UConn Basketball: 3 takeaways from miserable 0-3 Maui Invitational performance

UConn Basketball entered the Maui Invitational as the No. 2 team in the country and the favorite to win the event. Instead, they went winless, likely torpedoing out of the top-25 rankings by Monday afternoon. It started with an overtime defeat to Memphis, followed by shocking upset defeats to Colorado and Dayton.

There’s plenty to not like about the Huskies, including head coach Dan Hurley’s antics on the sidelines at times. However, focusing on the on-the-court action, here are three specific takeaways from the team’s results in Maui.

1. Aidan Mahaney disappears from the rotation

One of the top transfer pickups of the offseason was Mahaney, a two-time All-WCC player at Saint Mary’s. He started the first five games, including against Memphis. But after six points in 27 minutes and struggling on the defensive end, Mahaney ended up benched, playing a combined 15 minutes against Colorado and Dayton.

With Ahmad Nowell healthy and Solomon Ball the clear lead guard, we’ll see whether Mahaney gets back into the rotation for the Huskies at some point. If not, he’ll end up as the rare miss from the portal for Coach Hurley.

2. Interior defense is a major issue

Donovan Clingan was one of the best players in CBB last season, especially on the defensive end. The Huskies are missing him more than ever, as the duo of Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr. had more downs and ups in the past few days, particularly on defense. Here’s a look at how the opposing centers did against them.

Dain Dainja (Memphis): 14 points on 7/10 FG
Elijah Malone (Colorado): 16 points on 6/10 FG
Zed Key (Dayton): 15 points on 9/10 FT

UConn’s schedule features bigs such as Graham Ike (Gonzaga) and Norchad Omier (Baylor), and a Big East slate that features the likes of Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton), Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s), and Eric Dixon (Villanova). Regardless of who gets more minutes between them, they must fix this issue.

3. Liam McNeeley’s up-and-down trip

In a season with plenty of quality freshmen, McNeeley has been one of them, scoring in double figures in the first six games. He had 20 points against Colorado, which was his most impressive performance of the season. However, he followed it up with a scoreless outing against Dayton, going 0/9 from the field.

If Mahaney isn’t a featured piece of the offense going forward, UConn Basketball needs McNeeley to be a consistent third option behind Alex Karaban and Solomon Ball. He’s shown he can do it and, for the team’s sake, will need to avoid having more games like against Dayton, or else the outcome will end up being the same.