Last Sunday, the UConn men’s basketball team traveled out to Austin, TX, for their first true road game of the year, facing the Texas Longhorns. The Huskies got the job done, leaving the Lone Star State victorious, 76-65.
The biggest headline in Sunday’s contest surrounded the unquestioned leader of this program, Alex Karaban. The redshirt junior played his first game since suffering a concussion in the Maui Invitational against Dayton. Despite missing a big game against Baylor, the Southborough, MA native didn’t miss a step in his return, as his performance was devastating to the Longhorns. Karaban shot the lights out, accumulating 14 points on 4-6 shooting, including a pair of shots from downtown and a perfect 4-4 performance from the charity stripe. Karaban was as physical as ever despite just returning from an injury, grabbing a first half high eight rebounds. This also continued in the second half, as Karaban finished Sunday ahead of all players with 11 total boards, giving him his first double-double of the year. As good as Karaban was, the shooting from Solo Ball was just as lethal in the first 20 minutes, as the guard had 13 first-half points on 5-9 shooting, including 3-5 from downtown. The scoring from not only these athletes but all Connecticut scorers as a whole was set up by their ability to get the ball moving and not being stagnant with the ball, and this started with Hassan Diarra.
While the senior was not lighting up the scoreboard quite like his teammates were, scoring two points on a pair of free throws, he was making game-winning plays for Connecticut. Not only was he playing great first-half defense, but his ability to get UConn scorers involved was one of the biggest reasons why the Huskies led by 18 at the break. Diarra had five first half assists, including a nice lob to Samson Johnson, a part of the offense that UConn has desperately tried to incorporate.
Perhaps the only hiccup for the Huskies in the first 20 minutes was shared between their big men, Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr., who both rode the pine for a majority of the half with foul trouble, meaning that Dan Hurley called upon Youssouf Singare to put out the flames. However, he picked up four fouls in eight minutes of play meaning his night was all but over.
Despite the centers’ foul trouble, nothing went right for the Longhorns in the first 20 minutes. Their star-studded freshman, Tre Johnson, struggled to make his usual impact offensively, finishing with six points on 3-8 shooting, including a trio of misfires from downtown. Forward Arthur Kaluma led all Texas scorers with 10 first half points, including a 5-6 slash from the charity stripe, highlighting his ability to get to the rack and get Connecticut defenders in early foul trouble. However, the rest of the Longhorns could not get going offensively, and this started with the ball movement, or in this case, lack of it. It took over 19 minutes into the first half for Texas to record its first assist, which is a testament to the high level of off ball pressure the Huskies exhibited. However, the Texas offense finally came to life in the second half.
Tre Johnson led the way for the Longhorns, scoring 18 points on 6-9 shooting, including a 3-5 slash from deep. This included many tough shots that were heavily contested by UConn defenders but also included some defensive breakdowns where Johnson was able to slip his man and get an open look. Kaluma kept the momentum he had gained in the first 20 minutes rolling in the second half, putting up an additional 10 points on 4-6 shooting. While there was some cause for concern on the part of Connecticut fans for how hot the duo was shooting-wise, the program did a good job containing everyone else, not to mention the Huskies also showcased a solid second-half offensive effort.
Samson Johnson led the second-half scoring effort for the Huskies, accumulating 10 points on 5-6 shooting from the field. However, the most encouraging part from the senior center was the fact that he only fouled once in the second half, though he played only seven minutes.
Diarra did an excellent job, yet again, distributing the basketball at a high level for the Huskies. Only this time, there was no one primary scorer; instead, nearly everyone on the hardwood was finding the bottom of the net, though not at the same high level as the first half. However, the Huskies were being outpaced by Texas. The Longhorns shot the lights out from three, hitting seven of their eleven tries from deep, and this was the biggest reason why UConn’s lead dwindled to as little as eight points. However, whether it was Reed Jr. creating offense for himself or Karaban splashing a three, the Huskies seemed to be able to come with a bucket more times than not, which is why the Longhorns could never fully comeback and why the Huskies emerged victorious in this contest.
Dan Hurley and co. will take the hardwood again this Saturday against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Madison Square Garden in a matchup with significant implications. While a loss here would hurt, it wouldn’t be season-ending for the Huskies. However, a win here would not only serve as a massive confidence booster for everyone in the program, but it would be the perfect way to close out of conference play and into Big East play, where Connecticut is chasing its next milestone: finishing atop the uber-competitive Big East conference.