PHILADELPHIA – The UConn men’s basketball team needed a performance like it had Saturday night.
There wasn’t one star of the show as the Huskies visited an NCAA Tournament-caliber Villanova team with a rocking “White Out” crowd. They withstood some early turnover issues and returned to the identity of the team that collected several big-time wins in the nonconference portion of their season.
Coach Dan Hurley dared to use the word “bulletproof” again after his team rallied on the back of its depth and its defense – which, just three days prior, he lamented for its regression after giving up 91 points to a mediocre Creighton team at home. Nine different players saw at least 12 minutes of action on Saturday, all scoring between four and 12 points with at least two rebounds and an assist. There was no let-down when substitutions were made.
UConn, shooting 54.9% from the field, led by as many as 21 points with five minutes left in regulation before the Wildcats cut down their deficit in garbage time – also part of the early-season identity.
“Sometimes, I think my reaction to the bench guys – unfortunately, we’re not perfect coaches – was just being mad at them about not producing. I thought in the lead-up to this game we did a better job of trying to build up their confidence,” Hurley said. “Like, ‘Hey, you’re gonna get back on track tonight… We can’t do this without you… I’m gonna play you, I’m not gonna bury you on one mistake.’ But there’s two sides of it. These guys gotta show up the way they did consistently. Like tonight, Jaylin Stewart shows up like that, with (Jayden) Ross and big Eric (Reibe), Malachi (Smith), with what we got with the starters… We’re formidable.”
‘We need the bench to step up’: Hurley offers challenge as depth an issue for UConn men
UConn’s bench, highlighted by a team-best plus-16 from Ross, combined for 22 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and just three turnovers.
“That’s exactly what we’ve been looking for as a group,” said Solo Ball, who Hurley stuck with despite some defensive miscues early.
Saturday’s performance, as balanced as it was, should go a long way in easing the tension that was palpable on the Huskies’ sideline as the time until tip-off ticked down inside Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena.
At this time of year, now only three games left to chase St. John’s for the Big East regular season title, practices aren’t as long or as hard. But the film sessions have been “nasty,” Hurley said.
“There’s a reason why I say the truth hurts. Because the film don’t lie,” he said. “And when we get in that film room and we see that we’re letting each other down, that’s a position we can’t put ourselves in. We want to be able to leave these games having no regrets about the way we showed up, how hard we played, how we guard, how we rebound.”
Does this team have the right mentality?
“I don’t know,” Hurley said. “I didn’t know that the ’23 team or the ’24 team did until they just did. Until they closed the season and got to the NCAA Tournament. I mean, you don’t really know what you’ve got until this time of year. So now we’re going to find out.”
A win over the Red Storm in Hartford on Wednesday would put UConn back at the top of the conference with a half game of separation over St. John’s, which still has to host third-place Villanova and Georgetown before finishing its season at fourth-place Seton Hall.
UConn will host Seton Hall on Senior Day at Gampel Pavilion Saturday before completing the regular season at Marquette, which has been pesky lately despite its last-place record.
Reed responds to the challenge
Hurley mentioned that he seriously considered two potential changes to the starting lineup after the loss to Creighton. He wanted to shore up the defense and also send a message that he wasn’t happy with the level of play, had it not been clear already.
While he didn’t name the players, there were pretty clear signs that he was talking about Ball and center Tarris Reed Jr.
“Coach was really challenging us, especially me, after that game, being more of a defensive anchor for this team. Watching a lot of film of the past games, especially the Creighton game, knowing I could’ve done a lot more to really protect the rim knowing that they were getting downhill at ease,” Reed said. “I feel like I really took that in. It was a challenge. I felt like he called me out and I feel like I responded pretty well today.”
Reed didn’t post monster numbers – he had 11 points (5-for-5 from the field), six rebounds and three assists. But he blocked three shots, came up with a steal and, with Reibe producing as well, helped make Villanova center Duke Brennan a non-factor.
“That Tarris Reed on defense, that Tarris Reed on the backboard, that Tarris Reed playing with force puts us in position to do the things we came into the season to do,” Hurley said. “Anything less than that right now for us is unacceptable.”
How concerning are the turnovers?
Giveaways have come in bunches for UConn’s otherwise game-changing point guard, Silas Demary Jr. He had seven on Saturday, five in the first half. It was the second-most he’s had this season, outside of the nine-turnover game against St. John’s.
“I just think they’re so avoidable for him,” Hurley said. “They’re a little bit casual. Just every dribble you take as a guard, like you’ve got to change angles, you’ve got to change the cadence of your dribble, you’ve got to change speeds. Some of his turnovers come when he’s got to try to get the ball to a spot and spray it to someone coming off a screen, he’s got to get better at that… It would suck if this team doesn’t get to its potential because we just turn the ball over too much, but we do all types of things in practice to try to fix it. But yeah it’s (bleeping) frustrating.”
Hurley yelled at himself for swearing, leaning back with his hands on his head.
“Oh god, that’s gonna be an article. I’m sorry guys,” he said.
Understanding the numerous complaints about how much he lets it fly in press conferences, he was going to give up the swearing for Lent, but he knew he couldn’t do it. That and sugar – late-night ice cream and cookies, to be specific.
Karaban’s knee health improving
Alex Karaban was clearly not at full strength in the Creighton loss. He had been dealing with a leg issue and played 25 minutes – the least he’s played all season aside from a couple of blowouts. Hurley compared his mobility after the game to that of a cargo ship, “and cargo ships are slow,” he said.
“I think he was pissed about that, but he did not move well the other night,” Hurley said Saturday, after Karaban went for a team-high 12 points (5-for-8) with five rebounds, two blocks and a steal in a team-high 34 minutes with trainer’s tape on his left knee. “I think he’s feeling better in general, so with the athleticism that St. John’s brings, we’re not going to afford for him to move like anything but some type of a faster boat.”
“I definitely feel a lot better,” Karaban reported. “I’m gonna play no matter what.”