Adama Sanogo has become the face of a UConn team that is on a mission to avenge back-to-back first-round exits in the NCAA Tournament.
The junior forward will look to keep the Huskies on schedule when they clash with Boston University on Friday in Storrs, Conn.
UConn (1-0) lost four of its top five scorers from last season, with Sanogo being the last man standing among the bunch. He started the season on a high note, scoring 19 points in 19 minutes on 8-of-11 shooting in the Huskies’ 85-54 win over Stonehill on Monday.
Although there are a lot of new faces in Storrs, UConn has had no problem establishing team chemistry early on in the season.
“It felt great out there playing with these guys,” Texas A&M transfer Hassan Diarra said. “Our camaraderie is pretty good, so we’re going in the right direction. Of course we can get better, but I think our camaraderie is there.”
Diarra finished with 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists against the Skyhawks.
Much like the Huskies, Boston University (1-0) was able to retain one of its top scorers from last season, bringing back Walter Whyte.
Whyte wasted no time showing off his scoring prowess, hanging a career-high 27 points to go along with a career-high-tying 13 rebounds on Monday to lead the Terriers to a 72-63 win over Northeastern. Jonas Harper chipped in 15 points, but no other player tallied more than seven.
Friday marks a homecoming game of sort for Whyte, who is a New Haven, Conn., native.
Boston University assistant coach Curtis Wilson attributed the season-opening victory to executing in practice, something the Terriers will try to replicate ahead of their meeting with the Huskies.
“Every day’s a different day when it comes to practice. But these guys have been pretty consistent. They get after each other pretty good,” Wilson said. “We got some older guys, so they know what it takes to get ready for a game.”
BU will attempt to snap a six-game losing streak against UConn that dates back to 1990.
–Field Level Media
