The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Can Huskies grab Bulls by the horns?
Team wants to avoid being South Florida’s first AAC victory
The injuries have piled up at practically historic levels, and so have the losses. UConn hasn’t had a record worse than its current 8-11 mark since 1986-87, Jim Calhoun’s first season at the helm.
But it could be worse. UConn could be South Florida.
It’s hard to describe just what an awful run USF has been on over the past year or so. The program has been under the cloud of a potential academic fraud scandal that has already resulted in numerous casualties. After going 8-25 last season, the Bulls dismissed two of its best players, Chris Perry and Roddy Peters, for repeated violations of school policy. In July, assistant coach Oliver Antigua – brother of head coach Orlando Antigua – resigned in the midst of the academic probe.
At the start of this season, Jahmal McMurray – an all-AAC rookie team pick and one of the team’s few bright spots last year – was suspended for six games for a violation of school policy. He played three games, then announced he was transferring last month.
And, a few weeks ago, Orlando Antigua was fired, perhaps a result of that academic probe still hanging over the program. Murry Bartow has taken over as interim head coach. Yes, it’s been a rough go for USF. The Bulls are 6-12 overall and 0-7 in the American Athletic Conference. For a UConn team that is without numerous key players and has barely kept its head above water all season, USF couldn’t come along at a better time. The Huskies (3-4 AAC) are in the midst of a three-game stretch against the league’s weaker sisters (East Carolina, whom UConn beat on Sunday night, USF and Tulane at home on
on Saturday night) that could boost their league record above .500 and their overall mark just under .500 heading into what promises to be a tough chore at Cincinnati on Feb. 4.
Of course, the Huskies aren’t in a position to overlook any opponent at this point. Even USF, as embarrassing a program as it has been lately.
Certainly, Sunday’s win over ECU was a positive start. The Huskies were in control throughout, the 72-65 final not really indicative of how much UConn was the better team. And the Huskies did it with yet another injury casualty on the bench, with freshman forward Juwan Durham joining Terry Larrier, Alterique Gilbert, Mamadou Diarra and Steve Enoch in street clothes, having suffered a sprained foot a few nights earlier at SMU.
Durham, back in his hometown of Tampa for Wednesday night’s game, didn’t practice on Tuesday and is questionable to play. Enoch also remains day-to-day and may not play against the Bulls. Larrier, Gilbert and Diarra are all out for the season.
Still, the Huskies find themselves in a perfect spot to match their season-high with a second straight win and have a chance at a seasonbest, three-game winning streak on Saturday night.
The way things have gone this season, though, it’s hard to believe that, somehow, someway, something won’t go wrong for UConn.