When a ranked opponent comes to campus, there’s always going to be a palpable excitement. With No. 20 Marquette making the trek to Storrs, CT on Wednesday, you could feel the buzz around campus all day.
Fans were ready for the scheduled 8:30 start, but a roof leak prevented the contest from commencing and even threatened to cancel it. The ball was tipped a half hour later and by the time it happened, Gampel Pavilion was ready to explode.
The crowd remained a factor for the whole game, especially during a thunderous Jaylin Stewart putback slam that nearly exploded the arena. And it further erupted when Alex Karaban hit the dagger three to make it a 4-point game. The atmosphere ultimately pushed the Huskies to a 72-66 triumph, a critical one for their momentum.
Karaban had the game-sealer, which capped off what was arguably his best performance of the season. He finished with 21 points and seven boards on 3/6 shooting from beyond the arc, really seeming more comfortable with his stroke. And that shot was a signature one, up near the best hit in Gampel.
“I was super excited,” Karaban noted of the shot. “I embraced every moment, whether it was in the locker room or right after I made the three. I was going through a lot that month when I wasn’t shooting it well and I wasn't playing at the level I needed to. To have a moment like that is special and really rewarding. I’m proud of myself for that shot, but I’m more happy about the win.”
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UConn coach Dan Hurley was equally excited for his star’s moment.
“That was awesome for that kid,” Hurley added on Karaban. “All time one of the best players, one of the most decorated players to ever play in this program and the most decorated active player in college basketball. So just great to see him hit that huge shot.”
This matchup left a fair bit to be desired from the defensive end but boy was it exciting on the offensive end. There seemed to be endless times where either side got free on the interior for an easy layup or slam.
“We’re trending [upwards on the rebounding end],” Hurley said. “The defense has not been where we wanted it to be, but we had to kick their butt on the glass and take care of the ball.”
Samson Johnson was a major beneficiary of the lack of interior defense, recording his first career double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds). He was terrific on the offensive end with 7 offensive boards and a few slams that rocked the building. The senior did contribute to Marquette’s proficiency near the rim, but did more positive than negative on the night. It was especially nice given how rough things have been for Johnson lately.
“He was terrific,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said of Johnson. “The way he offensively rebounded. They have a really good two-headed monster at the five spot…When they’re both contributing, they’re a real load for us.”
Hurley attributed it to the favorable matchup.
“Some of it’s been opponents,” Hurley noted of Johnson’s struggles lately. “They didn't have a big bruising center so the matchup was more favorable for Samson. Samson’s been in a funk, he’s a UConn guy, loves UConn so much. Like many older players, he’s realizing his time here is winding down. He’s going to miss this place. He had a better spirit today and he had a matchup that suited him better than Tarris today.”
The Huskies had a handful of scorers float around the low double-digit range, including shooters Solo Ball and Liam McNeeley and point guard Hassan Diarra.
Ball and McNeeley each had their moments where they shot the ball well but neither had their most accurate games. Both had okay nights otherwise, but went a combined 7/28 from the field.
Diarra had a modest outing on the stat sheet, notching 10 points, along with 5 assists and 5 boards. He added so much hustle to what became a rough and tumble game down the stretch and was invaluable there.
Also helpful was Stewart, who made the absolute most of his eight minutes. He threw down the aforementioned poster dunk, but also had a team-high plus/minus of +14. He offered a tremendous boost to the team in the second half, a big part of the game-changing 10-0 run.
“He should be a 12-15 [minute guy] there,” Hurley mentioned of Stewart. “He wasn't as ready to go in the first half. When you're a bench guy and you’re not ready to go you're going to get a quick hook. I didn’t want to take him out in the second half, but he was cramping.”
Both teams had a great start, playing one of the most visually appealing 15 minutes of basketball you’ll see. It was fast paced, filled with threes and dunks and just plain fun.
For their efforts, they led the Golden Eagles by five with a handful of minutes left in the half, but then the water shut off. They didn’t score for the final 3+ minutes, letting Marquette turn that deficit into a four point advantage.
Before long the Huskies had tied the game back up, largely thanks to the efforts on the offensive glass from Johnson. He created a number of extra opportunities and then converted an and-one, a great play for Connecticut.
Unfortunately for the Huskies it wasn’t able to spark an immediate run, with the game reverting to Marquette leading by a possession or two. However, a moment later Stewart threw down a nasty putback slam, which was followed up by a Tarris Reed Jr. jam to take the lead.
“I thought it was big for the crowd,” Smart noted of Stewart’s dunk. “It made the crowd explode. Our response all night long was pretty good. I don’t think we flipped out, but that was a heck of a play.”
After some free throws and a Johnson dunk the Huskies had grown their lead to seven and Gampel was at a fever pitch. David Joplin threatened a comeback with a triple and Kam Jones cut it to a single-possession with a layup.
The lead teetered between three and five, with UConn one misstep away from losing their advantageous position. That misstep came in the form of a miss and Jones made the Huskies pay with a layup. But then came Karaban’s magic moment, a dagger triple to clinch the game. That put things out of reach for good, his first truly signature moment this year.
Now, UConn is in the driver’s seat at the end of their season, with just Seton Hall to play, the worst team in the Big East. Yes, the Pirates did win the first game in Newark, but it’s hard to imagine the Huskies dropping the return game.
If Connecticut is able to win–or Marquette loses to St. John’s–they’ll have the 3-seed in the Big East Tournament (UConn swept Marquette and wins the h-2-h tie). There’s also an unlikely scenario where they get the 2-seed, requiring a Marquette win and a Creighton loss on Saturday, which would create a 3-way tie that UConn would win (UConn is 3-1 against the teams in that tie, Creighton is 2-2, Marquette is 1-3). If Creighton and Marquette both lost however and, the Huskies would lose the head-to-head tie against Creighton for second (UConn and Creighton split, next tiebreaker is performance against St. John's, where Creighton is 1-1 and UConn is 0-2).
Either way, Connecticut is showing promise with three straight wins. They’re peaking at the right time and emerging victorious in different ways. If you ask the Huskies, that comes with the territory of playing at this program.
“We want to play our best basketball in March,” Karaban said. “It’s a special time when you wear the UConn uniform in March.”
Their chance to improve to 3-0 in March comes against the Pirates at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday for senior night.
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