UConn men’s basketball is on a concerning trajectory, having lost two of its last four games and posting two of its three worst rebounding performances in those losses.
The team’s defense has fallen off a cliff, forcing head coach Dan Hurley to consider changes to the lineup.
“We’ve been playing with fire,” Hurley said after the 91-84 loss. “This has been brewing for us just based on what the defense looks like.”
Hurley started Jayden Ross in the second half as the junior guard posted a season-high 27 minutes.
“That first group is obviously lacking a perimeter defender,” Hurley said. “That’s why you saw J. Ross… It wasn’t just foul trouble.”
On Wednesday night at Gampel Pavilion, the Huskies dropped their first Big East home game of the season. Defenders were missing assignments all night. Their scoring attack was inconsistent, as it has been for much of the season. They lost the rebounding battle, and their weakest defenders were getting exposed.
“Creighton went at us from a 1-on-1 standpoint,” Hurley explained. “Their game plan was to just go at individuals that they identified that can’t guard the ball… That’s what’s been going on the last couple of games…they’re targeting the guys who can’t guard.”
Alex Karaban was clearly not at full health, playing through an injury that had him “moving like a cargo ship,” Hurley said. On top of that, “we don’t have rim protection.”
Braylon Mullins dropped a career-high 25 behind a 17-point second-half explosion that helped keep UConn in it. Both teams were hitting over 50 percent from the field after a first half that ended tied at 45 after Mullins caught fire late.
The freshman scored the first five points of the second half to put the Huskies ahead, but nobody else was making shots. Demary was the only other player to hit multiple field goals in that time, and outside of those two, they went 4-of-18.
UConn (24-3, 14-2 Big East) led by seven with 16:03 left, but gave away the lead in two minutes. The game stayed close for a few more minutes, tied at 63 with 11:05 left.
The Bluejays pushed their lead to eight with 5:48 left, and 10 with 1:30 left as UConn went 2-of-16 from the field from 11:42 to 2:30 to lose its grip on the game. Creighton hit five threes and went 10-of-17 in the final 15 minutes. They hit 17-of-18 second-half free throws and 27-of-32 freebies on the night.
Misc. Notes
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UConn is 4-10 all-time against Creighton.
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UConn posted its second-worst offensive rebounding rate of the season (17.8). The Huskies’ three losses represent their three worst offensive rebounding performances.
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With just five turnovers on the night, the Huskies posted their best turnover rate of the season. Surprisingly, their second-best turnover rate was also in a loss at Gampel, the Arizona game.
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Creighton’s Joshua Dix, whose mother was honored before the game after losing her battle with cancer, scored 21 points to lead the victory effort.
Up Next
The Huskies have their biggest stretch of the season: at Villanova, St. John’s in Hartford, and Seton Hall in Gampel. They need to dig deep to prevent this season from falling any further.
This loss is a huge setback to their Big East regular-season title hopes. St. John’s has one less loss and beat the Huskies head-to-head. That Feb. 25th home date with the Johnnies is now a must-win.
Before that, the Huskies hit the road to face a Villanova team that took them to OT in Hartford on Jan. 24. The Wildcats are 6-0 since that meeting, with KenPom currently projecting a toss-up on Saturday.
They tip off at 5:30 p.m. from Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
