Second-ranked UConn will try to avoid a winless showing at the Maui Invitational when it faces Dayton in the tournament’s seventh-place game on Wednesday in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Coming off a 99-97 overtime loss in Monday’s opening-round matchup with Memphis, UConn (4-2) got the early jump on Colorado in Tuesday’s consolation-bracket contest. The Huskies built an 11-point lead but could not hold on as the Buffaloes rallied to a 73-72 victory.
“We didn’t expect to find ourselves in this position based on where we’ve been,” head coach Dan Hurley said, alluding to UConn’s 0-2 showing despite coming in as the two-time reigning national champion. “We’ve been bad out here defensively.”
Before heading to Maui, the Huskies had not given up more than 56 points in any of their first four games.
“Coach definitely talks about putting more pressure on an offense and not just letting them do what they want,” UConn guard Solo Ball said.
Ball cited the Huskies allowing opponents to find soft spots in the coverage as hurting the team in this tournament.
The Flyers (5-2) weren’t shy about scoring in each of their first two Maui Invitational contests, putting up 90 points on Monday versus No. 12 North Carolina and 84 points against No. 5 Iowa State on Tuesday.
Malachi Smith scored 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor versus Iowa State and added nine assists. That came one night after his 12 points made him one of six Flyers to score in double digits against North Carolina.
Surrendering 92 and 89 points cost Dayton, however, relegating it to Wednesday’s seventh-place game. In their five games prior to the tournament, the Flyers did not allow an opponent to score more than 69 points.
Smith cited Iowa State’s physicality as causing matchup problems for Dayton on the defensive end and resulting in foul trouble. Zed Key, who fouled out on Monday vs. North Carolina, Enoch Cheeks and Nate Santos all had four personal fouls on Tuesday.
Foul trouble was a recurring theme for UConn in its two Maui losses, as well, with Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr. each fouling out on Tuesday. Johnson was limited to 13 minutes, during which he scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor.
UConn is the third straight opponent ranked in the top 12 of the Associated Press Top 25 poll that Dayton will see in as many nights. Having come within a few possessions against both North Carolina and Iowa State, Smith said the Flyers have made a statement despite having yet to secure a win in Maui.
“We’ve proved that we’re a top 25 team. We can handle anybody. I think we were in control both games,” Smith said. “We learned about ourselves, (and) it’s looking good. We took some (losses) but we’ll turn it into lessons.”
–Field Level Media
