In every exciting game, there still has to be a winner and a loser. Even in an exhilarating top 20 matchup between the No. 18 UConn men’s basketball team and No. 8 Gonzaga, one of the teams had to lose. The Huskies didn’t have much shooting and they didn’t dominate the boards, but behind a home Storrs South crowd at Madison Square Garden, they pulled out a 77-71 victory.
“The fans always show out when we play at MSG,” noted junior Alex Karaban. “This isn’t the first time UConn nation really helped us get energy. The Big East tournament, these types of games, they’re always there for us.”
As for the actual basketball, everyone agrees that it was a barn burner.
“It was a heck of a basketball game,” noted Gonzaga coach Mark Few. “It was highly-competitive, hard fought and it was probably the most physical game you can play this year, so I’m proud of how we got out there.”
On the winning side of things, Dan Hurley was pleased with his team.
“I’m obviously thrilled with the win,” he said. “They really gutted it out. It’s the third straight game against a really good team and this is as good of a team as we’ll play this year.
The Bulldogs finished with a 38% mark from beyond the arc, but was shooting a scorching 55% at one point in the second half. Defense on the perimeter is likely something that has likely haunted Hurley’s nightmares, so it’s a positive that the Huskies were able to finish out the game with such a nice recovery in that department.
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Unfortunately for Connecticut, their shooting from deep was not great, hitting on 21% of their looks. There were a ton of missed open shots, which makes this all the more encouraging. If they can shoot the ball better and prevent their opponents from shooting the cover off the ball, suddenly close wins like these become 20-point blowouts.
Despite the shooting, overall defense was also better on Saturday, with the Huskies staying more disciplined. Gonzaga, the second best offense in the country, scored just a point per possession, much less efficient than they normally are. For a UConn defense that lost them games, playing like this is a win on its own.
The Huskies got off to a booming start, leading 13-2 before the game was four minutes old. Liam McNeeley scored 7 of those points, really amped by the energy in the building.
McNeeley looked spectacular in his MSG debut, absolutely torching the Bulldogs to the tune of 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists on just 13 shots. His play throughout the game was off the charts, as was his efficiency. The freshman looked like a senior, keeping the team in the game in important spots.
“Incredible performance for [McNeeley]”, noted Hurley. “To play this type of game against this type of team and be tough and productive.”
His praise didn’t end there. He went on to compare the freshman–who has just 11 games under his belt–to one of the best players on last year’s team.
“Liam McNeeley was born to replace Cam Spencer,” Hurley mentioned.
That type of praise doesn’t come lightly.
As good as their start was, Connecticut inevitably cooled off, opening the door for Gonzaga. Khalif Battle took advantage of the offensive slowdown, getting a layup and consecutive threes to fall. The Bulldogs’ run wasn’t instant, but they came back in a calm and controlled manner.
One thing that took the Huskies out of their game was an injury to Samson Johnson. The center hit his head after playing 6 minutes and did not return to the game, which was especially unfortunate given his great start. He flushed home a few early, bringing great energy. The severity of the injury is unclear, but he’s in concussion protocol.
Before long, UConn relinquished their lead. However, that didn’t last, with the Huskies pouring in 8 straight to get back into the driver's seat.
The squads battled throughout the remainder of the half, with a constant stream of traded baskets. An Karaban free throw helped the Huskies head into the break with an advantage, ahead 43-40.
Karaban was not his best, managing just 8 points and missing on all 7 of his looks from three. His impact went beyond his shooting, a testament to the player and person he is. He kept the team engaged and converted on the most important shot of the night, a dagger layup that could have been called a travel. He might not shoot near 50% every night, but he’s the leader of the locker room, which didn’t fade with his stroke.
“Alex made the big shot and kept the group together,” Hurley said of his junior captain.
It helped the cause that Graham Ike had a rough first half, managing just a point. His second half didn’t start off much better, as he was called for a travel on the first possession. That, along with a lack of offense for the Zags early in the half, allowed Connecticut to balloon their cushion. The signature play of the run was a Diarra and-one, which came off of his offensive rebound.
The point guard playing back in his home city brought some great energy on the night, supplying 5 points and 7 assists. Diarra can be a bit loose sometimes, but he’s a player who makes things happen. The best example was his shot clock-beating heave that somehow made its way into the hoop. Moments like those are why it’s so important to keep him on the floor, even withstanding the frustrating ones.
At any point over the next few minutes, the Huskies could have pulled away. They were playing well and getting open shots, but they couldn’t hit a three to save their lives. A 10-second violation for Aidan Mahaney turned into a pair of triples for the Bulldogs and suddenly it was tied.
Enter Jaylin Stewart. The sophomore nailed a three and willed in a tough layup, an important jolt for UConn. Tarris Reed Jr.’s dunk and a transition 3 for McNeeley opened up a 10-0 run, exactly what the doctor ordered.
Reed Jr. stepped in nicely in Johnson’s stead, adding 12 points, 6 boards and 3 blocks. It wasn’t perfect, but he did what he needed to do, also helping limit Ike to 3 points on the game. Also notable was benchwarmer center Youssouf Singare’s performance, contributing nicely on defense in his 7 minutes, along with some nice offensive rebounding.
What the doctor didn’t order was the 6 straight points that the Bulldogs answered with. There was a fair bit of back and forth as time waned, but Karaban converted a huge late-clock layup to extend the lead to 5.
Between missed shots, fouls and more, the Huskies didn’t have a convincing end, but they still escaped with a 6-point win.
Games like this feel like a preview into March, where it’s anyone’s game. The intensity was high, the crowd was fantastic and UConn looked much more like themselves. This was a great way for UConn to finish out nonconference play, securing a trio of big wins.
As Maui gets further behind, it’s seeming more and more likely that it was a blip. The warts that everyone saw on the team then are fading and the alarm bells are officially off.
Next up for the Huskies is the Big East, a 20 game blender. The conference didn’t do terrific in non-league play, which isn’t ideal nor disastrous. It starts in Hartford on Wednesday against Xavier.
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