Connecticut's Amida Brimah Must Become Offensive Option Against Duke

Connecticut Huskies center Amida Brimah dropped 40 points and 12 rebounds on MEAC opponent Coppin State on Sunday. The 7'0" native of Ghana went a perfect 13-of-13 from the field and shot an impressive 14-of-16 from the charity stripe.

This performance was a departure from what UConn fans have seen from the sophomore in his young career, but it was especially encouraging due to the fact that the defending NCAA champion Huskies will be taking on the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils on Thursday. To compete in that game, 4-3 Connecticut will need Brimah to establish himself as an offensive option against 9-0 Duke.

Brimah's play this season has not been consistent, especially on the offensive end. In fact, in the five games leading up to his outpouring against Coppin State, he scored a total of 34 points. In his first six games of the season, he combined for just 13 free-throw attempts.

That all changed against Coppin State, as Brimah was a presence in the paint and was extremely aggressive, as indicated by his free-throw numbers.

Brimah has been particularly effective while working off penetration by his teammates, as he often is able to exploit the weak side and cut to the basket behind unknowing defenders. That has resulted in many high-percentage shots for the tall Ghanaian, who has converted 69.8 percentage of his field-goal attempts this season.

He has also shown an impressive touch from the free-throw line for a big man, shooting 75.9 percent from the charity stripe.

Taking a game-by-game look at Brimah’s statistical outputs this year, it’s important to note that he’s struggled against upper-echelon opponents and has excelled against weaker ones.

For instance, he scored 12 points in the season opener against Bryant, 14 points against Charleston and 14 points against Yale before his explosion last time out against Coppin State. Against Dayton and West Virginia, he put up just six points in each contest. His worst game of the season came against a top-10 Texas squad, scoring just four points on just 1-of-7 shooting.

Despite Brimah's incredible length, which gives him an advantage on both ends of the floor, his lanky physique has given him a lot of trouble when he matches up against stronger, beefier opponents. These opponents have been able to control his ability to back down into the paint and have forced him to attempt mid-range jump shots instead of simply slamming the rock down low.

Duke center Jahlil Okafor will likely be Brimah's toughest matchup of the season, as two of the nation’s top college basketball programs will square off on a neutral court at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Thursday.

Okafor, universally considered the best NBA prospect in college hoops, possesses polished moves and techniques on both ends of the court. At 270 pounds, he also has a bulk advantage that should give Brimah trouble on both ends of the interior.

However, if Brimah is able to establish an early presence on the offensive end, he will give the Huskies a fighting chance in what should be an uphill battle. He can do this in two ways.

First, the Huskies need pound the ball to him on the interior, where he can attack the rim and attempt to get Okafor in early foul trouble. This would cause Duke to go to its bench and limit Okafor from making a difference early in the game. While the Blue Devils have amazing depth, Okafor is their most talented player, and he would be on the bench rather than making plays on the court.

Second, the Huskies need find a way to attack the rim and find Brimah around the rim. This would allow them to convert easy opportunities and improve on their season field-goal percentage of 45 percent, which ranks 108th overall in the NCAA. With a roster that has struggled mightily to shoot the ball from the outside—29.5 percent—this will be especially crucial.

Okafor is coming off an impressive performance of his own, as he poured in 25 points and 20 rebounds in a win over Elon.

With both centers posting career games in their last contests, this game becomes even more intriguing. But for it to be somewhat competitive, Brimah needs to show up on the offensive end.

Dan Karpuc is the editor of TradesportsInsider.com.