Looking back just a month ago too late November, even the thought that the UConn men’s basketball team would be sitting at 10-3 would be ludicrous. The sting from their losses to a trio of unranked teams burned and many were already set on deeming the season as a failure. In the weeks since, the now No. 11 Huskies have come back from the dead.
Their most recent conquest was Butler, a team that’s unranked but plenty feisty–especially at Historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. It wasn’t the prettiest game by any measure, but Connecticut emerged with a well-earned 78-74 victory that demonstrated a lot of grit.
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The Huskies made 5 of their first 6 threes, but settled down to a final mark of 46% while they held the Bulldogs to just 33%. The squads were pretty even across the board from a statistical perspective, but Connecticut had more tenacity and fight to pull out the win.
Hassan Diarra was the most impactful player on the floor, having a great sense of what his team needed. With 12 points, 7 assists, 4 boards and 3 steals, the graduate student did a little bit of everything, making the most of each of his minutes. Diarra’s late-clock runner and assist to Alex Karaban helped seal the deal, a really mature sequence.
He’s clearly the best point guard on the team, which wasn’t clear at the Maui Invitational. It’s been impressive to see a fifth year grow up so much in just a month, a testament to his work ethic and adaptability.
As Diarra played the most complete game, Karaban was the contest’s leader in points. He finished with 21 on 16 shots to go along with 6 rebounds. The junior was tremendously impactful when on the court, with a plus/minus at +18. The 5 minutes when Karaban was resting were disastrous, with the Huskies outscored by 14.
Freshman Liam McNeeley has seen his role grow exponentially through the team’s first 13 games, arguably the top scoring option behind Karaban. He wasn’t quite as amazing on Saturday as he was last week versus Gonzaga, but he still did a lot of things right. McNeeley needed 13 shots to get 17 points, but added 7 assists and 5 boards. He was present for some of Butler’s bigger surges, but did his best to keep the team together as they weathered the storm.
Samson Johnson returned after missing a game with a concussion, but neither him or Tarris Reed Jr. excelled. Johnson finished with 6 points–all coming in the first half–while Reed Jr. battled an illness, still providing 7 points and 6 rebounds.
Aidan Mahaney hit a few good-looking shots that helped towards his 7 points, but his defense was still lacking–and the team felt it. He was -6 in just 10 minutes as Butler erased UConn’s advantage. Sophomores Jayden Ross and Jaylin Stewart also struggled in general, combining for 4 points and a plus minus of -9.
Connecticut started off on a tear, up 14-2 by the time the first media timeout rolled around. Whether it was threes by McNeeley or Karaban, an easy deuce for Johnson or anything else, the offense was as clean as it’s looked since April.
After being blitzed, Butler slowly found their footing. First they managed not to let the Huskies extend the advantage, but then came a surge. Center Andre Screen swatted several shots as the Bulldogs put together separate 7-0 and 5-0 runs, closing the gap.
Jahmyl Telfort nailed a three from the corner to cut the deficit to just three. That woke UConn up as the half wound down, with Diarra blocking a shot and drilling a trey at the other end and Karaban converting an and-one. Those 6 points gave the Huskies some breathing room heading into the half, up 9.
Even as a Solo Ball layup pushed the lead out to 14, neither side got much headway. Butler scored 9 straight and UConn answered with a few, pushing the lead back to 10.
Pierre Brooks scored 7 in an 11-2 Bulldog run, with the sophomore Huskies performing poorly on both ends of the floor. Connecticut couldn’t get anything to go, not scoring for nearly 5 minutes as Butler tied things up.
Diarra got a long rebound off a missed three which led to a McNeeley and-one and Karaban added a triple. The Bulldogs continued to keep the score within a possession or two, showing a ton of fight at home. Diarra banked in a huge runner late in the shot clock and then set Karaban up for another three.
Butler used a handful of free throws to get back into striking distance, but it wasn’t enough, as Connecticut escaped with the triumph.
As noted, wins are wins. It doesn’t matter that the Huskies aren’t blowing teams out like they did last year (even though they only beat Butler by 7 in Hinkle last year). The Big East is tough, especially on the road. Victories of any type should be enjoyed, especially seeing how abysmal things seemed like they could have been in Maui.
The Huskies now get a much-deserved break, not playing until New Years’ Day. That game will come in Chicago against DePaul, a much improved opponent who will pose a stiffer challenge than in previous years.
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