The UConn Huskies are set to take on the Texas Longhorns on Tuesday night in one last non-conference resume building opportunity for both programs. UConn comes into this game at 8-3 and are unranked while Texas is also 8-3 and unranked.
This will be UConn's first true road game of the season as they have played all of their games either at home or on neutral courts. UConn so far doesn't have any marquee wins this season but they also don't have any bad losses. The Huskies are currently riding a three game winning streak which includes a win over Ohio State that now looks better after they beat Kentucky.
Rodney Purvis leads UConn in scoring with his 15.2 points per game but it is sophomore Daniel Hamilton that does everything for the Huskies. Hamilton is averaging 13.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game and is coming off a triple-double against Central Connecticut State. Hamilton is the reigning player of the week in the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
Another player to watch for the Huskies is senior forward Shonn Miller as he has really come on lately. Miller is averaging 13.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in his first season with UConn and is coming off his best game of the season where he scored 25 points on 10-12 shooting. Overall Miller has scored in double figures in nine out of 11 games this season.
Unlike UConn, Texas does have a marquee win this season over North Carolina but also unlike UConn they have a couple of somewhat bad losses to Michigan and Washington. Texas seems to have figured it out recently as they have won six in a row and have a chance to make it seven in impressive fashion against a good team.
The Longhorns are led by junior guard Isaiah Taylor as he leads the team with his 14.7 points per game, which is a career high, and he also leads the team with his 5.1 assists per game, also a career high. Taylor is coming off an impressive 26 point, six assist effort against Stanford in a very close win and will look to continue his hot streak on Tuesday night.
Another player to watch for the Longhorns is freshman guard Kerwin Roach Jr. who has gotten increased playing time of late and has delivered. Roach had his best game of the season in Texas' last outing against Stanford as he scored 14 points on 6-7 shooting and has given Texas really good depth in the backcourt.
Both of these teams are extremely talented but this game might be just as much about who's missing than it is about who is playing. UConn center Amida Brimah will not play in this game and he is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a broken finger while Texas center Cameron Ridley will also not play in this game as he fractured his foot and is out indefinitely. This game likely would have been about that matchup if they were healthy but now the focus will be more on the backcourts.
This is the first time these two teams will meet in a game in Austin since 2011. Overall UConn has won five of the eight meetings all-time dating back to 1991 and they will look to add to that with their first road win of the season.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 9 P.M. Eastern time and to watch the live broadcast go here. For the UConn radio broadcast go here and for the Texas radio broadcast go here.
