The No. 1 UConn men’s basketball team will have their hands full this Saturday hosting the No. 4 Marquette Golden Eagles at the XL Center. Both teams are playing at an incredibly high level and this is a matchup sure to excite. The Huskies are fresh off of a 101-65 blowout win over the DePaul Blue Demons, while the Golden Eagles recently squeaked by Butler 78-72. This matchup is all the more crucial when considering its long-term implications.
As it stands, Connecticut owns a 2.5-game lead over Marquette in the Big East standings, and a win at the Insurance Capital of the World would almost guarantee a top-seed finish in conference. Of course, a Golden Eagles victory would inch the program ever closer to overtaking the Huskies. These teams will also play again on March 6th in Milwaukee. A triumph for either side would be huge for the rest of their seasons, especially for UConn’s status as the No. 1 team in college basketball.
In order to stave off Marquette, the Huskies will need to keep doing what they’re doing: dominating. Alex Karaban, aka the blanket to Dan Hurley’s Linus, must stay hot offensively. The 6-foot-8 forward has returned from his ankle injury and is shooting the ball better than ever, scoring 46 points across his last two games. As an added bonus, the Massachusetts native has played the center position extremely well in times when centers Donovan Clingan and Samson Johnson are sitting on the bench with foul trouble.
If Connecticut wishes to improve to 24-2, they will need their 1-2 punch of Clingan and Johnson to play their game without hearing whistles from the refs. While both have performed well at times, they struggled to find their footing in their squad’s last matchup at DePaul. The duo played a combined 11 minutes in the first half. However, an encouraging sign for Husky fans was how Clingan turned his night around. The Bristol native finished with 10 points and five rebounds in 17 minutes of work, although he accumulated four fouls. How disciplined the Connecticut big men stay is perhaps the most significant question mark heading into this one. Both have had nights sitting on the bench with foul trouble, and UConn needs them both to beat the best teams in the country.
The player UConn fans will want to keep an eye on is Golden Eagles senior Tyler Kolek. The 2023 All-American is amidst his best campaign yet, averaging 16 points, seven assists and five boards per game. Not to mention, he is highly efficient offensively, shooting nearly 50% from the field and over 40% from downtown. As his stats indicate, Kolek is one of the most prolific scorers in the entire country. Whether it is Tristen Newton, Stephon Castle or someone else tasked with stopping Kolek, that matchup will be a game-changer and could define how it plays out.
Another question on all viewers’ minds is whether Castle can sustain the strong offensive presence that he has had up to this point. Early on in the season, the Georgia native suffered a knee injury and missed extended time. However, it seems as though Castle has put that behind him and is on a tear, scoring 15 or more points in four of his last five appearances. It’s also impossible to deny Castle’s athleticism. With every additional game played, he’s quicker, more explosive, and most importantly, looks as confident in his abilities as ever. How the freshman guard performs in a nationally televised game against the No. 4 team in the country has more significant implications beyond Saturday. With many NBA scouts likely to be in attendance, a huge showing from Castle could skyrocket his draft stock. He’s certainly going to be focused on the task at hand, but these are important considerations to go along with the in-game storylines..
UConn has played in some big-time games this season, such as the Empire Classic, the Jimmy V Classic and the Seattle Tipoff. However, Saturday will be their biggest test yet. How Connecticut handles themselves against a top-five team in the country will give the college basketball community an insight into how this squad will look in March and what they’re made of.