The second half may not have been the prettiest for the UConn men’s basketball team, but the Huskies survive to live another day at the sold-out Madison Square Garden, fending off a late surge from Providence in a 73-66 Big East quarterfinal win.
Heading into Thursday’s contest, there was a debate amongst fans from both teams, each one trying to claim MSG as their own alternate home thanks to the close proximity to New York. Huskies fans refer to the Mecca as “Storrs South,” while some of the Friar Faithful call it “Dunk South.”
Both fan bases showed up in a big way, seemingly splitting the crowd 50/50. The energy remained all game, with each side trying to have louder chants than the other. In terms of energy, it was as electric as it could have been on a Thursday afternoon.
“This is a quarterfinal game on a Thursday at 2:30. Tell me another arena in America, another conference in America that has this level of excitement for a game like this,” said Providence head coach Ed Cooley. “There’s no other conference tournament in America that’s this great – not good, great.”
As competitive as the game turned out to be, it didn’t start that way, as Connecticut started to build a monstrous lead. Stout defense was the story of the half, as the Friars were suffocated to the tune of just 19 first-half points. An 8-1 run extended the Huskies’ lead to 16 points going into the locker room, aided by two 3-pointers from Joey Calcaterra off of the bench.
Out of the break, Connecticut’s dominance continued as they refused to take their foot off of the gas. Back-to-back triples from Tristen Newton and Nahiem Alleyne extended the lead to 26.
Then it was the Friars’ turn to make some noise, applying a ton of pressure and forcing the turnover-prone Huskies to make even more mistakes.
Over the course of nine minutes and change, that 26-point lead dwindled all the way down to just five thanks to a 26-5 run from Providence, capped off by a steal and fast break layup from none other than Corey Floyd Jr., the former Husky himself. UConn wisely used another timeout to recollect themselves, while the Friar Faithful made their presence heard in the Garden.
“I thought they weren’t going to go away quietly, not with the atmosphere, not with the Providence program and the product they have and what they do,” remarked UConn head coach Dan Hurley postgame.
Instead of staying on their heels and allowing what would have been the largest blown lead of the NCAA Division I season, the Huskies stood their ground. Right out of the timeout, it was Hawkins who got the team going, nailing a quick three. Veteran guard Noah Locke, already having a great game, quickly answered with a deep ball of his own.
A minute later with the lead still at five, it was Alex Karaban who got his opportunity. The recent runner-up for Big East Freshman of the Year drilled the biggest 3-point shot of his young career, only for Locke to answer once again with 46 seconds remaining. Even with the response from Providence, it was time to foul and pray for the Friars, who allowed two free throws from Tristen Newton before a missed Locke 3-pointer all but sealed the 73-66 victory for the Huskies.
“You gotta give them a lot of credit. They made tough shots and timely shots,” said Cooley. “Karaban’s shot was game, set, match…. Gotta give them credit. They earned that win.”
Cooley’s praise for Connecticut didn’t end there – at multiple times the skipper called UConn the best team in the country.
“Tell me a team in America playing better than that team we just played. And I’m a basketball junkie. I don’t see one team better than the University of Connecticut right now,” remarked Cooley.
Throughout the whole game, the best of Andre Jackson Jr. was on display, as the glue guy fought tooth and nail, grabbing 11 rebounds alongside nine points, six assists and three steals. Jackson Jr. dove for every loose ball he could find, putting his body on the line for his team. His impact showed in the stat sheet, as the junior finished with a game-high plus/minus of 12.
“[The feeling out on the court] was just desperation. In these moments, you gotta leave it all on the line or else you go home. Both teams really brought that edge. That’s what it was, really, desperation,” the captain explained.
Newton started the game in an unfamiliar spot for UConn – on the bench. While he previously started all 31 of his contests for the Huskies, he and Alleyne entered the game later than usual for disciplinary reasons. Both were stellar, with Newton going 5-for-11 for 16 points, including four 3-pointers. Hurley made it clear in his press conference that team culture is a top priority.
“In terms of the starting piece, our culture is really important… it’s a big responsibility in terms of all the things that you do,” explained Hurley. “I just felt like a small message needed to be sent to Tristen.”
While it wasn’t his most productive game of the year, forward Adama Sanogo was able to make a large impact, shooting 5-for-5 from the field for 10 points and five rebounds. His five turnovers were lackluster, but all in all he was able to create better opportunities for his teammates due to the attention the Preseason Big East Player of the Year yields.
“It had to be a workman-like performance from [Sanogo] today because [Ed Croswell] is one of the best low post defenders in the country… We needed defense from Adama. We needed him rolling in the ball-screen game and creating open threes for teammates… I thought he was efficient,” said Hurley.
Hawkins really stepped up for his squad as well. The shooter finished with 19 points, including 12 in the second half. He had two very timely threes down the stretch, giving UConn that extra boost to survive Cooley’s Friars. It was an impressive night for the sophomore, especially since it was his first Big East Tournament game – Hawkins sat out last year with a concussion. Being on the court this time around meant everything to the guard.
“Everything I expected – last year I got a good feel for it, watching it, but playing it is very different. It’s very exciting. Just feel the energy of the crowd. It’s really loud in there. It’s amazing,” said Hawkins.
Luckily for him, the NBA prospect gets to come back into that energetic environment Friday night as the Huskies take on top-seeded Marquette. The Golden Eagles started out slow in their tournament opener, trailing St. John’s before winning a thriller in overtime. UConn is 1-1 this season against Marquette and Tyler Kolek, the Big East Player of the Year.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday night and will be broadcast live on FS1.