University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
15-8,11-6Big East
Maryland
17-13,9-11Big Ten
UCONN BOWS TO MARYLAND IN NCAA TOURNEY OPENER
3/21/2021 12:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / March 20, 2021
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A cold-shooting start led to a deficit that the UConn men's basketball team could not overcome as the Huskies bowed to Maryland, 63-54, in the first round of the East Region of the NCAA Championship Saturday night at Mackey Arena on the campus of Purdue University.
Playing in the NCAA tourney for the first time in five years, the Huskies managed to cut a 14-point, second-half deficit to five with just under 3:00 remaining, but could get no closer and put a disappointing ending to a season of growth.
"You're gutted here right now," UConn coach Dan Hurley said right after the game. "This wasn't how I envisioned losing this one tonight. If we lost, I just expected to perform better under the lights."
The No. 7-seeded Huskies end their season at 15-8, with an 11-6 record in their first season back in the BIG EAST Conference, good enough for a third-place finish. Maryland, the No. 10 seed out of the Big Ten, ups its record to 17-13 and will advance to the second round, where it will meet No. 2 seed Alabama on Monday.
"We really struggle against teams that switch a lot," Hurley said. "There's not a ton that you can script when teams switch. We just didn't have a lot of guys who could win one-on-one matchups. We weren't very decisive trying to go by people."
UConn dominated the offensive glass in the first half, pulling down an impressive 18 offensive rebounds, but simply could not get its in-close sots to fall and only scored 9 second-chance points. Maryland, meanwhile, took advantage of its "five-out" style – a "bad fit for the way we play defense," according to Hurley -- by shooting 52.5 percent, including 6-of-8 three-pointers.
"I've never seen a team get 18 offensive rebounds in a half," Hurley said. "The amount of close shots we missed, I think that rattled us. When you miss that many layups at the rim, I think it has a demoralizing affect." tUConn's 23.1 percent shooting in the first half led to a season-low 22 first-half point and a 33-22 halftime deficit, as Maryland's Eric Ayala scored 14 points.
"We just didn't have anyone who could guard him," Hurley said.
Meanwhile, Maryland put a defensive blanket over UConn star James Bouknight, frustrating the sophomore into a 6-of-16 shooting night.
The UConn offense stirred a bit in the second half, but Maryland did not take its foot off the gas and kept the deficit at double-digits until the final 9:00, when the Huskies put together an 11-3 run to slice the Terrapins' lead to 53-48 with 2:53 to go.
But UConn would get no closer as Maryland hit six straight free throws down the stretch and two open layups to put the finishing touch to UConn's season.
Bouknight still led UConn in scoring with 15 points, but the only other player in double figures was sophomore Jalen Gaffney, who came off the bench to score 12. Junior Tyrese Martin grabbed 11 rebounds. Ayala topped Maryland with 23 points.
Despite the tough finish, it is hard not to acknowledge the major strides forward for the program this season.
"I view it as a big step, especially for the program," said senior Isaiah Whaley. "I'm proud of everybody for sticking to it. We went through a lot this year, especially with COVID pauses, and everybody going through stuff individually. But we stuck it through and kept fighting. I see this as a big step for the program. It's only up from here."
Hurley was able to give the season some perspective.
"This Year Three was a success for us," he said. "It doesn't feel like it now, because you're devastated with the way the evening went, but to compete at the top of the Big East, to get back to the NCAA Tournament, is a huge hill to climb. The next hill you must climb, when you're the head coach at UConn, is to consistently be at the top of the league, consistently be in this tournament, and consistently advance in this tournament. We're not there yet."Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
