Conference openers and the UConn men’s basketball team. Those two go together like peanut butter and pizza. Not well. The last time the Huskies won a conference opener at home, they boasted just one national championship trophy. For reference, the football team completed this feat more recently, doing so in 2007–with no conference since 2019. Over a decade later, into their game against Xavier, No. 11 Connecticut was still searching for such a victory. Even five trophies later.
On a rather dreadful mid-December night, the Huskies managed to break their curse. It took everything to do so. All five starters for the Huskies scored in double figures and three made it to 20, which was just enough to win an overtime showdown against 8-3 Xavier.
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Connecticut made all 19 of their free throws until Hassan Diarra went 1/2 on the last possession of overtime, a strong part of the team’s effort. Much like the Huskies’ opponents in Maui, the Musketeers shot 54% from deep, making it rain inside the XL Center, just like it was on the outside.
Despite the lethal shooting from the visitors, what won UConn the game was their toughness, especially on the inside. Even without starting center Samson Johnson (concussion protocol), the Huskies outrebounded Xavier 35-27 and 22 more points in the paint. Granted, the Musketeers were without star center Zach Freemantle, but it’s still impressive.
Stepping up in Johnson’s stead was Tarris Reed Jr., making his first start as a Husky. The junior had an excellent outing, pouring in 20 points (11 shots), 13 boards and 4 blocks. This was as good as Reed Jr. looked all season, stepping up to the challenge with authority.
Benchwarmer center Youssouf Singare also played well, making both of his shots and finishing +5 in 8 minutes. That production may seem pedestrian, but giving Reed Jr. a break was huge in a game where the starter needed to stay fresh during the extra period.
Solo Ball had one of his better career games, albeit with mediocre efficiency. He needed 17 shots to get to 22 points, also swiping 4 steals. He hit big jumpers throughout the game, including 8 straight Husky points at a critical juncture in the second half.
Also important at guard was Diarra, who picked up his first career double-double. The grad student added 13 points and 11 assists, making some key passes and energy plays. He doesn’t always make the right decisions, but it’s hard to know where UConn would be without his hustle.
Forwards Alex Karaban and Liam McNeeley each played key parts in the winning effort too. Karaban played all but 2 minutes, contributing 20 points and 5 boards. This was a nice bounce-back performance after a weaker one at MSG, an encouraging thing to see out of him.
McNeeley was riddled with foul trouble, doing the most with his limited time. He played just half the game, still managing 14 points and 4 assists, both above his season averages. The forward’s importance as a playmaker and part of the offense is only becoming clearer as the offense stiffens up without him in the game. If UConn’s going to do big things this spring, McNeeley will need to be one of the team’s best players as he is now.
The Huskies started off playing really tough basketball, spearheaded by Reed Jr.'s excellent play on both sides of the ball. He was everywhere, powering UConn to an early 10-point lead.
But then things went radio-silent. The Huskies didn’t score for six minutes, opening the door for the Musketeers to rattle off 12 straight points and take the lead. A Ball three steadied the ship, as the teams went shot for shot to close the half.
Neither side found much separation early in the closing half, with any multi-possession leads met with a big shot. There were threes raining everywhere and Dante Maddux Jr. drilled one to take back the advantage and then stepped back for another. Suddenly Xavier scored another 9 straight, opening up a 5-point lead.
Then came three straight Diarra to Ball connections to get ahead. The explosion from Ball was momentum-saving and paid dividends for the Huskies. After the Musketeers took the lead, a McNeeley layup helped regain it.
With a minute left, Reed Jr. extended it to three points courtesy of a pair of free throws, a short-lived advantage. Maddux Jr. hit a falling shot from beyond the arc to erase the deficit, but McNeeley ended up back on the line after a bizarre illegal screen. He drained both, giving Xavier the ball with 12 seconds left.
Jayden Ross picked up a similarly peculiar foul and Maddux Jr. tied it. Then came overtime. Karaban took the lead with a trey and the Huskies never looked back. Reed Jr. and Karaban found success on a few deuces as Connecticut escaped with a 5-point victory.
Xavier is not an amazing team, especially given that they’re missing their best player, but conference wins are rarely easy to capture. The Big East is wide open this year and there will be several games where they have to gut it out. A win is a win and there’s no shame about how it comes about.
Their next opportunity comes in Indianapolis this Saturday when the Huskies take on Butler. The game is at 12 p.m. ET and can be streamed on Peacock.
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