The No. 4 UConn men's basketball team is ready for the games to count. In their final preseason tuneup, the Huskies tuned up Purdue 76-53, led by 15 points from freshman Colben Landrew. Jayden Ross added 13 points and was perfect field the field, while Oskar Giltay chipped in 12 points and two blocks off the bench. Silas Demary Jr. posted 10 points, five assists, and four steals, while Nik Khamenia grabbed 11 boards.
It was a total detonation. UConn outrebounded the Boilermakers and won the points in the paint battle 38-22. Purdue went 2-25 from three, while the frontcourt went a combined 6-21 from the field.
It looked like varsity versus junior varsity. The Huskies were more physical, first to every loose ball, and never let up even when the game was out of reach. A complete performance that had contributions from everyone, including Braylon Mullins, who got his first action of the year as he recovers from a knee injury. The sophomore scored seven points and dished four assists, but shot 1-6 from three as he shook off the rust.
First Half
The first five minutes were a little tight, with Na'jai Hines picking up a quick foul and UConn missing four of its first five shots. Enter Giltay. The Huskies were able to build get separation with a 7-0 run, fueled by Giltay's eye-opening play on both ends, and two Ross treys. Oh, and this pretty fast break alley-oop.
Giltay was everywhere; blocking shots, grabbing boards, and showing a deft touch around the rim.
Even if shots weren't falling and there was some sloppiness with the ball, the Huskies hit the offensive glass hard and continued to disrupt Purdue's actions on defense. Purdue went over three minutes without a field goal at one point, while offering little to no resistance in the paint. A steal and lay-in from Demary Jr. gave UConn a 16-point lead.
Landrew got involved on some crafty drives to the rim, with UConn dominating inside on both ends. The Huskies held Purdue to 20 first half points, and were up 15 at the break despite shooting 2-9 from three.
Second Half
A Demary Jr. lob to Ross set the tone for the second half. Purdue started to work their way back into the game, dialing up the ball pressure and physicality. Just when the Boilermakers cut the lead to 10, Hines emerged. After being politely told by Tom Moore to get his act together on the broadcast, the sophomore responded with two pretty dishes and a vicious put-back dunk.
Landrew followed that up with his own personal 8-0 run, featuring two in-rhythm triples. With UConn up 21 with 10 to play after an 18-1 stretch, this one was over. Total domination for 35 minutes, with the lead stretching to as much as 30.
Purdue was clearly overmatched with some serious flaws. But flaws or not, they received votes in the AP Top 25 poll. Beyond the personnel mismatch, UConn just looks tough. They freshman are playing like sophomores, the transfers are playing like seniors. Ross and Demary Jr. set the tone, and the team follows. There will be bumps (fouls, turnovers, free-throws), but there is already an unexplainable 'it' factor to this team.
Or maybe the Big 10 stinks.
Kidding! It counts for real on Monday, Nov. 2, when the Huskies host Gardner Webb in Hartford. Tip-off is set for 9:00 p.m.
