UConn Basketball: 5 Keys to the Huskies' 2 Losses

Talent is not UConn's problem.

Depth is not an issue for the Huskies.

But Connecticut (12-2) proved again that, on any given night, they can be beaten.

This time, it was by Seton Hall (13-2), who won a game in this series for the first time since 2001.

It is not a surprise that UConn would possibly lose a few games this year. What is unexpected is that they have lost to Central Florida and, last night, to the Pirates.

While these may not create a blue-print for taking down the defending champs, they do shed some light on what happens when they don't come out on top. 

Here are five keys to these two losses.

Low Team Scoring

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In UConn's two losses, the Huskies scored the exact same number of points: 63.

On the year, Connecticut is averaging 73.8 points per game.

In their 12 victories this season, the Huskies have only scored less than 70 points twice.

Even though UConn is not a high scoring team, it would appear that one of the keys for frustrating UConn is to slow down the pace of the game.

Mediocre Defense of the Arc

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On the year, the Huskies are holding their opponents to 38 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

In the two games that they have lost, UConn has allowed UCF to shoot 7-for-17 (41.7 percent) and 10-for-20 (50 percent) for Seton Hall.

A proven recipe to use for teams to stay close or build leads is let them get hot from three-point range.

Both the Knights and the Pirates did just that.

Weak Production in the Paint

I'm not sure how most teams even handle the 2011-12 Huskies' frontline.

Alex Oriakhi (6'9" 240 lbs) and Andre Drummond (6'11" 275 lbs) are as impressive and imposing as any post players in the country.

By their mere combined presence, both can change what opponents do.

In UConn's two losses, they have been the Disappointing (not Dynamic) Duo: Oriakhi has scored 16 points and 12 rebounds; Drummond has scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

These two should each be double-double players.

They are physical freaks that have not yet learned what it is to consistently produce every game.

Shabazz Napier Out of Sync

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Overall, Shabazz Napier has played well this year.

He is the Huskies assists leader (6.4 apg) and No. 2 scorer (14.1 ppg).

The sophomore PG has struggled in both of UConn's losses.

Against UCF, Napier scored four points, handed out five assists and committed seven turnovers.

Against Seton Hall, Napier had six points, four assists and five turnovers.

In these two defeats, he shot a combined 4-for-19 from the field, including 1-of-10 from beyond the arc.

In some ways, when things aren't going well for Shabazz, things aren't going well for the Huskies.

Let Your Opponents' Stars Beat You

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In both of their loses, the Huskies allowed their opponents' big guns to have big games.

Most teams feed off of their top players doing well.

Marcus Jordan put up 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists for Seton Hall; Keith Clanton dropped in another 20 and grabbed six rebounds for Central Florida.

Jordan Theodore (pictured) went for 19 points and 11 assists and Herb Pope scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Pirates.

UConn has the players who can lock down or shut down just about anyone. In these two games, they didn't get the job done defensively.