There was no more fitting way for UConn’s season to end than with a missed windmill dunk by Jeremy Lamb at the buzzer Thursday night, a dunk that would not have mattered one solitary bit.
UConn thought it had put its up-and-down season behind it in the last couple of weeks. It only hid it for a while. Iowa State hammered the Huskies early, building a 22-point lead in the first half at the KFC Yum! Center and that about did it for the Huskies.
UConn punched back but not enough. Eventually, the Huskies limped their way out of the tournament. They became the fourth defending champion to exit in its first tourney game, the first since UCLA got knocked off by Princeton in 1996. The Huskies lost an opening tourney game for just the second time under Jim Calhoun, the first one when they had a healthy cast of characters.
Calhoun was denied his 50th career NCAA tournament victory. The Huskies have made three trips to the Yum! Center and all three games have been serious stinkers.
As of now, there is no 2013 tournament for the Huskies. That is just another story line in what is sure to be a highly interesting offseason.
Some stuff:
- Iowa State has next to no size and still mauled the Huskies on the boards, 41-24. Royce White had 13 rebounds all by himself, which was two more rebounds than Andre Drummond, Alex Oriakhi and Roscoe Smith combined to grab. Not pretty.
- The tone was set from the outset when White drove the lane and dunked with ease. Soon after, UConn was in a 22-point hole and the bench was full of embarrassed, stunned faces.
- Drummond and Oriakhi were supposed to present huge problems for Iowa State. Um, not so much. They were just big, as in size, and nothing else. Drummond’s foul total (5) equaled his combined points (2) and rebounds (3). Oriakhi matched Drummond in every category but fouls.
- Drummond, who is way too soft at this point to be effective in college never mind the NBA, said he isn’t thinking about the NBA at the moment. “I’m just thinking about tomorrow,” he said. Millions of dollars are in his near future and with the postseason ban next year, it’s almost impossible that he returns.
- Same for Lamb, who never materialized into the star many thought he would be. He had 19 points against Iowa State, but few of them were important. Most of the important points, those that cut the Iowa State lead to six points, came from Ryan Boatright. Lamb, too, said he isn’t thinking about his future but as a likely lottery pick he is probably out the door, too.
- As an upperclassman, Oriakhi can transfer without having to sit out a year because of the impending postseason ban. He admitted he has a decision to make and will sit down with his family to hash it out. Unless a waiver comes from the NCAA (unlikely), the Huskies might have seen the last of the forward who was so important in 2011’s national title run.
- And there’s also DeAndre Daniels, the highly touted prospect who became a little-used player in the latter half of the season. He will probably consider transferring. His family has moved to Connecticut, so that might mitigate things but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on Daniels.
- In short, UConn’s roster is more than likely about to undergo a major overhaul. The Huskies have just Omar Calhoun signed for next year and will have 11 scholarship slots available next year if they remain constituted as they are at this moment. Three or four departures, however, will put the coaching staff in scramble mode to secure players.
- Also coming this offseason, another “Will Jim Calhoun retire?” watch. He was ornery when asked about it Thursday night. “I’m going to get on the plane tomorrow, go home and do what I usually do, and meet up with the team on Monday. As far as my own personal thing, I don’t think it has any relevance here, to be honest with you.”
- I don’t see Calhoun going out after that horrific loss. I think it will just make it more emboldened to return, but there is a regime change coming. New athletic director Warde Manuel arrives for good Monday. He won’t force Calhoun out but you can bet there will be some serious and important discussions taking place in the next couple of months.
- It is stunning to me how this team finished with 14 defeats. It has two lottery picks on the roster, a proven point guard in Shabazz Napier and a potentially electric player in Ryan Boatright. If you can pick out one thing that caused things to go awry and the potential to go largely unfulfilled, you are a smart person. There were myriad things that went wrong. “Effort and attitude,” Shabazz Napier said when asked what the difference was between this year’s team and last year’s.
- Napier, to his credit, also took the blame for that lack of effort and attitude. He also took most of the blame for not getting the Huskies to play at Iowa State’s speed. He may frustrate the heck out of UConn fans but he is at least trying quite hard to be a leader. Nobody else on the team made that attempt.
- So much for that UConn-Kentucky rematch everybody wanted. UConn never played well enough to even make that more than a remote possibility.
- Calhoun wouldn’t call the season a disappointment because the Huskies won 20 games and made the tournament. Deep down he probably knows it was an extreme disappointment.
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