UConn Basketball: 3 reasons why Huskies have been struggling as of late

3) The bench production has taken a step back

In the first 14 games of the season, UConn got the following performances from their bench.

40 points, 19, 26, 10, 33, 20, 20, 40, 11, 27, 43, 15, 23 and 14

14 games. Double-digit bench points in all 14. Only five games with fewer than 20. An average of 24.3 points per game. UConn’s bench was a serious weapon in a year where many of the sport’s top teams are searching for consistent production from their depth.

In the last seven games,

18 points, 15, 4, 25, 11, 12 and 21

Two of the seven games saw 20+ points from the bench. A season-low of four points against Creighton and Clingan is the only bench player to record a double-digit game in that stretch.

The average has dropped almost 10 full points to 15.1 bench points per game. For context, the 24 bench points per game would put UConn just outside the top 50 nationally as of Jan. 23. The 15.1 points would slot them right at 300th just behind Robert Morris.

In the last month, UConn’s margin for error has been exposed. When conference play comes around the competition generally gets stiffer and there’s much less wiggle room night in and night out.

The Huskies are playing tougher teams more consistently without remedying their biggest issues. On top of that, it’s just tougher for Adama Sanogo to carry the load every night. The preseason Big East player of the year has been spectacular this season. To the tune of 17.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. But in conference play his points per game has dropped to 15.9 points and his field goal percentage dropped from 59 percent to just shy of 56 percent. That’s not a commentary on Sanogo, but rather a commentary on the quality of competition in Big East play, especially at the top of the league.

For UConn to look the way it did for the first two months of the season, it’ll need to sharpen the edges and extend its margin for error.