BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Immediately after Northwestern sealed a thrilling first-round victory over Florida Atlantic, all attention shifted toward defending champions No. 1 Connecticut.
With Friday’s win, the Wildcats have reached the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32 in consecutive seasons and now hope to make the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history.
Stepping in front of this aspiration is a talented Huskies team that has lost just three of its last 41 games and convincingly beat Stetson 91-52 Friday.
And, with UConn’s 83.7 points per game topping the Big East, NU cannot afford a similar slow offensive start Sunday. The ‘Cats scored 19 points entering the intermission before doubling that in the second half’s opening minutes.
“(UConn) is so prolific offensively,” coach Chris Collins said. “You’re not going to be able to hold them to 50 points. They are going to score. We’re going to have to find a way offensively. We got away with it yesterday. (Scoring) 19 at the half will not work. We’re going to have to put the ball in the hole a little bit if we’re going to give ourselves a chance tomorrow night.”
The Huskies’ explosive offense coupled with the depth from the top to bottom of their roster has many across the nation expecting a convincing UConn victory.
Entering the weekend, the ‘Cats are slated as the biggest underdogs of any matchup in the Round of 32. Nevertheless, graduate student guard Boo Buie relishes the opportunity to have the chance to prove skeptics wrong once again.
“You could just call us the underdogs,” Buie said. “I’ve been here for five years, and I don’t remember a time when we weren’t an underdog. It’s nothing new…The loss in the second round to UCLA (last year) has given us a more determined mentality going into the second round this year.”
But, NU is especially battle-tested. The ‘Cats played every Big Ten team that made the NCAA Tournament twice in the regular season.
At the same time, they have dethroned a No. 1 team in Purdue in consecutive seasons, adding extra motivation for NU to continue its level of success against the nation’s best team.
“The league that we play in and having played really good teams really helps,” junior guard Brooks Barnhizer said. “The Big Ten is super physical and so is UConn. We’ve been battle tested in terms of playing some of the top teams in the country…We’re confident going into this game, and it’s a great opportunity for us to play the number one overall seed in the tournament.”
Squaring off against Husky guard Cam Spencer, the ‘Cats will have a familiar opponent tomorrow night.
Spencer, the former Rutgers guard, has had several matchups against NU during his collegiate career. His older brother Pat played for the ‘Cats as a graduate transfer in 2019.
“Cam is a really good player,” Buie said. “He shoots the ball very well and puts it on the floor. I’ve played against him before, so I kind of have some familiarity with him. I’ve played with his older brother (Pat Spencer) and (am) close with (Pat). We’re going to have to be dialed in on him and try to limit him and take away from some of the actions that he likes to get to.”
After facing a significant test in Owl center Vladislav Goldin, NU nearly dropped its opening round matchup late Saturday. Goldin finished with a team-high 19 points and reached the charity stripe five times over the final three minutes of regulation.
Matching up against another elite big man in UConn center Donovan Clingan, the ‘Cats will have another tall task down low.
While the team has had experience against the best centers in the nation, squaring off against Purdue center Zach Edey, Collins said the Huskies balanced attack can pose a severe threat offensively.
“We will have to be a bit smarter,” Collins said. “We don’t have the bodies and the depth to take a bunch of fouls on (Clingan). We have to use our bodies. We have to be physical.’”
Nevertheless, Collins and co. have reiterated that they’re unfazed ahead of tomorrow’s matchup with the Huskies, hoping to extend the team’s magical season for at least one more week.
And in the process, NU will look to erase the defending national champion’s pursuit toward a repeat.
“What’s beautiful about the NCAA Tournament is that it’s one game,” Collins said. “If we had to play them in a best-of-seven, we are not going to win the series. That’s the reality….(But), it’s one game. We (need) to put it together for 40 minutes and give ourselves a chance to get late in the game and win.”
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @aayushyagarwal7
Related Stories:
— Rapid Recap: No. 9 Northwestern 77, No. 8 Florida Atlantic 65 (OT)
