I'm The Biggest Boss That Ya Seen Thus Far

The Miami Hurricanes came into Sunday's game against the Connecticut Huskies with high hopes of taking down the #2-ranked team in the country.  The Canes had their deepest and most talented team in years, they had a superstar capable of taking over games with his silky stroke, and they had a versatile combination of guards and big men that seemed capable of neutralizing almost any opponent that came their way.  What could they possibly have been lacking? 

Well, what they certainly did not have Sunday night was a player like Hasheem Thabeet.

The 7-3 junior from Tanzania had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Huskies in 32 minutes on the floor, leading Connecticut to a 76-63 win over Miami in the second round of the Paradise Jam Tournament.

Thabeet dominated in the paint for the Huskies, swatting seven shots for blocks and grabbing six offensive boards to help control the post on both ends of the floor.  He shot 8 for 11 from the field and helped the Huskies to a 48-30 advantage in points in the paint.  

Though Huskies' forward Jeff Adrien was shut down successfully (6 points, 7 rebounds), the Canes simply had no answer for Thabeet.  Miami looked to Dwayne Collins in the post early and often, but the 6-8 Canes junior, giving up seven inches to his opponent, could not always conquer the giant in the middle.

Collins finished with  14 rebounds (to go along with 16 points) on the night, helping to keep the battle on the boards to a respectable 40-33 Husky advantage.  Much more than the stat sheet might indicate, however, Connecticut truly was overpowering in the paint.

On a night when the Canes needed their shooting stars to shine, Jack McClinton was the lone star in the sky.  Other than Collins, McClinton was the only other Cane in double figures, finishing with a team-high 27 points.  He shot 5 of 8 from behind-the-arc and finished 10 for 23 from the field overall en route to his best output of the young season.

Junior James Dews shot 2 for 8 from the field and 0 for 5 from three point range (!), ending the night with lackluster totals of four points and three rebounds in 20 foul-plagued minutes.  Senior Brian Asbury was also too quiet (two points in 23 minutes), and Lance Hurdle added only two made free throws to the Canes' offensive output.

Another bright spot for the Canes was the performance of freshman DeQuan Jones, who finished with four points but was able to spark the offense with a gorgeous reverse lay-up and a two-handed dunk off a no-look pass from Collins.  Hopefully Jones can get more involved in the offense as the rest of the out-of-conference schedule unfolds, because his slashing talents and ability to get to the basket cannot be denied. 

Simply put, if the Canes were going to lose the game that badly in the paint, they needed to shoot the ball well.  35.3% from the field will never be a good enough percentage to win a game against a team like Connecticut, especially when the Huskies are close to 50% from the field themselves (47.5%).

Senior A.J. Price had 13 points and 11 rebounds in an effective 33 minutes for Connecticut.  Junior Jerome Dyson  added 12 of his own, and freshman Kemba Walker came off the bench to notch 11 points in 31 minutes.  

Luckily for the Canes, the Huskies may be the best team they'll face all season, including North Carolina. This 13-point loss will not look bad at the end of the season come tournament time, and the Hurricanes only benefit from playing powerhouse teams like the Huskies early in the season.  

Dickie V. says UConn is the best team in the land - who is man enough to refute his word?  The Gospel According to Vitale is about as close to the truth as anything.  Even if UConn isn't the best squad on the Hurricane schedule, Thabeet is undoubtedly the best pure center they will face all year.  And just like their team as a whole, guys like Dwayne Collins and Jimmy Graham only benefit from facing such stiff competition. 

While Connecticut did not play their absolute best (14 turnovers), their firepower was just too much for Miami on Sunday.  Combine the Husky arsenal with the fact that Eddie Rios, James Dews, Adrian Thomas, Brian Asbury, Jimmy Graham and Lance Hurdle combined for 8 points (!), and what do you have?  A game that probably was a lot closer than it should have been.

As I said before, Miami is now a better team for having competed against UConn.  They fought valiantly, and even when they went down 19 early in the first half and shot ice cold from the field, they never gave up.  Led by their captain and star Jack McClinton, the Canes showed heart in a fight that wasn't actually over until the last two minutes of the game.  Congratulations to the Canes on their hard-fought performance, and to the Huskies on their trip to the Paradise Jam final.

The Hurricanes play the loser of the Wisconsin/San Diego game tomorrow night at 6:00 PM EST, a game that should be televised on Fox Sports Pacific once again.  Let's hope the Canes pull out the bronze medal tomorrow night and head back to Coral Gables ready for another big few weeks after Thanksgiving.