The CHI Health Center has been one of the most elusive arenas for the UConn men’s basketball team since returning to the Big East. They’ve won two national championships in their four years back home, but have whiffed in all four tries at Creighton.
Naturally, in the first game the Huskies played as an unranked team since November 7, 2022, they managed to upset the No. 24 Bluejays 70-66 on the road, who were playing their first game as a ranked squad in the new year. As a cherry on top, they overcame a 14-point deficit to accomplish the feat. Absolute chaos.
One man played a tremendous role in the triumph, none other than freshman phenom Liam McNeeley. In his second game back from a month-long absence, McNeeley scored a career-high 38 points (22 shots) along with 10 boards.
UCONN BASKETBALL MESSAGE BOARD | THE HUSKY HOUSE FORUM | UCONN BASKETBALL 2025 RECRUITING CLASS | UCONN FOOTBALL RECRUITING
The output is the most points in a game by a UConn freshman ever and is the second highest total by a freshman in college basketball this year (42 points by Cooper Flagg). The 38 points were more than half of the team’s total, with the freshman completely shouldering the load.
Perhaps UConn’s most important points of the game came all at once from McNeeley, scoring 8 unanswered to turn a 1 point hole into a 7 point cushion. He made 2 of his game-high 5 triples during that stretch. McNeeley added 23 points in the second half, a tally that alone would have narrowly fallen shy of his previous career high.
He played the second half like a man-possessed, a pure scoring effort that UConn fans haven't witnessed in ages. It was a truly inspiring and unrelenting performance and will be remembered for years to come.
McNeeley’s heroics weren’t the only wild part of the contest. UConn spent much of the game dealing with a carousel of centers, with Tarris Reed Jr. and Samson Johnson playing musical chairs. As soon as one picked up a foul the other added one too, even forcing coach Dan Hurley to go without a center at times or bring in benchwarmer Youssouf Singare.
It helped the Huskies’ cause that star Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was clearly dealing with an illness, managing just 9 points. However Connecticut wasn’t without ailments of their own. Hassan Diarra, who has been playing through a knee injury, looked very hobbled and missed the second half. Solo Ball hurt his wrist in practice and missed all 4 of his attempts from beyond the arc (44% on the season).
Alex Karaban had an especially rough performance, but really gutted out what he could from it. He’s enduring the worst shooting slump of his career, missing all 7 3-point tries Tuesday, adding to his recent stretch of 4/37 from that range. There was a single possession where he missed three triples, a true encapsulation of where his shot is.
Despite his inability to make Creighton pay from deep, he did hit a few runners, including the game winner. Karaban also contributed some gutty plays and held the team together during times of crisis. He was able to make those plays because of what McNeeley did to keep the team in the game, which can’t be overlooked. He needs to do whatever it takes to get his shot back, because the Huskies can’t have deep success in March without it.
Connecticut heavily benefitted from Creighton’s 9 missed free throws, especially in a contest where the Huskies committed so many fouls. It also helped that UConn turned the ball over just 6 times, much lower than their 47 total giveaways over their previous two contests.
UConn was really fortunate that they didn’t get run out of the gym in the first half. No Husky not named Liam McNeeley scored until the 12:44 mark in the period and the offense was rough.
Creighton made a handful of uncharacteristic errors that prevented them from creating more separation, ahead by no more than 6 early. The Huskies were the team suffering with foul trouble, but the most notable player with 2 whistles was Steven Ashworth, who sat for a long stretch in the half.
Even with Ashworth watching from the bench, the Bluejays looked ready to end the game early. 7 points from Jamiya Neal fueled a 14-2 run and things were looking bleak. Connecticut scored the frame’s final 6 points though, effectively saving the game.
The Huskies kept this streak going out of the locker room, as McNeeley added 5 points to what became a 13-0 run. Suddenly UConn was down just a point. They knocked on the door for a moment until they had one of their best sequences of the year.
Ashworth, the best free throw shooter in the nation, missed the front end of a one-and-one and McNeeley took the lead with consecutive triples and a fastbreak slam. That 8-0 run created a 7-point lead, which Creighton soon reduced to 3.
The Huskies’ lead teetered between 3 and 8 for a while as McNeeley continued to pour it on. The Bluejays notably picked up their first foul of the half with 5:20 remaining, a showing of either the lopsided officiating or great discipline, depending on who you ask.
Fedor Zugic, who missed the start of the season with eligibility issues, tied the game with 3/4 from the stripe. Karaban’s floater helped take the lead and Ashworth had a great look from deep rim out. Ball made 1/2 from the stripe and the Huskies fouled with 7 seconds left.
Neal missed both but then Karaban bricked the front end of a one-and-one. Ball recorded a quick foul and Jason Green made one. McNeeley scored his 37th and 38th points on free throws and UConn emerged victorious.
This is certainly a feel-good victory, but simultaneously feels fortunate. McNeeley had one of the best games in all of college basketball this season and the remaining Huskies scored 32 points. There were also times where Creighton inexplicably took their foot off UConn’s throat when they could have had a blowout.
We learned that McNeeley is a star. He’s the best player on the team. If he can score 20-25 points per game from here on out, that would be a fantastic development for Connecticut. If Ball’s wrist and Diarra’s knee heal enough, Karaban breaks out of this uncharacteristic slump and they can get more than 2 combined points from their centers, the sky's the limit for this team. That’s not too many ifs, is it?
The Huskies will travel next to Seton Hall, their easiest remaining opponent, on Saturday in hopes of grabbing their second straight victory.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
