It’s been nearly 7 months since we got our last real taste of UConn men’s basketball. Sure there have been videos, articles, open practices and exhibitions in between, but nothing beats the real thing. Nothing.
That’s why there was such a buzz in the air when walking into Gampel Pavilion. The new scoreboard illuminated the building nearing 35 years of service as the arena was ready to unveil its 17th banner. A recipe for a special evening, even if the scoreboard didn’t threaten a competitive game.
No. 3 UConn Coach Dan Hurley was definitely more concerned about the game than anything prior.
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“[The ceremony] was awesome, I cared for 90 seconds,” Hurley joked postgame. “And then I cared no longer. It was cool, but I wanted to get back to the locker room and play the game. We’ve celebrated enough stuff”
As the festivities ended and the ball tipped, a new year of Huskies hoops commenced. And as expected, it wasn’t close. At least not in the end. It wasn’t Connecticut’s cleanest game under Hurley, and their makeup was clearly different from last year's team, but they still managed a 92-56 point victory.
“I was impressed with Sacred Heart,” Hurley said. I was impressed with them and the way they played against Temple. I think they’ll be pretty good in the MAAC this year. There were things I was happy about…the rebounding, love the assists. The turnovers were a byproduct of opening night; bizarre s***. I hate opening night. Worst day of the year. You wake up opening night and you have no idea what the team’s going to look like. Glad it’s over.”
The final box score will show a dominant effort with a 47-25 rebounding margin and a 25-8 assist tally, as noted by Hurley. As lopsided as those both are, it wasn’t even the biggest gap. The most jarring statistic was the Huskies’ 13-2 block advantage, with a number of different Huskies contesting shots and sending them back.
A bit surprising was the person most responsible for the swats. Alex Karaban, the Huskies’ two-time champion and preseason All-America selection, recorded an eye-popping 7 blocks. That might have been the highlight of his stat sheet, but his other numbers were great too. Karaban added 20 points, 7 assists and 6 boards too, on a mere 9 shots. He became the first D-I player since 2003 to record a 20 point, 7 assist, 7 block game, per ESPN. It was a statement day from the face of the team, leaving Hurley satisfied.
“Taking games like this, that’s how you know high-level players are ready for the season to start,” Hurley noted of Karaban. “Alex played like an All-American. He played like a Big East Player of the Year. He kept us organized. In games like this that’s what you’re supposed to do.”
As for the reason behind the sudden surge in blocks? That’s a different story.
I was roommates with Donovan Clingan for two years,” Karaban joked. “When you’re roommates with the best defender in the country for the past two years, you learn a thing or two. I’ll give him the credit.”
Another player who wowed was freshman Liam McNeeley, who was awesome in the win. He was on limited practice after being out with a leg injury, but still managed to put together a 19 point, 10 rebound double-double. And the 3-point shot was falling, as he connected on 3/6 such tries. McNeeley is seen as one of the team’s most important players this year, holding the responsibility of replacing a sizable chunk of the scoring that went out the door. Hurley spoke of the freshman’s nerves before the team’s exhibition a few weeks ago, but according to McNeeley, the jitters were nowhere to be found today.
“I’m super grateful to have the opportunity to have my college debut at UConn,” he noted. “I wasn’t nervous, I was happy to play…Basketball is what gives me life. Being able to play is what I live for.”
Hurley was impressed with his outing, especially given the circumstances.
“He had 3 days of practice after missing 2.5 weeks,” Hurley mentioned of McNeeley. “He did what we needed him to. We don’t have the 7-foot-2 center [Clingan], so it was good to see him help on the defensive glass. That can mitigate the 5-man rebounding. This was the tip of the iceberg for him.”
While center Samson Johnson started the game, backup Tarris Reed Jr. was the star of the tandem. Johnson fouled out–a problem lingering from last year–but Reed had 15 points on 7 shots, along with 11 boards. Hurley was both excited about Reed and unconcerned about Johnson, especially considering their combined 24 point, 14 rebound and 4 block effort.
“Tarris is a huge X-factor in the year,” he noted. “You see the physical abilities. He can do things that Adama did for us. The mobility, the physical strength…I don’t think the center position is going to be a problem for us this year.”
Another notable was Solo Ball, who had a quiet-ish 16 points on 9 shots and 3 assists. He was ready to shoot throughout the game and looked much more confident in his stroke.
Postgame, Hurley also lauded the player that Jayden Ross has developed into lately, the day-to-day sophomore. Ross was apparently one of the Huskies’ top players prior to suffering an undisclosed minor injury.
One of the bigger disappointments was the production out of the point guard slot, with Aidan Mahaney and Hassan Diarra both playing under their potential. Mahaney picked up the start but scored no points, while Diarra had a modest 5 points and 6 assists. There isn’t reason to worry here for either of them, but their respective positions in the starting five will be worth monitoring as the season continues.
The Huskies weren’t playing their best basketball early on, but they did have a number of plays that raised some eyebrows. The first came on a Johnson dunk–the first points of the season–which came on the fastbreak off a steal.
McNeeley recorded his first collegiate points with a layup and Ball hit a few threes, showing their potential impacts. Karaban reminded the building that he was back with a layup and trey, as Diarra contributed a tough finish at the rim. The senior guard, among the other Huskies, were loose with the ball early on, making a few errant passes.
Even as McNeeley began to get comfortable, hitting a handful of threes, the Pioneers were stubborn. Sacred Heart capitalized on every UConn error, keeping things much closer than anyone would have expected. With just a 6 point advantage, there were question marks all over. Karaban helped calm the storm, scoring five straight to help Connecticut move into the half with a 15 point lead.
A much-needed speech at the break was exactly what the doctor ordered, with the defense improving and things tightening up. The Huskies had an onslaught of blocks and paired them with a steady dose of shots that helped them balloon their lead to 24.
More sloppy play slowed their momentum, but it didn’t last forever. The Huskies swatted more shots and Reed had a nice stretch of play, giving way not to an explosion, but a slow burn. Another McNeeley three was the final straw, as Sacred Heart was forced to take a timeout.
The Huskies put their reserves in gradually and continued to build the lead, ultimately coming out ahead by 36 points.
It wasn’t a perfect opener, but this team showed a good deal of promise. The pieces look like they’ll come together, even if it might take a moment. And remember, they don’t have to be as good as they were last year to win a third title.
Their next matchup comes in Hartford against New Hampshire this Saturday at 8 p.m..
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