The No. 11 UConn men’s basketball team (8-3) returns to Connecticut for one last time in 2024, hosting the Xavier Musketeers (8-3) to open their respective Big East schedules on Wednesday night in Hartford.
The Huskies are coming off a huge momentum shift in their season. After going 0-3 in the Maui Invitational, Connecticut is on a four-game winning streak, including wins over Baylor at home, Texas on the road and Gonzaga in New York City. All three teams are considered NCAA Tournament caliber teams according to the Bracket Matrix and were ranked in the AP Poll at some point this season (Gonzaga is currently No. 13 in the country).
On Saturday night, UConn earned its first top 10 win of the season against then-No. 8 Gonzaga, helping them in the national rankings, moving from No. 18 to No. 11. Liam McNeeley had a career night in his Madison Square Garden debut, scoring 26 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing four assists with zero turnovers. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello tweeted that McNeeley became the fourth UConn player since the 1996-97 season to post at least 25 points and zero turnovers against a ranked opponent. The last time that happened was in 2012 with Shabazz Napier. As pointed out on X, McNeeley scored the most points by a UConn freshman in 18 years, with Jerome Dyson scoring 27 in 2007. The last time a freshman scored at least 25 points for the Huskies was in 2015 with Daniel Hamilton. McNeeley’s career night earned him Big East Freshman of the Week honors.
The Huskies will be without starting center Samson Johnson after entering concussion protocol on Saturday night following a hard fall in the first half. Head coach Dan Hurley told reporters at a media availability at the XL Center in Hartford on Tuesday evening that Johnson is “doing well” and that he could return at Butler on Saturday afternoon.
It is expected that Tarris Reed Jr. will get the starting nod for the first time this season. There is also an opportunity for Youssouf Singare to earn more meaningful minutes like he had in the last game.
“[Reed has] got to start the game at a life-or-death level or urgency and intensity,” Hurley said. “This is the Big East and these games are, they’re basketball games but they’re wars, too. When you start… you got to be at a 12 on a 12 scale of being ready to play.”
Ahmad Nowell, who had suffered a shoulder sprain in practice and was unavailable for the team’s road game against Texas, was available (but not really) on Saturday, seeming to be an emergency option for Connecticut. He will be available for the conference opener, per Hurley.
In past years, UConn has been a questionable team in conference openers. Since the inception of the Big East Conference in 1979, the Huskies have gone 19-26 in 45 conference openers, including an 18-20 mark in Big East openers. They dropped their Big East opener last year, losing at Seton Hall before winning the next 14 games. Even at home, where the Huskies have had tons of success, they are still questionable in conference openers, holding an 8-12 record. Hurley has only won one conference opener since arriving in Storrs, with a 6-8 record throughout his time at Wagner, Rhode Island and UConn.
There were higher expectations this season for Xavier. However, those expectations have diminished with star forward Zach Freemantle being ruled out indefinitely due to a lower-body injury suffered in the heartbreaking loss at then-No. 22 Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon. The senior from Teaneck, N.J. missed the entire season last year after a stellar first three years with the Musketeers. The preseason Second Team All-Big East selection leads the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game (fourth in the Big East) and in rebounding with 7.7 per game (fourth in the Big East). He leads the Big East in defensive rebounding with 6 per game and is the only Musketeer who has scored in double figures in all 11 games this season.
Xavier head coach Sean Miller claimed that UConn is “as good as they were last year.” If Miller’s praise becomes a reality, that could be troubling for the Musketeers, who were smoked in front of the 2004 national championship team, 99-56 last season.
The keys to the game for UConn include their perimeter defense, which ranks 325th in the country with opponents shooting 37.3% from deep. Xavier is top 20 in the country in 3-point shooting, scoring 39.4% of the time. If the Musketeers can knock down 3-point shots, especially from Ryan Conwell (44.8%) and Dayvion McKnight (45.8%), the Huskies could find themselves in trouble. In addition to their stellar perimeter shooting, Xavier is lethal on the fast break, ranking fourth in the nation in fastbreak points at 19.7 per game.
It is the 11th meeting between the two programs, with the last eight coming since 2021 as conference foes. The last two seasons were night and day in their matchups, with Xavier sweeping the Huskies during the 2022-23 campaign and Connecticut returning the favor the following season. Xavier was the last team to beat the Huskies at home, in an 82-79 thriller on Jan. 25, 2023.
The game will be at the XL Center with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. There is a promotion for $3 beers from when doors open at 5:30 p.m. to tip-off.
“We need that [energy] from the XL Center when we play here this year, especially with this team,” Hurley said. “Because it’s a team that’s still developing, we’re going to need [the fans] to be loud the entire game, not just when we’re playing well. Right from the anthem, be loud and disruptive.”
For those who are unable to attend, it will be televised on FS1.