UConn men’s basketball is kicking off Big East play against one of the surprise teams in the league. The Huskies host Butler (8-2) on Tuesday night at PeoplesBank Arena after going 10-1 through non-conference play, racking up four wins over ranked teams.
Dan Hurley’s squad is riding a six-game winning streak after beating Texas on Friday night. Over that run, UConn overcame missing players, foul trouble, and off nights from its stars to keep winning in tough situations against good opponents.
The team just had its full roster available without minute restrictions for the first time against Texas. Hurley added, however, that “a majority of players have got multiple things that they’re dealing with,” so these issues are not just affecting the people who have missed time.
The Huskies are not expected to have many setbacks in league play, but they know they’ll get every team’s best shot on a nightly basis.
Butler is ranked 51st in KenPom overall efficiency, with wins over South Carolina and Virginia before beating Providence in double overtime on Saturday night in their Big East opener.
“They look like a team that’s ready to compete at the top of the league,” Hurley said, noting that he was impressed with the Bulldogs’ non-conference run. “They’re in the mix to be an at-large team if they have a good enough Big East.”
Butler is led by head coach Thad Matta, the former longtime Ohio State coach who’s in his fourth season at the helm. UConn freshman Braylon Mullins, an Indianapolis native, shared that he knows some Butler players who are also from Indy, and Matta and the Butler staff tried to recruit him as well.
Mullins has made five appearances after an injury kept him out for one preseason outing and six regular-season games. He has been immediately impactful after getting off the minutes restriction, posting 10 or more points in three of four games, including an impressive 17-point night at Kansas. His six-point performance at Florida came despite foul trouble and was crucial to the victory effort.
Tarris Reed Jr. is also still recovering after two stints on the injured list, but looked close to 100 percent against Texas, as he played 30 minutes and finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
“He’s close to being the force that we need him to be,” Hurley said, later adding, “he makes us as good as anyone in the country…a true difference maker.”
On the court, the Bulldogs are led by junior guard Finley Bizjack and Gonzaga transfer Michael Ajayi, averaging 18.8 PPG and 17.4 PPG, respectively. Ajayi is also their leading rebounder at 11.9 per contest.
“Coach [Matta] has built that roster around [Ajayi] and Bizjack, and [Ajayi] looks like [Jahmyl] Telfort, really, a lot of similarities,” Hurley said. “And then they’ve got multiple centers and some three-point shooting around those guys.”
Despite the strong record and four ranked wins, not all is perfect in Storrs. The Huskies are 231st in the country in free-throw percentage and 271st in free throws per game, sitting in a similar range for letting teams get to the line. They’re 138th in offensive rebound percentage and 100th in OR% allowed.
“Our rebounding has been not what championship teams do. Our ball-screen defense has not been what championship teams do. We've turned the ball over at the level that championship teams don't, and we don't have a killer instinct,” Hurley said. “So those are the things that we're focused on.”
Hurley pointed to the examples set by previous team leaders, like Andre Jackson, Adama Sanogo, or Cam Spencer, who had that killer instinct. He said he sees it in his team “in different moments.”
“But to be a champion,” he added. “You have to do it 20 times over the next couple of months in the Big East, and then you've got to win…and have this insatiable appetite for winning.”
Butler sits 10th in OR% and is really good at getting to the free-throw line and preventing opponents from getting there. The Bulldogs are a decent shooting team at 44th in eFG%, but not as good on defense, where they are bottom-half nationally in forcing turnovers and defensive OR% and 86th in eFG% allowed.
UConn is ranked similarly in eFG% but much better defensively and slightly stronger on the turnover front. KenPom projects an 81-69 Husky win.
Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. from Hartford on Peacock and the NBC Sports Network.
