Tip Off: 6:45 PM
Venue: Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY
After an OT win over Florida Atlantic in the first round, Northwestern will get the defending national champions and number 1 overall seed UConn in the second round. The Huskies beat Stetson in their first-round matchup.
UConn ranks 1st in offensive efficiency and 12th in defensive efficiency in the country. They rank 6th in 2-point percentage largely due to Clingan and all the high-percentage looks at the rim.
Connecticut Personnel
First Team All-American Tristen Newton leads the charge for the Huskies. A real triple-double threat, he does a bit of everything. Averaging 15.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists but he is most effective as a driver.
Donovan Clingan brings the interior presence at 7’2. We’ll see how he handles the Northwestern double with just one day of prep. After playing Zach Edey and Vlad Goldin, the Cats have plenty of experience with 7-footers this season. UConn loves emptying a side out and using him in pick-and-roll lobs.
Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer has been one of the most integral parts of this team. He’s been scorching from beyond-the-arc with a 44% 3-point percentage at a pretty high volume (leads the team in 3’s made). And of course, his brother Pat Spencer played at Northwestern so I’m sure they’ll mention that on the broadcast.
Freshman Stephon Castle is a projected NBA Lottery pick. When a projected lottery pick is your 3rd leading scorer, that’s some insane depth. Due to all the other weapons on this team, Castle hasn’t had to do too much but he’s capable of playmaking for himself and others. He’ll shoot the three but it’s still a work in progress (28.1%).
Alex Karaban is the Huskies secondary shooter after Spencer but at 6’8 he really helps stretch the floor. In addition, he has shown a post-up game. He’s yet another versatile player for this team.
Hassan Diarra is the first option off the bench. His role is as a defensive pest. His offensive is much shakier and a bit undisciplined at times.
Two more prized freshmen in Jaylin Stewart and Solomon Ball have been in the rotation. Ball has electric talent but is still figuring things out. Stewart is figuring it out as well. After four straight scoreless games, he put up eight in the Big East Tournament semifinal and nine in the Championship (3-4 from 3).
Samson Johnson backs up Clingan at the 5-spot. He’s an athletic freak at 6’10 with a 7’5 wingspan. He’s a rim-protector, lob catcher and floor runner.
Keys
Transition Defense – the Huskies can destroy opponents in transition (6th in country in effective FG% in transition). It’ll be essential for the Wildcats to keep UConn in the halfcourt. UConn actually ranks 330th in tempo so if the Cats can keep them in the halfcourt it could really shorten the number of possessions and keep this one close.
Post Double on Clingan – the Wildcats post double regardless but forcing Clingan to make plays rather than just finish them may get UConn out of their typical stuff. First part of the double is making sure he’s not catching deep, similar to how they defended Goldin.
No threes for Spencer – He brings a whole new dimension to this team as a knockdown shooter and veteran leader. A team low 13.5% of his shots come at the rim so you run him off the line and not risk the finishing ability of the rest of the guys. His threes can be part of huge runs that the Wildcats might not be able to come back from.
No doubt, this will be a steep hill to climb but that doesn’t mean Northwestern isn’t going to try. They’ll need to contain the fastbreak and disrupt the UConn halfcourt offense. If they can keep them from transition, then there’s a chance to hang around as UConn actually plays a pretty slow tempo. I’d love nothing more than to see the Wildcats shock the world!