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Three Key Takeaways.
- Connecticut’s great second half effort led the Huskies to victory. Sluggish and listless are two ways one could describe Connecticut’s first half effort. The Huskies found themselves down 36-27 at the break, and it appeared there was a chance Colorado might run them right out of the gym. That turned out to not be the case, though, as Kevin Ollie’s group came out in the second half firing on all cylinders. The Huskies used a 20-10 run to start the half and grabbed their first lead at the 11:39 mark — from there, they never looked back. While Connecticut certainly received some dynamite offensive performances, it cranked its defensive intensity up several notches and held the Buffaloes to just 32 second half points. The Huskies have been a bit of an enigmatic bunch this season, so it will be interesting to see if they can translate today’s second half success to its next game on Saturday.
- Colorado did not do itself any favors from the free throw line. The Buffaloes led by as many as 11 in the first half and held a nine-point lead at halftime. Those leads could have been greater had they turned in a better performance from the free throw line. Colorado finished just 19-of-30 from the stripe, and at one point was just 8-of-17 from there. Leaving those extra points at the line allowed Connecticut to stay in striking distance, eventually grab the lead, and finally take home the victory. Free throw shooting is important each and every March, and that was well on display this afternoon.
- Kevin Ollie remains undefeated in the NCAA Tournament. There were certainly some naysayers when Kevin Ollie took over for a retiring Jim Calhoun in fall 2012, but the first four seasons of returns have been quite positive. The Huskies of course won all six of their games in the 2014 NCAA Tournament on their way to the national title. After a one-year hiatus from the NCAA Tournament, Connecticut got back on the winning track Thursday in its return to March Madness. Can Kevin Ollie improve on his sterling 7-0 tournament record? We shall see on Saturday.
Player of the Game. Rodney Purvis, Connecticut. The junior guard led Connecticut’s second half explosion, finishing with a team-high 19 points and hitting two three-pointers that really gave the Huskies some much-needed breathing room. Backcourt play will be key if Connecticut wants to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, so the strong play of Purvis and fellow guard Daniel Hamilton (17 points on 6-of-12 shooting) was certainly a good sign for Huskies fans.
Quotable.
- “It is a bitter pill to swallow because we felt like we had this game in hand. We just did not finish.” – Colorado coach Tad Boyle, commenting on how his squad lost control of a game it dominated for the first 30 minutes.
- “We just did not get the job done.” – Colorado forward Josh Scott, expressing his disappointment in the result.
- “We were still at the hotel in the first half. I think the bus came and picked us up for the second half.” – Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, acknowledging he was not happy with his group’s first half effort.
Sights and Sounds. Neither Connecticut nor Colorado were as well-represented as the other teams in the Des Moines pod, but both schools had decent rooting sections throughout the afternoon. One Colorado supporter took it upon himself to greet CBS announcer Jim Nantz with a “Let’s go, Jim!” greeting. One would think that was enough motivation for Nantz to turn in an A+ broadcast.
What’s Next. Connecticut advances to the Second Round where it will meet the winner of Kansas and Austin Peay.