The UConn men’s basketball team did not get off to an ideal start for their 2023-2024 Big East campaign. Not only did the Huskies suffer a devastating 75-60 loss to Seton Hall, but the basketball world found out that Donovan Clingan would miss at least 3-4 weeks after suffering an injury to a tendon in his right foot. To say Connecticut needed a spark on Saturday night would be an understatement and they certainly found one in a 69-65 victory over St. John’s.
The Huskies started off Saturday night flat, being outrebounded, outhustled and overall outplayed in all aspects of the game. Typically, it has been UConn’s tenacious defense and large spurts of energy that keep them competitive. Their ability to play the fundamentals of the game at a high level is a major reason why they came into Saturday ranked fifth in the country. However, Connecticut’s out of conference success did not translate early on. The Huskies played soft interior defense. It was a common occurrence to see St. John’s win a fifty-fifty defensive rebound and walk uncontested into their offensive zone, either taking it coast to coast or finding Joel Soriano in a position down low for an easy layup.
UConn’s offense also struggled to get out of the gate. The Red Storm gave the Huskies a zone look in the first half and the program failed to break it, with most possessions ending in a low percentage look. Connecticut got outrebounded by three in the first half, which played a role in their six-point deficit at the end of the first 20 minutes.
With Clingan out, the biggest question became how the Huskies would contain Soriano, a top-10 rebounder in the country. Johnson’s performance against the 6-foot-11 big man proved to be the decider in this contest. A major concern for Husky fans was how assertive Johnson would be defensively. As expected, the St. John’s big man found early success with 10 points and six boards in the first half. However, Connecticut’s starting big man countered 10 first-half points, although grabbing only three rebounds. However, it was the Togo native’s second-half performance that elevated the Huskies.
Johnson finished Saturday night with 16 points and four rebounds. While his offensive performance filled up the stats sheet, it was his defensive effort that won UConn the game. It was the 6-foot-10 big man’s physical play that saw Soriano pick up three fouls early on in the second half causing the Red Storm’s leading scorer to sit for an extended period of time and end the second half with just 4 points.
“I don’t think I’ve been prouder of a guy stepping in for such a critical piece.” Head coach Dan Hurley noted postgame on the impact Johnson made. “If he didn’t play like that, we had no chance because he played against one of the best big guys in the country and won the matchup.”
Another major storyline was with St. John’s starting point guard Nahiem Alleyne. The Georgia native was a member of last year’s national championship squad and played a pivotal role off the bench for the Huskies. After the season, Alleyne transferred to play at St. John’s not only because he would see a larger role, but he would play under the tutelage of legendary coach Rick Pitino. The Hall of Famer took a liking to the former Husky early on calling him, “The best defensive player in the [St. John’s] backcourt.” The 22-year-old played more of a defensive role for the Red Storm in this contest and shot just 1-6 from the field.
Notably, the Huskies were much more efficient offensively in the second half. The three-point shooting improved from 1-7 to 4-11. While the Huskies were creating more offensive chances down low, their performance from the charity stripe was less than ideal, as the program finished under 70% when it was all said and done. If the Huskies could have converted their tries at their season average of 73.2%, this would have never been a one-possession game like it was for nearly all 40 minutes.
St. John’s stayed competitive because of how well Soriano played while he was out there. The New Yorker finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Even when he wasn’t scoring, he was attracting a double team nearly every possession, which often led to an easy bucket for the Johnnies. The performance of the Red Storm bench was another area of success for Pitino’s squad as they outscored the No. 5 team in the country by 15 points.
Following this performance, the Huskies will return to the hardwood on Jan. 2 against 2-9 DePaul at Gampel Pavilion. While Connecticut is expected to cruise by, there is much to look forward to for all basketball fans. Youssouf Singare has the potential to once again play extended minutes for the Huskies in a larger role. This matchup also serves as an opportunity for the program to clean up the mistakes they made on both ends of the floor. Their poor performance on both ends of the floor is not sustainable for Connecticut, especially with how beat up they are. The Big East season is just getting started. Teams like Creighton and Marquette have yet to be faced.