The revenge tour continued for the fifth-ranked UConn men’s basketball team (9-1) as they defeated No. 18 Florida (5-4) in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City, 77-73.
The win avenged the loss from last season, when the Huskies’ three-peat hopes ended in Raleigh, N.C., after Walter Clayton Jr. caught fire late in the game to push the Gators on top.
“A lot of the guys in that locker room last year were hurt, and we just remember that feeling, being hurt,” Alex Karaban said after a 13-point performance. “At the end of the day, we knew how good Florida was, and we can’t let the emotions of last year carry into this year’s type of game.”
Tarris Reed Jr. returned to the floor (and the starting lineup) for the Huskies after missing the past two games with a lingering ankle injury. He proved to be much more of an offensive presence since his last appearance, which came against Illinois at the World’s Most Famous Arena. Reed scored six of the Huskies’ first nine points and ended the game with 12 points and five rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting.
“That’s twice that Tarris has stepped up as a gamer,” Dan Hurley said. “I think he’s healthy enough now to be able to actually get in practice consistently and sharpen up his game. He got off to a fast start, but then you saw some of the rust. But we don’t win this game without his presence on the court.”
Both teams fouled a lot throughout the game, but the differential was lopsided at the free-throw line. Florida shot 19-of-27 from the charity stripe, while UConn shot 11-of-16, with most coming toward the end of the game.
“There was some undisciplined fouling,” Hurley said. “Obviously, the free-throw differential was kind of keeping them in the game.”
Florida came in with an average rebounding margin of +14 coming into the game, tied for best in the country with Columbia. The Gators’ dominance on the glass was present in this contest too, with a 40-28 edge. That included a 16-7 mark in offensive rebounding.
“We were minus 20 versus Arizona with, obviously, no Tarris, and we gave up 16 offensive rebounds in a game where the goal is to try and hold them to 8,” Hurley said.
UConn scratched the surface of its ceiling on offense in the first half, shooting a blistering 59.3% from the floor with five of its eight 3-pointers coming in the first 20 minutes. The Huskies eventually came back down to earth but shot 50% for the game and 44.4% from deep.
“The strength of the team: it’s the nine guys,” Hurley said. “When you have nine quality players, you can survive an off night from multiple people and still get enough scoring production to win the game.”
However, the same could not be said for Florida’s offense. While the Gators did go on a 12-0 run up until the 10:53 mark in the first half and a 7-0 run early in the second half, the shooting percentages did not match those runs. Florida shot 42.4% from the floor overall, including a dismal 30% in the first half.
“I think the defense is where we needed to be to compete for the things at UConn that you want to,” Hurley said.
Xaivian Lee was a bright spot for the Gators. For most of this season, his offense was a shell of what he accomplished at Princeton. Coming into the game, Lee averaged 8.4 points per game while shooting 24.7% from the floor, 21.1% from deep and 81.3% from the free-throw line. In the game against the Huskies, he led Florida with 19 points and five assists on 5-of-14 shooting. His scoring mainly came at the free-throw line, making 8-of-9 shots at the line.
“I thought Lee took a big step for them tonight in a big game at MSG, showing what he’s capable of,” Hurley said.
Solo Ball led the Huskies with 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting. The 2024 NCAA champion knocked down 3-of-8 treys, including a pivotal one with five minutes left in the game.
“Having a team like [ours] gives you so much confidence,” Ball said. “Just to go in the game and hit those big shots—those shots that you work on, shots that you kind of dream of taking.”
Malachi Smith and Braylon Mullins provided the spark off the bench as the Huskies started to go deeper in the rotation with foul trouble looming. Smith played a crucial role in Connecticut’s offense, scoring 5 points and dishing out nine assists to finish with a team-high +16 plus-minus rating. His nine assists put him at 499 for his career, one away from the 500 milestone.
Mullins flirted with foul trouble, including back-to-back fouls in seven seconds in the first half and a quick foul after entering the game in the second half. Regardless, Mullins showed the ability to overcome adversity, scoring all 6 points in the second half, shooting 3-of-5 from the floor.
“He’s a confident guy,” Hurley said. “For a young player to be able to put the first half behind him that was a mess, and for him to do what he did in the second half, it shows his quality. He’s a beast.”
Florida had a 55-54 lead with 8:02 left in the game, but Mullins gave UConn the lead back with 7:40 to go and sparked a 7-0 run in which Connecticut never trailed for the rest of the game. While Florida got within three in crunch time, it could not get past that deficit.
UConn is now 6-2 against Florida in the all-time series, including a 5-0 mark in the regular season. Hurley is now 17-8 when coaching the Huskies at Madison Square Garden, including a 7-2 record in non-conference regular season matchups.
The Huskies close out the non-conference slate against Texas on Friday at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Conn.