Few teams (perhaps no team) have been as aggressive with the non-conference portion of their schedule this season as University of California, Connecticut.
After last season's turbulent, high-profile collapse—in which the Huskies failed to become Final Four material, let alone win a third straight national title—Dan Hurley leaned toward the obstacles. It would be understandable if the Huskies simply planned to compete.
But look what's still to come.
They planned as if they wanted to atone for bad behavior.
On Saturday night they played like that (for the most part).
Hurley's roster of six standout players on the roster for the next four weeks began Saturday with a highly publicized top-10 matchup against No. 7 seed. BYU in Boston at TD Garden. No. 3 Connecticut won 86-84, staving off a collapse after leading by 20 points in the second half against a shorthanded Cougars team that started the game with one starter and soon lost another.
Connecticut's escape within the first 25 minutes of the game turned into a teeth-clenching save against a dangerous forward and one of the most talented players in college basketball, the Cougars' freshman. AJ Dybanzpotential favorite in NBA Draft
BYU made UConn earn it in the final five minutes. Hurley would have preferred a more convincing win, but he can be satisfied that this team can pull off such a victory. His group failed several games of this type last season. It wasn't pretty, but it was a victory.
Credit must be given to Dybanza, who scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, more than half of which were standout points. The game was tailor-made for Dybanets, who grew up in nearby Brockton, Massachusetts, and was a little nervous in the first half. If he brought BYU back completely, it would be the most notable individual performance in the first two weeks of the season. Even so, Dybanza and BYU remain encouraged that he was able to easily find the switch in the second half and be the catalyst for what could be a remarkable comeback — especially after two opening losses.
BYU didn't dress Kennard Davis Jr.. after his arrest for drunk driving charges a substance that has not yet been discovered. The senior big man was decisive in the first half. Keba Keita got hit on the head by Silas Demary Jr.eliminating him from the game.
Even without two of its top five players, BYU was able to play a close game again – and could have tied the game or won outright if not for Rob Wright III's sixth turnover with 12 seconds left when he lost the ball between his legs with BYU trailing 85-82. Dybantsa was never able to touch the ball while playing on the line.
Who was supposed to take the stolen goods when Wright coughed them up? Demari.
And that's my biggest takeaway from Saturday night. Yes, even over the NBA Dibanza lottery, but this is a losing attempt.
Demaree Jr. emerges as key new figure
If YUKON is going to return to Final Four form this season, a lot of things will need to come together. Demaree's role on this team is paramount to achieving this goal. They need a guy like him to win some games against really good teams.
We first saw this on Saturday night. We'll see this again several times over the next four months.
At 6-foot-4, nearly 200 pounds and above-average strength for a combo guard, Demaree brings the profile of a player that UCLA was missing last season. This Huskies team needed strength, size and continuity throughout the game in the backcourt. Demaree provided antidotes on Saturday. He probably made Hurley think to himself: Where was it last year? like when he hit a pair of shots (one a rabbit with 3:15 remaining, the other a delicate mid-range fade with 1:31 remaining) that increased UC's margin of safety from five to seven each time. Those four points were critical as BYU continued to close the deficit.
His two-way presence will go a long way toward making sure this season isn't like last season for Connecticut.
Demaree had 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Alex Karaban And Tarris Reed Jr.. also scored 21 points, but their ability and value are clear in the locker room and to UConn fans. (Reed played with a hamstring strain that still hasn't fully healed, based on Hurley's postgame comments.) It can't just be Karaban, Reed and Only the ball (who fought).
Who stepped up and made up for Ball's terrible night? Demari. He looks as Dan Hurley's player. When BYU sniffed the blood, Demaree didn't let the pendulum swing completely in favor of the Cougars.
So, in the next 27 days there was one major contender left and five more to go. Next up for Connecticut is another stellar game, a matchup that could potentially be the best we get in November. We made the top 10 on Saturday, but what about the top five? Because that's exactly what we'll see on Wednesday at the Gampel Pavilion, when no. Arizona flies across the country to beat the Huskies. The Wildcats just knocked off the 15th. UCLA on Friday night in Los Angeles and looked like an incredible challenge with Koa Peas who, like Dybanca, is in the top five.
Another huge game on the November college basketball slate.
This is another opportunity for UConn to show that last season was an aberration, that the Huskies once again have what it takes to match the best teams the sport has to offer.
