New Hampshire @ Connecticut preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 24, 2018 ) New Hampshire 66, Connecticut 91

The story for Connecticut in the last two games has been its inability to take care of the ball, turning it over an astounding 48 times. The Huskies will look to pull things together in their penultimate game before American Athletic Conference play begins when they host New Hampshire on Sunday.

“We have a lot of work to do with our ball security right now. The last two games have been really a poor reflection on my ability to get my team to be strong with the ball and make good decisions,” UConn coach Dan Hurley told the Hartford Courant. Much of the struggles have come from the veteran backcourt duo of Christian Vital and Alterique Gilbert as Vital has coughed it up 10 times while Gilbert, the team’s best facilitator that previously boasted a 2.5 turnover-assist ratio, turned it over eight times. Vital’s scoring production has been nearly cut in half the last six games compared to the first four, though he is valuable on the boards and is the second-best free-throw shooter in the AAC. The Wildcats boast the best scoring offense in the America East and have proven fearsome on the boards, ranking second nationally entering Saturday in rebounds per game (44.6) and eighth in rebound margin (plus-10).

TV: 1 p.m. ET, SNY

ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE (6-5): The Wildcats pose a trio of players averaging double figures that have notched at least five double-doubles, headlined by sophomore forward Nick Guadarrama (15.5 points), who is second in the America East with a 54.2 shooting percentage and averages 9.5 rebounds. Forward Jayden Martinez averages 12.5 points but is coming off his worst performance of the season where he scored six points to go with two rebounds in 13 minutes of a 64-56 victory at Marist on Wednesday. Sean Sutherlin (14 points per game) recorded five double-doubles and had at least 11 points in his first eight games before scoring five Wednesday.

ABOUT UCONN (7-3): Tyler Polley (10.8 points) has been consistent in his last four games, scoring 12 points three times and 14 once while going 12-for-23 from 3-point range. Freshman center Akok Akok has been feared in the paint of late, bringing in five or more rebounds in each of the last five games while blocking five shots in each of the past two, contributing to his 32 total blocks - tied for 13th most in the country. James Bouknight scored eight points in Wednesday's 66-56 victory after totaling two in his previous two games but has taken only 10 shots in his last three contests.

TIP-INS

1. Vital is second in the AAC with 2.8 steals per game.

2. The Huskies are last among AAC teams by allowing 37.2 rebounds per game.

3. The Wildcats are 2-5 on the road.

PREDICTION: UConn 77, New Hampshire 69