UConn Hoops: Excellent guard play powers Huskies past Xavier
Number one. It's perhaps the most elusive pair of words in all of sports. To be at the top of the competition is everything. As successful as the No. 4 UConn men’s basketball team has been this century, they haven’t been atop of the AP Poll in the regular season since 2009. In the years in between their last top ranking, they’ve won three championships. Now they have a chance to get back to the top.
In the 30 hours leading into their contest against Xavier (7-7 and 42 in NET), the teams ranked No. 1, 2, 3 and 5 picked up losses to unranked foes. With wins over Xavier Wednesday and Georgetown Sunday, the Huskies would be a shoe-in to return to the gloryland.
They did just that. Surviving run after run, Connecticut came into the Cintas Center and put together a convincing team victory, 80-75. Their lack of big man depth with Donovan Clingan injured was apparent with the Huskies outrebounded 20-8 on the offensive end. But they overcame it in other ways. One such method was their elite ball movement, assisting on 27 of their 31 buckets.
The man who spearheaded the passing effort was Tristen Newton, putting together an exceptional evening. The graduate student flirted with his fourth career triple double, notching 16 points, 11 dimes and six rebounds. He provided great hustle and toughness, even sustaining a minor leg injury and hardly missing a beat. His 16 shots were a less pretty side of his day, but his production helped muscle the team ahead.
Newton’s understudy and emerging partner-in-crime, Steph Castle, piled on another career-best outing. The freshman looked as poised as an upperclassman, scoring 12 points and assisting on eight buckets. His 6/9 shooting was a massive plus for the Huskies, especially since a pair of misses were end of clock grenades that forced him to take a bad three. The NBA draft hype he garnered before he ever donned UConn’s blue and white is starting to show, putting together excellent performances before his game count has even hit a dozen.
It was also encouraging to see him and Newton coexist well together. The pair had often switched off recording impressive games, but doing so on the same night is a great omen for the team.
Alex Karaban led the Huskies as they launched a barrage of threes to start the contest, hitting six of their first eight. Karaban nailed three such shots in the first eight minutes of action, accounting for nine of the 14 he finished with. This helped UConn open up a seven point advantage early, threatening to blow the Musketeers out of their own gym.
Cam Spencer was also a beneficiary of the early hot shooting, tacking two threes on. He played a well-rounded 34 minutes of basketball, with 19 points and four assists. Production of his has become a near sure thing, as the team can always count on him to do something.
Ensuing choppy play halted those blowout hopes for Connecticut, playing to Xavier’s strengths. It seemed like the game couldn’t go one play without a whistle, really slowing things down. This, and eight straight by the Musketeer offense, placed the scoreboard at a deadlock as time winded down in the first half. Castle’s first pair of buckets and a Samson Johnson layup helped the Huskies head into the locker room up by four, with much left to be desired.
A few quick threes by Xavier helped them make up their lost ground and more, picking up their first lead of the night. Thankfully for UConn, they had Tristen Newton and Xavier didn’t. The guard hit back-to-back triples, evidently taking back the advantage for the final time, as Karaban was forced to exit with a gash on his head. Adding to that 10-0 run was Hassan Diarra, who got a three to fall along with a free throw.
Diarra played just as the team needed him to in Cincinnati, scoring all 11 of his points in the final 13 minutes. He was clutch, composed and provided the senior leadership that wins teams games. The stat that really stands out is his 4-4 shooting from the field. He played sensational role minutes in his time on the floor and will continue to be a key piece for the team moving forward.
Even as Xavier began to claw back, the Huskies remained unfazed. The lead dwindled down to three, but the contest never felt in doubt. UConn’s guards broke the press time and again, sealing their victory.
Winning on the road is seeming more doable for Dan Hurley and co., now doing so in two straight games. This Connecticut team has heart and are now tied atop the Big East at 4-1.
Their next chance comes in Hartford on Sunday against Georgetown, the second worst team in the conference.
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