After the UConn men’s basketball team’s 85-66 loss to Creighton at the Chi Health Center, it was time to regroup for the No. 1 team in the country. With how the program was unable to perform to the standard of play they set out for themselves, Saturday’s 78-54 victory over Villanova was a return to those very high expectations.
Naturally, there was certainly some pressure. Not only did ESPN’s College Gameday headline the morning for the first time in Storrs since 2014, but legendary Huskies hooper Rip Hamilton would be forever immortalized as his No. 32 headed into the rafters. On top of that, the Wildcats were no slouch, with Connecticut barely squeaking by Kyle Neptune and Co. in the last matchup between these two teams. Sure, UConn would have plenty of advantages in the rematch, such as the second segment of $2 beer night, but they still needed to show out.
Initially, things started slow following the 8 p.m. tipoff. Both teams shot the ball poorly, and while the Huskies were certainly holding up their end of the bargain on the defensive end, their usual offensive firepower looked extinguished. They would need to step up to get any sort of advantage in the first half.
It took a bit of time, but Connecticut was finally able to get going, thanks to the incredible shooting of Cam Spencer.
“I sucked against Creighton. My defense and my performance pretty much lost us the game, in my opinion, so definitely wanted to respond tonight personally,” the Rutgers transfer said following his performance.
While Tristen Newton was the offense’s focal point in the team’s loss to Creighton, Spencer stole the show with an incredible shooting night. In the first half alone, he registered nine points on 3/5 shooting from the field, making some truly difficult shots in the process. Whether it was his triple that fueled a 9-0 Huskies run or a tough contested look that gave UConn a 26-17 lead with 3:20 to go, his hands were all over the success of Connecticut in the first half.
The story of Villanova’s struggles was with veteran big man Eric Dixon, who shot 3-11 in the first half. While he did lead his squad in scoring, the redshirt senior did so with a 10 plus-minus and certainly wasn’t efficiently helping his squad. That, coupled with some strategic defense from coach Dan Hurley, was key in preventing the Cats from gaining any sort of advantage going into halftime.
With Spencer’s superstar shooting it may have been easy to overlook Newton’s game in the backcourt. While eight points from the talented guard was impressive, it was the eight rebounds that really stuck out, including seven defensive boards. A double-double was certainly in reach for the East Carolina transfer, but with three assists in the first half, a record fourth triple-double for Newton felt out of reach.
Yet, in the world of college basketball, it is often the case that the unexpected becomes reality.
Throughout the rest of the second half, it looked like Connecticut picked up right where they left off. Spencer was once again a bucket, eclipsing his nine first-half points with a remarkable 16 second-half points on 6/8 shooting, including two more triples. “Killa Cam,” as dubbed by broadcaster Gus Johnson, continued to perform efficiently, allowing players like Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan to get better looks in the paint. With the crowd beaming with energy, Villanova simply had no answer for the response from the Huskies.
Meanwhile, Newton was doing his best impression of former Husky Andre Drummond, accumulating even more boards to finish with a ridiculous mark of 16 on the night. The best part for the lead guard? With 5:08 to go in the game, his kick out to Castle for a three gave him nine assists on the night, one shy of a triple-double. The statistical feat was now even more in reach, and yet, the storybook ending to how Newton would achieve the fourth triple-double of his UConn career would be crazy.
Throughout the night, Alex Karaban struggled tremendously, shooting 1-8 from the field and 1-7 from beyond the arc alone. While he was impacting the game on the defensive end with three blocks, his offensive struggles were notable ahead of the final few minutes. That made it even more insane when, with a mere 25 seconds left on the clock, Newton dished it to Karaban for an additional three-point opportunity. Shortly after the redshirt sophomore threw up the shot, the sold-out Gampel Pavilion crowd roared as the basketball swished through the net.
“Glad it came from AK ‘cause he’s always there for us,” said Newton.
With everything that decorated this game, this massive bounce-back performance from the Huskies was huge. The college gameday record of 0-4 when the show came to town was now snapped, and most importantly, Hurley put it simply about how he felt about the effort from his team.
“Championship response from us today. That’s my thoughts about the game,” said the Connecticut head coach.
The No. 1 team in the nation may have been in a “foul” mood following their loss to No. 15 Creighton, but returning to this team’s winning ways will ensure some added positivity as they head into a small break in their season. Following a seven-day rest period for UConn, they’ll have another eventful game on March 3 at noon, Senior Day, against Seton Hall.