Dan Hurley’s teams always bring defensive pressure. As an intense coach, his players mirror that personality on the court, manifesting in strong play on the defensive end.
“You can’t stray away from our defensive identity. That’s who we are as a team, that’s who we are as a group,” RJ Cole said postgame. “Continuing to harp on that every day, we have to continue to do that.”
Headed into the game, UConn was 37th in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, surrendering 95.2 points per 100 possessions. This includes a 45.6% effective field goal percentage, good for No.