Sports

Stifling perimeter play carries Huskies into title game

ARLINGTON, Texas — The story lines are made for the silver screen, too hard to pass up.

The sermonizing young coach, resuscitating the proud program after his old coach retired. The senior point guard coming back to school for one more season, wanting to go out on top. The underachiever finally living up to his potential at just the right time.

But what has truly elevated UConn from a seven-seed to Monday’s national championship game against Kentucky isn’t flash. It isn’t a heart-felt, feel-good story.

It’s defense — the ugly, boring part of the sport.

“We live and die on defense,” second-year UConn coach Kevin Ollie said.

Neither the third-round upset of second-seeded Villanova, the victory over No. 3 Iowa State, the commanding win over No. 4-seeded Michigan State or the dominant performance against overall top-seed Florida was a Picasso — unless, of course, the viewer had Husky-tinted glasses.

The 2004 champion team, former coach Jim Calhoun said, was one of his best defensive teams, a team of skyscrapers who made opposing guards shy away from the paint. The Huskies funneled everything into the middle, asking the opposition to challenge future NBA big men Emeka Okafor, Josh Boone and Charlie Villanueva.

While the current team has shot-blockers of its own such as DeAndre Daniels, Phil Nolan and reserve Amida Brimah, its strength is not allowing penetration, led by dogged and speedy guards Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright, turning turnovers into points in a flash.

“We play tenacious defense. We play relentless defense,” Ollie said. “It’s not always perfect, but we’re going to play 40 [minutes] full.”

“Perimeter defense on this team right now is as good as I’ve seen at UConn — ever — and we’ve had some pretty good perimeter-defensive teams,” Calhoun said, pointing to Boatright shutting down Florida star Scottie Wilbekin on Saturday in the national semifinals as the latest such example, holding the senior to four points.

Ollie has said on numerous occasions this weekend UConn got to the Final Four because of that defense. The home crowd at the East Regional at the Garden was nice, but the Huskies only shot 34 percent, yet defeated high-powered offensive teams Iowa State and Michigan State because they made those squads look pedestrian, completely closing off the paint.

Florida averaged 71 points on the season and ended up with 53 Saturday. Michigan State scored 76 a night and UConn allowed them 54. Iowa State averaged 82 and got 76, Villanova 78 and managed just 65.

“We play tenacious defense. We play relentless defense,” Ollie said. “It’s not always perfect, but we’re going to play 40 [minutes] full.”

Kentucky and its dynamic freshmen will test that defense. Boatright has paid close attention to the Wildcats and their impressive youthful twin guards Andrew and Aaron Harrison. Aaron has hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds of each of the last three games. Boatright has noticed a pattern.

“If you watch his last two games, he hit the same shot at the same time from the same spot,” the junior guard said. “If you’re up two, you have to run him off the 3-point line. … He didn’t even have to dribble the ball. [Wisconsin’s Josh Gasser] gave him his space, he squared him up, he hit the shot with rhythm.

“I wouldn’t let him get that 3 off. You just got to get up in him.”

UConn’s been getting up in everyone lately.