UConn Battles, But Falls to Stronger NC State

There were some scary lines turned in by UConn players in Tuesday night's 69-65 loss to NC State at MSG, but let's start with the positive.

Enosch Wolf is becoming a nice revelation, scoring 12 points, grabbing nine rebounds as UConn's only productive big man against the tough Wolfpack. He made another wing jumper, as well as a nifty turnaround after an offensive rebound. More importantly, he mixed it up underneath and did a good job on the glass against tough opponents like C.J. Leslie and bruising Richard Howell.

"He seems like he likes the big stage," said Ollie. "Whenever we're in a big game, he shows up big time. He has confidence and he gets to his spots and he knows his limitations, which is a great strength of his. Some other players don't know their limitations.

Here's what Wolf had to say about his strong game:



It was opposite day for Shabazz Napier, who normally comes alive in the second half. On Tuesday, he scored UConn's first 10 points and had 15 by the break, but finished with 19.

As always, Napier had some interesting things to say afterwards:



Ryan Boatright was tough with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and just one turnover. But there was precious little help from other sources.

DeAndre Daniels had seven points but four turnovers and just one rebound. His back "locked up" at some point, according to Ollie, but no one was making any excuses. Niels Giffey had no points, rebounds or assists before fouling out. Tyler Olander also went scoreless, with just three rebounds in 19 minutes.

"I told Tyler, in trying times, you can't stop trying," Ollie said. "DeAndre's got to play better. He knows that, first and foremost. I believe he has the talent, the ability to create more on the low post, not settle for 3's. He feels the worst. He's a competitor, he wants to play better."

One thing is certain: Ollie likes his team's toughness, despite Tuesday night's loss: