UConn Basketball: Huskies are limping into AAC play

UConn basketball is entering conference play with an under .500 record.

The UConn Huskies entered the 2016-17 season ranked No. 18 in the country and had high expectations of winning the AAC. But after a disappointing ending to the non-conference portion of the schedule, a 70-67 overtime loss to Auburn, it’s a given that UConn is on the verge of having one of their worst seasons in school history.

The Huskies will be going into AAC play with an overall record of 5-6.

Injuries to key players such as Alterique Gilbert and Terry Larrier, and their inability to shoot from the outside, have greatly impacted this team throughout non-conference play.

In many of their single digit losses, UConn had opportunities to pull out the victory but failed to do so because of poor execution down the stretch.

For example in the loss to Ohio State, UConn had two turnovers in the last two minutes that shifted the game to the Buckeyes favor. Friday afternoon against Auburn, UConn played very hard to send the game into OT. However, late in the extra period they allowed Auburn to go on a key 5-0 run to win the game.

UConn suffered another injury in Friday’s loss as sophomore guard Jalen Adams was diagnosed with a concussion.

Three things UConn can do in order to right the ship is to take care of the ball, have better late game execution and utilize their bigs more. Shooting is one thing they can’t do for sure, but improving their defense and eliminating mistakes can be a huge boost.

However, the Huskies are in the midst of a disaster if they don’t turn things around quickly. First up is the Houston Cougars on Tuesday.