocked off Virginia at home despite playing without Erik Copes or Vaughn Gray. Not a bad way to start out the year.

Bucknell Bison: The simple fact that the Bison went into Mackey Arena and knocked off Purdue is impressive enough to earn a spot on this list. But how they did it makes the win that much better. Center Mike Muscala, a former Patriot League Player of the Year, played far from his best game, finishing with just 14 points on 5-13 shooting.

Syracuse Orange: There is only so much that we can take out of Syracuse’s win over San Diego State in the Battle of the Midway on Sunday afternoon, and none of it can be a negative response to the Aztecs. They walked into an impossible matchup. But I think it is fair to say that the Orange proved that they have the pieces to compete with Louisville for the Big East title. Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche combined for 32 points, eight assists, eight steals and seven boards with CJ Fair added 17 points and ten boards.

Kent State Golden Flash: Kent State has traditionally been one of the strongest mid-major programs in the country, but with the hype that Drexel had coming into the season, there wasn’t much talk about the Golden Flash heading into their matchup with the Dragons. That changed after Kent State dropped Drexel 66-62 in overtime on Friday night.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.