How UConn men's basketball forward Andre Jackson is still contributing while struggling offensively

PORTLAND, Ore. — There isn't much to complain about the UConn men's basketball team so far this season. The Huskies are 7-0, winning every game by at least 15 points. They've destroyed cupcakes and Power Five ranked teams alike. They're on the front page of almost every major NCAA statistical category, they're almost certain to move up from their No. 20 ranking come Monday afternoon. And, of course, UConn has a chance to win the competitive Phil Knight Invitational on Sunday when it faces Iowa State in the championship game at Moda Center (10 p.m., ESPN). Of course, nothing's ever perfect, and there are a few areas of concern for the Huskies. Andre Jackson Jr., the ultra-athletic, versatile junior forward, hasn't been able to get on track offensively since returning to action a little over a week ago. Through four games coming off the bench, Jackson is averaging just 2.3 points and shooting 26.7 percent from the floor. He's hit just 1 of 8 3-pointers. Not that Jackson hasn't been effective. In his return on Nov. 18 against UNC-Wilmington, after missing nearly six weeks of practice with a broken pinkie finger, Jackson scored one basket but completely changed the tenor of the game. Furious on-the-ball defense, poking passes away, and just providing the boundless energy that's been his calling card. In just 19 minutes of action, his plus/minus was an incredible plus-33. In Friday's PKI semifinal win over Alabama, Jackson scored just four points and missed all four 3-pointers he attempted, a couple of them ill-advised. But he helped handcuff Brandon Miller, 'Bama's 6-9 potential NBA lottery pick, to a relatively ineffective 5-for-15 shooting in the Huskies' 82-67 win. "The job he did on Miller (Friday) night offset any 3's that might have been not at the right time," coach Dan Hurley noted. "Also, two of Alex (Karaban's) 3's came off of his ability in transition to find him. Those were two momentum 3's. Obviously, to be able to really shut that kid down in the halfcourt, 5-on-5, was a big reason why we won the game. His offense will get better as we go." Jackson hasn't returned to the Huskies' starting lineup yet, and it would seem doubtful he'd do so on Sunday night. Why mess with a good thing right now? Nahiem Alleyne, a 6-foot-4 senior transfer from Virginia Tech, has essentially occupied Jackson's spot in the starting lineup. But ultimately, Hurley foresees Jackson returning to the starting five. "It's more about timing, getting his cardio up, getting him some practice time so that we can put some different things in for him offensively," the coach noted. "We weren't able to put a whole lot into our offensive game plan to feature Andre, because he literally had been out and missed every single practice until the last day before Wilmington. So, we just haven't had time to really structure things offensively, where he can be successful." Iowa State (5-0) is coming off a 70-65 upset of No. 1-ranked North Carolina on Friday night. The Cyclones play a unique offense with lots of cutters and are a tough team to have just one day to prepare for — on both ends of the floor. "I think you see it in the tournament, you saw it with Carolina. It's a unique style of defense," Hurley said. "The amount of charges that they attempt to take, it's rare that you see anything like it. Where they try to send the basketball ... but more so, their physicality. It's such a different style than our first two games out here, in terms of the way they play. Much more physical. A really tough team." Iowa State was 2-22 two seasons ago and 0-18 in the Big 12. T.J. Otzelberger took the reins last season and got the Cyclones to the Sweet 16 in a truly remarkable turnaround. "They play in one of the best conferences in the country, they had a great season last year, (going) to the Sweet 16," Hurley noted. "It's in their bones, in their culture that they're expected to win. They defend, they rebound. That's a formula for winning." A formula the UConn coaching staff had just one day to try to crack. RIM RATTLINGS • The UConn women's basketball team, out here playing in their own tournament, has showed up to the men's team's two games so far. The men weren't able to get to the UConn women's win over Duke on Friday, and won't be at Sunday's championship game against Iowa at Moda Center, either. Although the women's game begins at 1 p.m. and the men don't play until 10, it's just not feasible given UConn's gameday shootaround and the coaching staff's pregame strategy sessions. "When someone plays after you, that's your window to get there," Hurley noted. "Pregame, us coaches are pretty undercover." david.borges@hearstmediact.com @DaveBorges

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