When people talk about Connecticut, the attention generally focuses on Shabazz Napier — the Huskies’ leading scorer and one of the most dynamic talents in the nation. But another player on UConn coach Kevin Ollie’s roster has stepped up in a big way for his team in the postseason.
Huskies forward DeAndre Daniels has averaged 17 points on 50 percent shooting and 6.8 rebounds per game during No. 7 seed Connecticut’s tournament wins against 10-seed Saint Joseph’s, 2-seed Villanova, 3-seed Iowa State and 4-seed Michigan State in the East Regional.
In those games, he has stretched the floor for UConn, making 8 of 19 three-point attempts.
Daniels broke out in an 81-76 win against Iowa State last Friday in the Sweet 16, scoring 27 points on a 10-of-15 shooting clip and grabbing 10 boards.
“He’s a versatile forward,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He shoots threes. He’s posting up. He’s long, he’s athletic. He can put it on the floor. Kevin does a lot of great stuff with him to put him in situations where he can shoot the ball. He can put it on the floor. He can play out of the post. But he’s a guy, I think, has progressively gotten better during the course of the season.”
Ollie has seen Daniels improve over the past month and has praised the junior’s ability as a hybrid four to make the most out of his opportunities on the floor.
“One word that we always talk to him about is touches — his touches comes from his activity,” Ollie said.
“Offensive rebound, defensive offensive rebound, taking charge, getting a deflection, getting a block. When he has over eight rebounds, he averages 19 points. That just goes right into the touches. When he’s active, when he’s on the floor, when he’s on the court blocking shots, he’s going to get his points because he’s that talented. He’s 6-foot-9, can play inside, can play out.
“The biggest thing for him is to bring that energy. When he does that, he plays at another level.”
Daniels is second on UConn in scoring this year behind Napier, with 13 points per game, but the Los Angeles native has also been a force on the defensive end this postseason.
During the Huskies’ 60-54 win on Sunday in the Elite Eight, Daniels shut down Spartans forward Branden Dawson, who averaged 20 points in his first three NCAA Tournament contests.
In 34 minutes on the court, Dawson scored only five points on 1-of-3 shooting and did not see many offensive opportunities thanks to Daniels’ stingy defense on the block. The Michigan State junior recorded eight boards but only one on the offensive glass — an area in which he normally dominates.
“I just wanted to limit his post-up touches, and it was just a great game plan that we had from our coaching staff,” Daniels said. “I just wanted to keep him off the offensive rebounds, and that was our main focus.”
Florida point guard Scottie Wilbekin remembers how dangerous Daniels was in both teams’ previous matchup on Dec. 2 in Storrs, Conn. In that game, the UConn forward recorded 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and seven boards in 37 minutes of action.
Daniels’ most impactful play against the Gators was a back-tap on a missed jumper by Napier with only seconds left on the clock.
The play gave Napier one more shot at winning the game, and he did just that on a buzzer-beating jumper on the right elbow to take the 65-64 victory.
“A good player,” Wilbekin said of Daniels.
“A nice four-man who can stretch and shoot the three, a guy who can also put it down. He’s a tough matchup because of his versatility.”
Follow Landon Watnick on Twitter @LandonWatnick
Connecticut forward DeAndre Daniels (2) dunks against Michigan State on Sunday in Madison Square Garden in New York.
