UConn Men’s Basketball Film Review: The Kentan Facey Breakout Game?

Senior forward Kentan Facey scored just nine points in the Huskies’ first four games of the season. In their last four games, he scored 41 points, including a career-high 20 in an 80-59 win over North Florida on Sunday.

Facey’s recent improvements stem from three things: his motivation to score, positioning in the paint, and UConn’s increased focus on getting the ball inside.

As soon as Facey catches the ball, he puts his head down and looks towards the basket to score. He’s been shooting the short, turnaround jumper very effectively recently.

This time, Facey gets the ball on the wing after setting a screen. Rather than passing the ball back out to a guard, he sees an opportunity to score and makes a strong move down the lane for a layup.

Facey has been making a living in the middle of the floor. North Florida’s Romelo Banks looks like he forgot to read the scouting report after leaving Facey uncontested. Jalen Adams’ slight shift to the right after making the entry pass gives Facey additional space to operate.

Facey has looked confident shooting the ball in the past few games and makes a good decision to take this jumper.

UConn had a 40-10 advantage in points in the paint against North Florida. The Huskies did a much better job getting the ball inside and making it a focal point of their offense. In this play, Adams delivers a strong entry pass and Facey does a nice job finishing.

This is the perimeter-oriented offense that we are used to seeing from the Huskies. You can see UConn’s lack of emphasis on getting the ball inside during this play against Northeastern early in the season. UConn makes six passes around the perimeter before Purvis decides to penetrate.

The Huskies have won three of their last four games. Even with the loss to Ohio State, the way the Huskies are playing now is a major contrast from the start of the season. If the Huskies can get consistent scoring from their frontcourt, it will balance out the offense and open up better shots around the perimeter. A win against Auburn this Friday could give the team the confidence it needs to make a run in conference play.