UConn Basketball: 2018-19 keys for the Huskies vs. Wichita State

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies is ejected from the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the championship game of the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

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2. Avoid giving Wichita State free points at the free throw line

Another key for Danny Hurley’s squad, if they want to protect their home floor, will be whether or not they can stay out of foul trouble on the defensive end. This is a key because with the Shockers struggles offensively, scoring just 68.7 points per game and 66 in league play, you don’t want to be giving a team that makes free throws at a 68% clip any chance to get points from the charity stripe. Gregg Marshall’s Shockers are not very aggressive offensively, having only attempted 317 free throws on the season and made 216, those numbers are the 283rd and 291st best respectively in the country.

While that may sound like an easy thing to do, it hasn’t been so far this season for Connecticut. In their 19 games, this season the Huskies have committed over 21 fouls per game which is the 340th highest number in the sport and their 410 fouls places them 332nd out of the 351 teams that are ranked in that category. In league play, they have committed an average of 22.6 fouls per game including 56 over their first two AAC games. While not fouling sounds easy, the Huskies must curb that propensity and not give Wichita State a chance at free points from the line.