2024 was a year that treated the UConn men’s basketball team exceptionally well. The Huskies went 36-4 with a national championship trophy, a set of 365 days that couldn’t have gone any better. As the clocks turned to midnight last night, No. 11 Connecticut is met with a fresh slate of sorts, holding the opportunity to set up another successful year.
Their first opponent was DePaul, a program that has taken several strides in the right direction under new coach Chris Holtmann. Yes, the Blue Demons haven’t won a conference game since 2023, nor have they beat UConn in nearly two decades. But they’re winning games in ways they haven’t in past years.
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On a New Year’s Day matinee–the first Husky game in 11 days–was a mixed bag. They emerged from the Windy City with a 81-68 win over the Blue Demons, but didn’t come out of it without bumps and bruises.
With 13:48 left in the second half, freshman phenom Liam McNeeley turned an ankle on an awkward play, which completely sucked the air out of the Huskies. Though he has just 14 collegiate games under his belt, he’s a big part of the team’s soul and helps the offense run smoothly.
Connecticut was ahead by 17 points when the injury occurred and though they stretched it to 22 a moment after, things weren’t the same. First came eight straight points from DePaul as they cut it to 14 and then seven straight to reduce the hole to single-digits.
The sequence of the game came as the run finished, with Jayden Ross swatting a DePaul shot off the backboard and Alex Karaban drilling a triple on the other end. Karaban and Solo Ball each nailed an additional three, putting the contest to sleep.
Ball was a man on a mission Wednesday, absolutely punishing the net. Fueled by his 4 threes in the final 4 minutes of the first half, the sophomore hit 7 of 9 from beyond the arc for 22 points. Ball has shot it well all season, but this game was especially strong. 62% of Ball’s points have come from three, making it imperative that he keeps up his sharp mark of 45%.
Karaban, though quieter at times, made the big plays when he had to. He finished with 18 points, 7 boards and 3 assists, helping the Huskies big time down the stretch. Karaban has generally been the best player on Connecticut and showed toughness in Chicago, a big part of the team’s rally to prevent disaster.
The team’s general, point guard Hassan Diarra, was bogged down by foul trouble in the second half, picking up his fourth around halfway through the frame. Even forced to sit, he still managed 7 points and 9 assists, with each one feeling important. Diarra nailed a prayer from deep at the end of a shot clock and then converted a floater on another late clock. The grad student has been clutch for the Huskies, maximizing his minutes lately even when battling foul trouble.
His counterpart, Aidan Mahaney, looked decent while Diarra was forced onto the bench, contributing 7 points and 4 assists. He committed 4 fouls and had just a 0 +/-, but seems to be taking steps in the right direction after what has been a lacking start in Storrs.
Also notable was the absence of freshman PG Ahmad Nowell, who gave the team good run in Maui. He hasn’t played since November 30, losing his spot minutes that he saw as the team struggled.
The Huskies clearly looked like the better team, but the loss of McNeeley really hurt them at times. McNeeley had 9 points and 6 boards prior to his exit and his shot wasn’t even falling. The amount of time he’s out will be important to monitor as the days go, as he’s a critical part of the team.
With McNeeley out, Jaylin Stewart had the chance to get some increased playing time, but either the pinkeye he was suffering from or something else prevented him from doing so. He was completely blanked on positive stats (1 foul and a turnover) and had a team-worst +/- of -9. The +/- isn’t a full reflection of him though, coming at a time when the team was rattled by McNeeley’s injury.
The way the team bounced back was the story of the afternoon, doing so against a feisty Blue Demon side. The sequence that included the Ross block and barrage of threes was a national championship-caliber one, exploding out of nowhere. Coach Dan Hurley spoke pregame of Ross’ importance to the team and the sophomore delivered in a big way.
Looking broadly, it’s massively impressive the way Connecticut has bounced back from their Maui nightmare. They’ve now ripped off 7-straight wins–6 over power conference opposition–and re-established themselves atop the nation. It’s an admirable job by Hurley to keep the locker room together, which could have easily fallen apart after such a stretch.
The Huskies don’t get much of a breather, back in action on Sunday against Providence College. Tip will be at 2 p.m. from Gampel Pavilion, the first game on campus since December 4.
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