The UConn men’s basketball team showed the nation that it doesn’t need junior captain Kemba Walker to carry them to victory every game. It was a total team effort by the Huskies in a 72-61 win over Tennessee before a capacity crowd of 16, 294 at the XL Center in Hartford. The Saturday afternoon contest was broadcasted nationally on CBS.
Four players scored in double-figures for the Huskies, who finished the non-conference schedule 12-0.
“The early season stuff is kind of funny because you don’t know if it’s fool’s gold or real gold,” said coach Jim Calhoun, whose 8th-ranked team improved to 16-2.
“We could even be better next year and not even do what we did,” Calhoun later said of his team’s unblemished non-conference record.
Walker and Jeremy Lamb tied for the team lead with 16 points. Roscoe Smith and Alex Oriakhi added 12 points each, and Oriakhi grabbed 10 rebounds as well. Oriakhi’s biggest basket came with 4:27 remaining in the game. Following a Lamb 3-pointer, UConn stole the ball and the sophomore center dunked it in the open court to make the score 64-54 and ultimately seal the win.
“I’m willing to sacrifice points,” Walker said. “I don’t care I just want to win.”
Tennessee’s Scotty Hopson tied the score at 39 with 16:44 to play, but UConn would open the game up from there. With 15:30 left in the second half, Smith hit a 3-pointer to give the Huskies a 44-41 lead. With 13:33 remaining, Walker missed a 3-pointer, but in a Larry Bird-esque play, got his own rebound and finished to push the lead to five.
Melvin Goins led the Vols with 15 points and Tobias Harris added 10. Brian Williams snatched seven rebounds. Hopson finished with 13 points and five turnovers in the loss that made Tennessee’s season record 12-7.
“Scotty is at times just very special,” said coach Bruce Pearl. “He’s a terrific talent, great kid and a hard worker but he has been inconsistent. Sometimes he lets his offense dictate his game.”
“We wanted to keep Hopson, who’s a future pro in check,” Calhoun said.
Pearl stomped and yelled at Hopson and company throughout game. His frustrated sideline demeanor will be put on hold as Pearl will serve the last four games of his eight-game SEC suspension.
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel hit two straight 3-pointers five minutes into the game to cut the Vols lead to one. The baskets were Coombs-McDaniel’s only points of the game.
Walker went scoreless until 5:23 remaining in the first half. Walker drew a foul and made 1-of-2 free throws for his first points of the game. Walker went 3-for-8 shooting in the half and still finished with a team-high eight points going into the break. The junior guard hit a 3-pointer at the first half buzzer to send the Huskies to the locker room up 32-31. Pearl said it gave UConn much-needed momentum and changed the game.
Goins led all scorers with 10 points at the half.
Charles Okwandu finished with six points and five rebounds.
“I always told him ‘You a beast Charles if you want to be,'” Oriakhi said.
“I love working out, I’m a hard working player,” Okwandu said of his improvement in the post this season. “Sometimes when I’m relaxed… the game comes to me.”
With 4:30 left in the first half, Okwandu made a lay-in and on Tennessee’s next possession the senior center blocked a shot, pinning it up against the backboard. The Huskies went on the break and Walker hit a shot while falling to the floor to make the score 24-22 in favor of the Volunteers. Coming out of the timeout, UConn made a defensive stop and Oriakhi’s tip-in on the other end tied the game.
With two minutes left in the half, Smith hit a 3-pointer, half of his six points in the first, to give the Huskies a 27-25 lead. Hopson answered with a 3-pointer to swing the lead back in Tennessee’s favor. Walker’s jumper on the next possession gave UConn a 28-27 lead. The Volunteers added a bucket prior to Walker’s buzzer beater.