UConn men’s basketball ends its regular season at Marquette with a strong chance to win at least a share of the Big East regular-season crown.
While the Golden Eagles have been one of the top teams in the league over the last few seasons, they’re 11-19 this year, losing 73-57 at the hands of the Huskies on January 4th in Gampel Pavilion.
“Shaka’s really invested in a lot of these young players,” Husky head coach Dan Hurley said in a pre-game interview. “You can see what he’s building and how much they’ve improved since the first time we saw their team…it’s a scary game.”
“I’ve been playing against Chase Ross [and] Ben Gold for a while,” Alex Karaban said. “We know we’re gonna get their best shot.”
On Friday night, St. John’s, currently tied with UConn for first place in the league, plays at Seton Hall for their final game. If UConn and the Red Storm win, the Johnnies will take the one-seed in the Big East Tournament while the two teams share the Big East crown. If both teams lose, UConn gets the top seed.
“To think it’s gonna take 18-2 in conference play to maybe get a share of it, that’s two programs pushing each other,” Hurley said. “Our mindset is we know we have to win on Saturday to win a championship.”
The Huskies have been off since Saturday’s Senior Day win over Seton Hall. Karaban dropped 23 to lead them over the Pirates and avoid a disastrous defeat on the day he was inducted into the Huskies of Honor. They were down eight in the second half before coming back and holding on at the end as Karaban and Solo Ball knocked down four free throws to ice it.
“I think the team has got a high ceiling and a low floor,” Hurley said. “We’ve at times just played down, or have gifted teams charity at both ends of the court,” he added, mentioning turnovers, defense, and rebounding as the ongoing inconsistencies they need to address. He shared that he’s preaching “ball security as job security,” a quote he borrowed from Aaron Rodgers.
“In the end, if we don't end with championships and any run in March, it’s cuz we turned the ball over,” he said.
Karaban echoed his coach’s assessment of the team, including the emphasis on turnovers, rebounding, and defense.
“Lock in defensively, rebound, and we gotta stop turning the ball over,” he said. “Offensively, we have so many pieces, we’ll figure it out on that end.”
Those pieces include Solo Ball, who shared some details of his journey adjusting to a new role this year, saying it helped him mature and become a better teammate.
“I feel like I had to adjust a lot this year, and it made me a much better player and much better person,” he said.
Ball has been the Huskies’ leading scorer this season, and the last one, just ahead of Karaban, but his play outside of scoring has needed work.
“My only thing with Solo right now is just the defense and playing basketball…just go out and play ball, get on the glass, a cut, guard, help us defensively,” Hurley said. “Every time he shoots the ball I think it’s going in.”
Ball is over 30 percent from behind the arc after a cold start and a shooting-wrist injury hampered his performance. He’s at times been the Huskies’ best or only dependable scorer, coming up huge in close wins against Villanova, Providence, and Georgetown. In the big win over St. John’s, he was an efficient 4-of-7 from the field with two threes as he scored 11 points.
“I just need to make sure I’m in the flow of the game,” Ball said. “Not just running up and down the floor aimlessly, just being part of the game, it’s really that simple.”
Another one of the Huskies’ offensive weapons has been freshman Braylon Mullins. Averaging 12 points on 9.8 shots per game, Hurley sees the potential for him to have a bigger role, if needed.
“You’d like to see him get more shots. When you look at a situation like our team, we have this cluster of players,” Hurley said. “You’re gonna have games where you only get 8 or 9 shots. You have to be efficient. You have to be a two-way player.”
The Huskies have been off for a week, allowing ample time to rest but also to work on their deficiencies. Hurley said they can even work on new lineups and get reps with them. Jaylin Stewart has missed the last two games with a knee injury. His status is uncertain going into the game.
With March Madness ongoing and the NCAA Tournament, where a UConn team can finally stretch its legs and not get “mauled” as Hurley put it, on the horizon, every game counts from here on out. The stakes are heavy, starting with the chance to win a league crown on Saturday. Before claiming the 2024 Big East regular season title, UConn had not won one since 2006.
With all the excitement afoot, we can’t forget about Marquette though. Shaka Smart’s squad may be having a down year, but they’ve also challenged St. John’s and Villanova in the last month and just stomped on Providence, 78-56, at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
“These games are all important, that’s what makes college basketball so special,” Hurley said. “Every game is life or death.”
