In the Basketball Capital of the World, not even the elements can deter fans from securing the best seats in the house for gameday.
Bone chilling wind is nothing out of the ordinary in Storrs, but Monday’s gusts reached as high as 36 miles per hour, while the wind chill dipped below 32 degrees. These conditions would send most people back inside, but one University of Connecticut student would not be denied his chance to witness history, courtside.
Braden O’marra, a sophomore, arrived outside Gampel Pavilion at 1 a.m. on Monday with nothing more than a blanket, a pillow, a folding chair and a backpack, ready to battle the cold ahead of No. 3 UConn’s highly anticipated showdown with No. 4 Arizona.
“It’s a top five matchup. It’s a good measuring stick to see where we are,” O’marra said. “It’s gonna be a good, fun game. I wanna be up front so I can feel the energy.
He’s not wrong. Gampel Pavilion has only hosted one other top five matchup in its history. Nearly two decades ago, the then-No. 3 Huskies took down No. 2 Villanova, 89-75. UConn has been in twelve top five matchups in program history ahead of Wednesdays game, holding a 7-5 record dating back to 1996.
“It’s what makes college basketball so special,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said. “They’re probably not doing that for a whole lot of other sports… the passion, the emotion, the tension that you get for college basketball games is different than you’re going to get for other sports.”
UConn (4-0) holds a 5-2 all-time record over Arizona (4-0) since their first meeting in December, 1999. The Huskies won the first five matchups, while the Wildcats are in the midst of a two-game winning streak. They last faced off in 2018. Both teams come into the eighth installment of the series battle tested against some of the top programs in the country.
On Saturday night, the Huskies survived No. 7 BYU during the Hall of Fame Series at TD Garden in an 86-64 final. UConn led by as many as twenty before letting the Cougars get back into the game in the second half.
Silas Demary Jr. was named the game’s MVP with a 21-point seven assist performance. He scooped up a steal in the waning moments of the game to secure the win for the Huskies.
“When big moments come, I tend to rise to them,” Demary said. “The coaches keep putting confidence in me every day to be the coach on the floor.”
Meanwhile, the Wildcats boast a pair of ranked wins against top 15 opponents. They stunned the reigning National Champion Florida Gators, who were ranked No. 3 in the country at the time.
Freshman forward Koa Peat burst onto the scene in that game, handing the Gators a 30-point game along with five assets and three steals. His debut performance guided Arizona to a 93-87 victory.
More recently, the Wildcats defeated No. 15 UCLA 69-65 on Friday, at a Hall of Fame Series game hosted by the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Anthony Dell’Orso led the team in scoring and became the first Arizona player since KJ Lewis last season to score 20 points off the bench.
Jaden Bradley buried a go-ahead three pointer to pull out the win over the Bruins. Bradley has been the Wildcats’ most consistent scorer this season, averaging 15.8 points per game, and only failing to score double-digit points once. He sits just five points away from 1,000 career points.
“It’s a high-level point guard matchup. He takes care of the ball, he’s playing at a high rate, and he’s making plays all over the floor,” Demary said.
Alex Karaban earned Big East Player of the Week honors for the second time in his career on Monday. averaged 20.5 points over two games against BYU and Columbia. He first received the award in December last year.
The two-time national champion forward is shooting 63% from three this season, a top 20 mark in the country. Karaban has consistently delivered through UConn’s first four games, only finishing below 19 points once, scoring 13 against UMass Lowell on Nov. 7.
“I’ve been super happy with how I’ve been playing. A lot of it is learning from last year’s struggles and using those lessons this season,” Karaban said. “My confidence is in a great place right now.”
Tarris Reed Jr. will clash with Wildcats Center Motiejus Krivas in the paint on Wednesday.
Since making his season debut against Lowell, Reed has imposed his will on opponents down low. The Preseason All-Big East First Team selection is averaging 20 points per game through three appearances, while shooting 74% from the floor.
Reed will have to find a way to maintain his production against Krivas, who has already rejected nine shots in four games played. Krivas swatted a career-high four blocks against Northern Arizona on Nov. 11.
“He’s got a little bit of Kalkbrenner… he’s in the drop, he brings that rim protection,” Hurley said. “He’s massive, he’s an NBA player along those lines.”
While gameday has already gotten underway for O’marra, the real wait ends on Wednesday as two of the nation’s best will look to assert themselves at the top of the pecking order.
“These big-time games teach you a lot about yourself and your team,” Karaban said. “They get the juices flowing, and they prepare you for March.”
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and can be watched on FS1.