The No. 19 UConn men’s basketball team (14-6, 6-3 Big East) lost for the third time in January, with the Xavier Musketeers (13-8, 5-5 Big East) getting revenge from a month ago.
Even though UConn won the tip, Xavier dominated the first four minutes of the game, shooting 60% from the field and making every possession hard for the Huskies. Connecticut began the game 1-6 from the field. The great start for Xavier got the Cintas Center crowd into the game.
“This is a really hard place to play,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said. “But it’s also a very fun place to play. That atmosphere is like an octagon in there. I love it, I love that environment.”
Following a 9-0 run that gave the Musketeers a 10-point lead, Hurley brought Hassan Diarra back into the game after the latter committed two early fouls. Behind Diarra and Solo Ball, who would drain a second-chance 3-pointer that forced Xavier head coach Sean Miller to call timeout, the Huskies went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to three.
Xavier punched back, scoring seven unanswered points in less than a minute to bring the lead back up to 10.
Aidan Mahaney played terrifically for the final 3:53 of the first half. He scored all eight of his first-half points and handed out three assists. He drilled two 3-pointers, including one at the end of the shot clock, which seemed to have been from across the Ohio River in Kentucky.
“I don’t think we brought him in to play exactly like he just played,” Hurley said. “He let the threes go today. As far as our guards go, he has the most offensive talent.”
Xavier guard Dayvion McKnight came in clutch in the final seconds of the half, knocking down a shot from mid-range as the Musketeers closed the half, making their last three shots to cut Connecticut’s lead to one. UConn made its last five shots of the first half.
The game was full of runs, including a 7-0 run from Xavier, which put them up four points early in the second half.
Samson Johnson had a strong outing, scoring 12 points on 5-5 shooting. He had a career-high five blocks, all of which came at important moments.
Ball had a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds on 6-17 shooting. He, along with Mahaney, came up massive when the Huskies had their backs against the wall. Mahaney scored 14 points on 4-7 shooting off the bench.
Dante Maddox Jr. is emerging as a Husky killer. In the first meeting of the year, the Toledo transfer scored 22 points on 5-9 shooting from deep. In the second meeting, he scored 14 points and went 3-3 from the field in the second half.
“That guy has killed us this year,” Hurley said. “So, he likes our jerseys.”
Dailyn Swain was a game-time decision for the Musketeers, but took full advantage of the opportunity to take down a ranked opponent. The sophomore from Columbus, Ohio scored 15 points on 6-7 shooting, with zero 3-pointers attempted.
Alex Karaban had a quiet night, scoring just nine points on 4-13 shooting. He was slowed down due to foul trouble, fouling out with 3:27 remaining in the game.
“Whatever type of offensive game he’s having, we need him on the court,” Hurley said. “He just can’t pick up the fourth foul or the fifth foul.”
Connecticut had a chance to tie or win the game with 21 seconds left in regulation. After a missed 3-pointer by Ball with 25 seconds to go, Diarra grabbed the clutch offensive rebound despite being the smallest player on the court, which led to Hurley calling timeout to try and draw up a play.
Xavier’s defense was relentless out of the timeout. It was clear that the play was not drawn up for Jayden Ross, but he had the best opportunity to tie the game, with a path on the baseline to put up a shot. However, the shot clock expired before the ball left his hands, which led to free throws from Marcus Foster, sealing the game for the Musketeers.
“That last possession was again regrettable and failure to execute something,” Hurley said, who also alluded to the turnovers and the “ballhawk” ability of McKnight, who had two steals to add to his 11-point performance. “We wanted the ball in Aidan’s hands.”
UConn will likely fall out of the AP Top 25 on Monday and are still missing Liam McNeeley, who has only played one game in 2025.
“If we could get Liam back and we could get some consistency from Aidan there, we could be a much different-looking team,” Hurley said.
UConn is now 7-5 against Xavier, a series that first started in the 1991 NCAA Tournament. The Musketeers have now won four of their last five games, including another top-25 win at Marquette.
“[Xavier is] playing to the form of a team that was picked pretty high in the league,” Hurley said. The Musketeers were picked to finish third in the league.
The Huskies will be back at home to host DePaul on Wednesday night at the XL Center.