Concern brews for UConn and Purdue as March approaches fast

A year ago it was the last two teams. Connecticut, apparently the right champion. Purdue, apparently brick or two short loads needed for one shining moment, but still looks forward to finally cracking the final barrier after 44 years. It was a good time to be Husky or Boilermaker. They left Stadion State Farm Stadium that April Night in Arizona with a combined record of 71-8.

Karma can be unstable. Another NCAA tournament begins early and in the air in both places is concerned.

Dan Hurley sat on Sunday at Madison Square Garden at the press conference table.

His Connecticut team, which hardly needs to find its second wind for March while trying to slow down Rick Pitino Express in St. John’s, just lost 89-75. Huskies were 18 points in the half and that was all. For the first time in 25 years, Red Storm was swept in their season. St. John’s, without a league title since 1992, has moved to the brink of the Big East, while Connecticut – who won the League of Four Games last season – is barely fourth.

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Huskies are from 8 and 18-9 overall 6-6. Most of the losses were on the wire – two out of nine defeats in overtime, five additional six points or so on. But Sunday was pounding. “It was the first time since Maui and the last five minutes of the Dayton game, where the wheels just came out,” Hurley said.

This happened in the first half. UConn Marquee Trio Alex Karaban, Solo Ball and Liam McNeeley gave only 11 points together and missed 15 out of 18 shots before half -time. St. John’S-flickering 341. In the nation in the 3-point percent and 326. In the 3-pointers produced on Hru-found 8: 16 behind the arch and climbed forward 50-32, the defense of the red storm was also troubled by Huskies. They were able to stay with St. John’s on the albums, but as Hurley noted, “We invented our discouraging by turning the ball 18 times.”

Connecticut tried to appreciate later in the second half, but no chance. As Hurley said, “We have too many shortcomings.”

This is not a reassuring words last February weekend.

Nor are they: “Our quality is, of course, far away from what it was for various reasons.”

Neither: “For us this year with our defense we cannot take everything away.”

Even the following: “Unlike our past teams, where there were no bad matches for us, there are some teams that are simply not great for you. Teams that push the full court and get after you. We have an obvious problem with people who can handle and create and break down pressure. ”

Neither about how his best players start Sunday: “Overall, of course, we are not deep enough to survive for 30 minutes.”

One day there was a serious talk about Connecticut’s chances at the NCAA tournament on the three -way. Now they can tick the clock to find a level that can only get them in the first week. Yet the champions are dangerous. Maybe.

Matt Painter was sitting on Sunday at a press conference table in Bloomington, Indiana.

Purdue, once 19-5 and fight for the lead Big Ta, just lost his fourth game in a row, this biggest cake of all. The leading Indiana 37-25 in the half-time Boalermakers broke up before 28-3 Hoosier Rampage in the first eight minutes of the second half and eventually defeated 73-58.

In less than two weeks, Purdue switched from possible seed no. 1 to fight for fifth place in a large ten. That was the painter, well, huh? Angry? Confused? Frustrated? Troubled?

“All of you,” he replied. “You can get a couple there.”

Indiana erased Boilermakers 44-18 at points in color and 23-12 in points outside turn. Purdue had one assistance in the second half. . . and 11 turns, five from the guardian of the stars Braden Smith.

Painter recorded the “total lack of concentration” and added that “to say that we have lost peace is an underestimation. . . We just left the snowball. We just worsened it. “As an example, he mentioned defense. The game plan was to focus on closing the Indiana inside and living with what the Hoosiers did outside, and it seemed that it was working well in the first half. Indiana scored 25 points and went 1: 11 from behind the arch.

“They create a couple (outdoors to start the other half) and our boys behaved like reggie Miller hit 10 3,” Painter said. Boilermakers started rushing out too quickly to defend and Indiana scored the colors. No one was immune to painting disappointment after the game, including Smith and Trey Kaufman-Ren. “When we have boys to turn basketball or not make good decisions that carried water for us, it’s hard to take because you saw them doing strange things,” Painter said.

There are loud alarms with the defense of Purdue. The last three rivals shot a stunning 81.6 percent inside the 3-point line in the second half. That’s 40 on 49. Indiana was 13 to 17. Also, Boilermakers forced only six turnover in the second half of the last three games.

In four playing loops, Michigan led 11 points, Wisconsin by nine, Michigan State by seven and Indiana by 12. They lost them all. Previously, in the Purdue season, it fired a 12-point half-time lead at home against the Ohio state and lost. But this one had to hurt especially, because it was Indiana, with all historical ass. On the second bench, Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson sat on a chair that was not used in 40 years, and everyone understood why. It was the same chair that Bob Knight had not been inadvertent in court 40 years ago this Sunday, also in Purdue. Woodson told the story of how tennis coach IU in 1985 – “It was the only one who was thinking out of the box that night” – stood up next morning and set off to the assembly to get a chair and let Knight sign it for the offspring. Woodson got later. “That’s why it was strange tonight,” Woodson said. “I didn’t want to throw a chair, but I wanted to sit in it.”

Purdue won this game in 1985. Not this. What now for the fading of the boilermakers?

“Your best is always good enough,” Painter said. “If you try the best and fail, it’s still good enough.” You have to learn from it, but it’s still good enough. If you don’t put your best leg forward and you won’t concentrate, it’s not good enough.

“You have people who played and played at a high level and were very successful.” And they’re good boys. We don’t have selfishness. This is not a problem with us. We have a responsible problem and a concentration problem where the boys focus on doing their work at both ends. But yet, when they do it, we are quite damn good. ”

They are, but not at the moment. The same for his former title partner, Connecticut. And March will arrive this weekend.