UConn Keeps It Uncomfortably Tight, but They Keep Winning

UConn is the hottest team in the Big East with 9 straight wins. The surprising thing is that most of them are so close. In 7 of the past 8 they were decided by 7 points or less. Make that 8 of the past 9 as UConn extends their winning streak to 10 games with a shaky 65-60 win over DePaul.

DePaul is sub-.500 in the Big East and overall, and shot a dismal 36% but came very close to shocking the Huskies in Hartford. DePaul led for most of the second half, with a 53-40 point lead with 11 minutes left. At that point, though, UConn clamped down on defense and began working the ball inside. The Blue Demons went a stunningly bad 3-16 the rest of the game as UConn outscored them 25-7 for the win. The Huskies shot a blistering 8-11 from the field and was a perfect 8-8 at the free throw line in that stretch.

Craig Austrie has been huge for UConn since Jerome Dyson was suspended and again stepped up. He scored 11 of his 14 points in that final 11 minutes. He was 4-5 and dropped both of his free throws in that stretch. Austrie was also the guy who hit the game winning shot for UConn against South Florida a few days ago.

The best thing you can say is that UConn keeps coming up with wins late in the games and find ways. The flip side is that they have struggled in their past two games against two teams in the lower half of the Big East.