University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Iowa State University
UConn Meets Iowa State For PKI Championship
11/27/2022 2:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / Nov. 27, 2022
PORTLAND, Ore. – The UConn men's basketball team traveled to the West Coast to face the challenge of an upgrade in competition as they played the Phil Knight Invitational with seven other strong teams, all representing the Nike brand.
With one day remaining in tourney play, it's safe to say the No. 20/22 Huskies have been more than prepared.
After wins over Oregon and No. 18 Alabama during the first two days of the tournament, UConn (7-0) finds itself in the PKI championship game, facing Iowa State (5-0) Sunday night at the Moda Center (10 p.m., ESPN).
UConn, off to its best start since 2013-14, produced decisive wins over Oregon (83-59) and Alabama (82-67) and now faces an Iowa State team that toppled Villanova in overtime (81-79) and No. 1 North Carolina (70-65). The Cyclones play differently than any other team in the tournament.
"I think you see it in the tournament, you saw it with Carolina," Coach Dan Hurley said. "It's a unique style of defense -- the amount of charges that they attempt to take, it's rare that you see anything like it. Where they try to send the basketball ... but more so, their physicality. It's such a different style than our first two games out here, in terms of the way they play. Much more physical. They have a really tough team."
Iowa State, out of the Big 12, is led by point guard Jaren Holmes, a transfer from St. Bonaventure, who is averaging 17.8 points and 4.4 assists per game. Joining Holmes in the backcourt is senior Caleb Grill, who burned North Carolina with 31 points, and freshman Tamin Lipsey.
Up front is another transfer from St. Bonaventure, 6-10 senior Osun Osunniyi as well as 6-8 senior Jaz Kunc, a transfer from Washington State.
"They play in one of the best conferences in the country," Hurley said. "They had a great season last year, the Sweet 16. It's in their bones, in their culture that they're expected to win. They defend, they rebound. That's a formula for winning."
UConn has found a pretty effective formula as well, averaging 85.9 points per game and allowing opponents just 58.7. The Huskies are shooting almost .500 overall (.496) and .385 from three-point range. They are outrebounding opponents by 9.2 rebounds per game.
UConn junior Adama Sanogo bounced back from a mediocre game against Oregon with a 25-point effort against Alabama and still leads the team in scoring (20.6) and rebounding (7.1). Sophomore Jordan Hawkins (13.0), senior Tristen Newton (12.6) and redshirt freshman Alex Karaban (10.4) are also averaging in double figures. Newton is the team leader in assists (4.9) and freshman Donovan Clingan is tops in blocked shots (2.6).
The UConn depth has been evident during its first seven games, with eight players averaging at least 7.0 points per game and no player averaging as many as 28.0 minutes per game.
Tonight's game marks the second time under Hurley that the Huskies have a chance to win an MTE event. In 2018-19, they went to the finals of the Empire Classic in New York before bowing to Iowa in the championship game.
