UConn Men's Basketball

Rapid Recap: UConn comes back to beat DePaul, 72-61

By Aman Kidwai

January 30, 2025

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Click HERE to watch postgame press conference

HARTFORD – UConn men’s basketball rode a rollercoaster of emotion as it hosted DePaul for the second meeting between these two teams. Long a cellar-dweller in the Big East, DePaul proved it was no pushover in the first meeting on Jan. 1, and on Wednesday night the Blue Demons had Husky fans, players, and coaches on the ropes for what could have been a rough loss.

Instead, despite trailing by 14 in the first half and eight at halftime, UConn started the second half with a 5-0 run and turned the tables in the second half to claim victory. They held the visitors to just 30 percent shooting from the field in the second half as they shot 12-of-25 with 43 points in the final 20 minutes.

Aidan Mahaney did a good job of keeping the Huskies in it through the first half, scoring eight of his 10 points on the night and making some plays with the ball. Solo Ball, Jaylin Stewart, and Tarris Reed Jr. came up big in the second half to put UConn ahead and keep it that way. Ball and Reed Jr. tied for the team lead with 16 points each while Stewart added 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Junior Alex Karaban didn’t have his best night, going 1-of-14 from the field, but he dished a career-high eight assists and grabbed six rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. After the game, Dan Hurley and multiple players reiterated that Karaban’s impact goes far beyond scoring and his presence on the court was crucial. Hurley added that Hassan Diarra played through an injury as well.

After a three-point play from Ball put UConn ahead with 9:38 left, Ball followed it up with a four-point play and then Reed got a bucket after a DePaul turnover to quickly make it a seven-point Husky advantage. It didn’t stop there, as they pushed the lead to as big as 12 and held on for the win.

Next up, the Huskies are on the road to take on Marquette for the first meeting between these two teams this season. Last year, UConn won all three meetings, including a 28-point throttling at the XL Center last February and a 16-point triumph in the 2024 Big East Tournament final.

This year, Shaka Smart’s squad is first in the league with an 18-3 overall record and one Big East loss, to Xavier at home by two points. The Golden Eagles are ranked 9^th in the AP Poll and 13^th in KenPom (26th Offense, 13^th Defense), which projects a 77-69 Marquette win. The game tips off Saturday at 8 p.m. on FOX from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI.