The drop-off in UConn’s play from last season is evident and perhaps highlighted by Alex Karaban’s admission after a disappointing overtime loss at Seton Hall on Saturday.
After Karaban said the players might not treat every game seriously, UConn seeks a better showing Tuesday night in Hartford, Conn., when it hosts Villanova, which boasts the nation’s top scorer in Eric Dixon and is facing a big week to boost its NCAA hopes.
The Huskies (17-8, 9-5 Big East) are out of the AP Top 25 for the second straight week after starting the season at No. 3. UConn entered Monday fourth in the Big East, but its positioning would be better if not for a 69-68 overtime loss to the Pirates, the worst team in the league.
The Huskies blew a seven-point lead in the final 45 seconds of regulation by committing two turnovers. Then they squandered a five-point lead in the final minute of overtime by committing three more turnovers.
“As a team, I’m talking player-wise, (we) players don’t take every game seriously and don’t treat every game life-or-death the way that the coaching staff does,” Karaban said. “It’s our fault. It’s completely on the players. We just didn’t show up ready to play.”
Karaban showed up offensively by scoring 20 points after shooting a combined 6 of 20 from the field in the previous two games. While he made 7 of 14 shots at Seton Hall, he shot 2 of 7 from 3-point range and is just 6 of 44 from deep in his past eight games.
Karaban’s admission came after the two-time defending champions shot a season-worst 37.3 percent and suffered their seventh loss by six points or fewer.
Villanova (15-11, 8-7) can relate to UConn’s inconsistency. The Wildcats need a strong finish to avoid a third straight season out of the NCAA Tournament, starting with a reprise of its 68-66 win over the Huskies last month.
The Wildcats won three straight, culminating in its 73-71 home win over then-No. 9 St. John’s on Wednesday, but dropped a 75-62 decision at Providence on Saturday night. Villanova matched its widest margin of defeat and a season worst of 14 3s allowed.
“There are a lot of different teams in our league (who) play a lot of different styles,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said after his team shot 30.8 percent in the first half and trailed by 12 at the break. “Give (Providence) a lot of credit, they adjusted to our style and got the shots we sometimes give up.”
Dixon is averaging 23.2 points but was held to 15 at Providence. He has been held below 20 in seven of his past 10 games after opening the season with 14 20-point showings in Villanova’s first 15 games.
–Field Level Media
