The UConn men’s basketball team returned to action on Sunday after a narrow 67-59 win over the Oklahoma Sooners. However, the program had their work cut out for them against the No. 1 Florida Gators. Florida has dismantled their opponents lately and made the SEC look easy, running through their conference tournament and losing only four regular season games all year. Despite the tall task ahead of the Huskies, they put up a valiant fight and had numerous opportunities to upset the Gators. However, UConn’s season ended on Sunday, falling 77-75.
All season long, the story for Connecticut has been their defense. The program’s defense in this campaign has been as poor as ever, mirroring the same efficiency that UConn had when Dan Hurley took over in 2019, according to KenPom.
As expected, UConn’s defense was the story early on, yet it wasn’t in the way that fans have been familiar with. The Huskies came out with a fire lit under them, as their 81st-ranked defense did not play the part early on, and it started with winning their one-on-one matchups.
Hassan Diarra clamped Florida’s top scorer, Walter Clayton Jr., in a way he has rarely experienced, holding the First-Team All-America guard to eight points on 2-7 shooting. For as well as Diarra was guarding him, it was a true team effort to contain the Gators’ high-powered offense, and it started with Connecticut’s seamless ability to switch their man and play effective help defense. Samson Johnson played an integral role early on. Whether it was creating a disruptive presence with his 6-foot-10 frame or rebounding the ball better than he ever was, Johnson brought an energy and a fire that was felt throughout the entire UConn bench.
However, as well as the Connecticut defense was playing, they struggled to jump out ahead offensively. While they were getting open looks, their 3-point shooting left much to be desired. Solo Ball struggled to get it going in the first half, failing to record a field goal in the first half; four of his five misses came from beyond the arc. However, it wasn’t just the sophomore missing his looks early on, as Connecticut finished the first half 4-18 from beyond the arc.
However, UConn played as physical of a game as they have all year long, and it paid dividends early on. Johnson snagged three of the program’s nine first-half offensive rebounds, which kept UConn afloat, giving them numerous second-chance scoring opportunities. Postgame, Johnson noted that he did not want to go home, and that determination drove him.
“I didn’t want to go home today. I just wanted to win the game,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to give it everything you have. I feel like that’s the mentality I came into the game with, and I was trying everything in my power to have my team win.”
With every possession, it became increasingly obvious that no one on Connecticut was ready to stop dancing. With the two sides trading blows, no one could get out to a significant advantage. While Florida got out to a 3-point lead with nearly no time left, Connecticut fought. In an attempt to even the contest, Diarra had the ball. Whether it was his teammates moving off the ball, setting screens or fancy dribbling, he never got open. The shot clock was dwindling, and with nearly no time left from way downtown, Diarra put up a prayer. The Queen’s natives’ prayer was answered as Diarra sunk the nearly 40-foot jumper to even up the contest at 31 points apiece.
If UConn was going to beat Florida, this was the best chance they had to do it. The program had the Gators right where they wanted. Sunday’s contest was a spitting image of a Big East contest, not an SEC game. A low possession, physical and gritty game at UConn’s tempo. After all, the Huskies spent the last four months playing in these conference wars, and they won the battles early in the second half. As he has done since he stepped on campus four years ago, Johnson did an excellent job slipping his man and creating offense on that. The Togo native finished twice at the rim, which catalyzed a crucial 7-1 UConn run, giving the program some early breathing room.
Johnson’s counterpart, Tarris Reed Jr., led the charge on the glass, snagging eight second-half rebounds, two of which came on the offensive glass. This allowed Liam McNeeley, in particular, to thrive. The freshman added onto his nine-point first half in a big way, scoring an additional 13 points in the final 20 minutes of the contest. Despite this, a lingering problem followed UConn into the second half, and it concerned their 3-point shooting. The program, yet again, could not hit their shots from downtown like they would have liked, going 4-11 in the final 20 minutes of Sunday’s contest. Postgame, Hurley amplified this and credited the Florida defense as they made it more difficult in the second half.
“I think a lot of the threes, we took some tough ones because they’re a top five defense in the country,” Hurley said. “We had some really good look at three that could have given us some separation down the stretch.”
As he has done so many times before, Alex Karaban logged an excellent game for the Huskies. The redshirt junior finished Sunday with 14 points on 5-13 shooting. Karaban played a crucial role in keeping Connecticut competitive for as long as they were, and he has done this ever since he arrived in Storrs.
After a back-and-forth second half where UConn maintained a comfortable two-possession lead, the Gators roared back, and with it, they seized the momentum. Down by three with their season on the line, the Huskies fought. Ball rose up and knocked down a massive triple to tie the game, and the energy was palpable. However, Clayton massively responded for the Gators, hitting a pair of difficult 3-pointers. While this put the Huskies on the ropes, a no-call on a Karaban layup and an inability to rebound the ball after Florida missed some crucial free throws proved to be the knockout blow, as UConn came up just short, 77-75.
For as much as this loss stings for the program, this was also the last time UConn fans will see Diarra and Johnson. Karaban also has a decision this offseason on whether to try again for the NBA or come back as a redshirt senior. Regardless, even in the face of defeat, all three athletes acknowledged how extraordinary their collegiate careers have been and how much they love UConn.
“UConn is my family now. I’ve enjoyed going to war with these guys every single night. I’ve met some incredible people, the coaching staff, all the people around. It’s just like one family. We care about each other so much. They’ll always be my family,” Johnson said.
“I don’t want to take this jersey off,” Karaban, through tears, said postgame. Diarra echoed this message and reflected on his time, noting that he “love[s] UConn.”
An emotional Hurley, seated next to the trio and fighting through tears, noted how much they have given to the program, going to lengths to say, “Words can’t describe the respect that I have for the men to my left.”
Despite the “disappointment” that some fans may be feeling at the end of this contest, the Huskies 2024-2025 campaign should not be remembered for how badly the program got beat up in Maui or struggled at times in conference play. It is a story of resilience, and Sunday exemplified that. If the Huskies’ season was to end, they made it clear that they would need to be outplayed by a worthy opponent, and this historic run would “end with honor.” Considering that they went toe-to-toe against arguably the best team in the country, UConn’s historic run ended in the most honorable way possible on Sunday.