In the program’s first Big East matchup of the season, the UConn men’s basketball team could not start their conference slate off in the right way as they fell to Seton Hall, 75-60.
Going into this game, Pirates coach Shaheen Holloway knew that this was a matchup that his squad could build off of if they were able to come out with a win. From tipoff to the final buzzer, his team would give the Huskies an effort that would result in their largest loss of the season thus far.
However, the game didn’t start too poorly for Connecticut. The team quickly got out to a 10-4 lead, yet even with this lead, Seton Hall always showed an effort on the defensive end that pushed the Huskies to constantly work for their shots. While they didn’t have the lead early, that constant work would end up paying off.
Who was the key to gaining an edge on one of the best teams in the nation? To the dismay of Connecticut fans, it was once again Kadary Richmond who proved to be an essential weapon for the Pirates. With 5:55 left in the first half, Holloway’s team pushed their opponents to a two-possession game after the senior guard grabbed a clutch and one layup. Two more scores from Richmond would give his guys the lead and surprisingly, they’d never trail from there.
While hope was still there for a resurgent effort for UConn in the second half, things certainly weren’t looking good. From a 27% three-point shooting effort in the first half to being outrebounded 18-10, Dan Hurley’s squad had an incredible challenge to overcome. The defense of Seton Hall would add to the team’s list of issues and in the end, those problems would ultimately get even worse.
As the game clock ticked down to 16:33, the game remained close with a 41-35 score. But, the Huskies would be without Donovan Clingan for the rest of the second half after the sophomore big man aggravated a lingering foot injury that’s given him plenty of trouble throughout the season. Hurley would confirm that the Bristol native sustained a sprained ankle in the team’s post-game press conference.
From there, the Pirates would continue to pound the paint. Throughout the second half, Seton Hall attempted just three shots from beyond the arc, but they’d still look like the superior offensive team on Wednesday. Besides high-energy buckets, Holloway’s squad got everyone involved as four players accumulated double-digit scoring numbers, highlighted by Richmond’s 23 points.
Despite Connecticut narrowing the lead to six with 13:18 left in the second half, the Pirates continued to execute on both ends of the court. The final blow for UConn came with 4:30 left after a personal foul to Cam Spencer would give him his fifth foul and disqualify the Rutgers transfer from the game.
From there, as Seton Hall’s defensive intensity stood resilient and their offense shined, they’d cruise to a statement victory at the Prudential Center.
With how large the loss was for UConn, it was naturally historic. It was their worst loss to a team since the program’s 75-60 loss to USF on Jan. 4, 2020. On top of that, it was also their largest loss to an unranked challenger as a ranked opponent since 2011 when the reigning national champions fell to St. John’s 89-72 at Madison Square Garden.
“Obviously, I’m just really stunned at how unprepared I had these guys. Credit Shaheen <Holloway>, credit Seton Hall, they just punked us. It’s humbling,” said Hurley.
However, if there’s one thing for certain that history has proven, the Huskies head coach is not going to let his squad drown with a loss like this. With how Connecticut has battled thus far, overcoming this adversity is going to be a major step in whether the program continues to see success or continues to struggle with challenges moving forward.
“Tomorrow’s gonna be brutal. The video session’s gonna be crushing. The accountability is gonna be super high and we’re gonna be brutally honest about what happened here tonight. We’ll act appropriately. When we lose at UConn, everyone hurts,” said Hurley.