UConn Hoops: Karaban and Johnson lead Huskies to Empire Classic title
Madison Square Garden has been an elusive venue for coach Dan Hurley and his Huskies. They’ve been there many times and have had their share of great moments but have never walked out with a trophy in hand. The highs have gone as far back as the third game of his stint, coming against No. 15 Syracuse in 2018. The lows have been in the semifinals of every Big East Tournament he’s coached in, spanning as recent as last March. On Sunday and Monday, Hurley finally put an end to his struggles, exiting the World’s Most Famous Arena with a trophy in hand.
“That was a big-time game,” Hurley noted. “The question about this team going into the year was the depth. Obviously if we get those types of performances from Hassan [Diarra] and Samson [Johnson], and as we get Steph [Castle] back and Solo [Ball] develops, we're going to have that depth. The great thing about this team is that when Cam [Spencer] and Tristen [Newton] have a bad shooting night, you have a lot of weapons that can get you."
Though they got off to a phenomenal start, Texas played well in their comeback effort. The Longhorns never led, but cut it to just four points late in the half. The biggest difference for Connecticut was their performance on the backboard, grabbing 11 more rebounds than Texas. Every run by the Horns was met with one from Connecticut, as the Huskies established themselves as one of the premier teams in the nation.
“[UConn] played a real physical ballgame,” Texas coach Rodney Terry said. “It felt like a game in March. They came out and attacked the glass, doing what they do and that was a big difference in the first half. The second half we came out and played tougher on the glass. I’m proud of my guys and the way that they competed, the way we fought until the end. We’ll grow from this and we’ll be better moving forward.”
Alex Karaban posted yet another standout effort, though it wasn’t his prettiest. He went quiet at times, but stepped up when it mattered most. The sophomore looked like a seasoned veteran on a pair of makes that beat shot-clock in crunch time, putting the game away. Those daggers were just a few of his 20 points, which paired nicely with his six boards. Karaban is quickly adding to his resume as he tries to pave his own path as an all time Husky great.
“Me and [assistant] Luke [Murray] get a lot of credit for the offense, but we didn’t get good at offense until Alex got here,” noted Hurley. “When you have a four man who can process the game like he does, can keep the group organized and also has that clutch gene, he’s a special player.”
The Huskies absolutely jumped Texas to start things out, with Karaban knocking down a three and Ball punching in a putback dunk. Out to a 9-2 advantage, Texas was forced to burn an early timeout. Brock Cunningham calmed the storm with a triple, but Ball answered with one of his own.
Dillon Mitchell took the opportunity to score four straight, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a UConn push. Johnson got free for a pair of slams and Spencer drilled a three, before one of the most sensational plays of the game. Hassan Diarra recorded an impressive block, which started a fastbreak that promptly ended with a deep Karaban triple. Texas used their second timeout in the first 10 minutes of action and the wheels came close to falling off.
The Longhorns managed to stop the bleeding for a while, but Connecticut continued to post highlight-reel plays. Diarra nabbed a steal and layup, which Ball followed with another putback. An alley oop to Johnson didn’t hurt the cause, getting Madison Square Garden excited.
Johnson played the best game of his career, stepping in for a winded and struggling Donovan Clingan. The former failed to get off to the start his career many expected when Hurley touted him as having “wall potential” to be a lottery pick. In his third year now, Johnson is finally gaining traction as one of the best players Monday with 15 points, eight boards and two blocks. Switching to the center position has done wonders for him, a role that better fits his strengths.
“The way Samson played was unbelievable,” Karaban mentioned of his teammate. “Us, in practice, we knew what he was capable of, but for everyone else to see him, he’s such a special talent. We’re really going to need him this year.”
Though Texas continued to throw punches, Johnson and co. responded. The junior from Togo continued his stellar half with three points the old fashioned way as Mitchell kept the Horns afloat. His 15 points in the period had them down by just 13 going into the locker room, the only thing keeping the contest from getting away.
Former Oral Roberts standout Max Abmas drilled a pair of triples to start the half, cutting the lead to eight. Though Karaban hit one of his own, Ze'rik Onyema got an and-one, a play that gave Clingan his third foul. The Huskies treaded water until Johnson re-entered the floor.
Johnson pinned a block against the backboard and then got free for a jam, which Newton and Diarra followed with flashy layups. Once at six, the Connecticut lead ballooned out to 14 after a massive rim-rattling connection between Diarra and Johnson.
“That’s why you play at UConn,” Johnson said of the play. “Moments like that, you step up on the big stage. I’m just happy to help win. [Me and Diarra] have that connection. We made eye contact and I knew.”
Diarra had a lot of trouble finding his role on last year’s team, slowly getting phased out of the rotation as the season went on. Outings like this where he puts the pressure on the defense and is able to add energy is going to ensure he doesn’t lose his spot. He notched eight points, and had a pair of steals, blocks and assists, making key plays whenever the Huskies needed him to.
“He’s their best perimeter defender,” noted Terry of Diarra. “He did a great job staying around [Abmas], contesting his jumpshots.”
Johnson subbed out of the game and a few clutch shots by Tyrese Hunter got his team back into striking distance. That forced Hurley into calling a timeout, but Texas’ run was up to nine–now with a four point deficit–since Clingan checked in. Karaban came up big with a turnaround shot clock buzzer-beater, but the Longhorns were still running with momentum.
As the shot clock ran down again, Karaban pulled up from the wing and stuck the dagger at the horn. Ahead by eight points, the Huskies hit a few from the stripe to seal the 81-71 point win.
“Just trust your work,” Karaban said of his mindset during the shot. “I heard Tristen–and the entire bench–yelling at me ‘shoot it!’ so I trusted them and shot it.”
The last time UConn lifted the trophy at the Empire Classic, they won the National Championship the following March. Ranked No. 5 nationally and rolling, this team has what it takes. Also notable is that the victory was the Huskies 22nd straight non-conference one of double figures. For those counting, that’s just two shy of the all time record. Their chance to get to 23 will come on Black Friday back in Hartford against Manhattan.
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