Echoes of the 2023 National Championship team have rung throughout No. 4 UConn’s 2025-26 campaign. Another parallel from that season emerges as the Huskies (14-1, 4-0) prepare to take on Providence.
A season sweep over the Friars (8-6, 1-2) last year extended UConn’s winning streak in the series to six straight. The last time Providence defeated the Huskies was over three years ago, when the Friars hosted UConn at Amica Mutual Pavilion in a 73-61 upset. UConn entered that contest as a top five team in the country with just one loss.
The Huskies will look to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself on Wednesday as they travel to Providence R.I., for their fifth Big East game of the season.
“They don’t like us. We’re going to go in there, they’re going to be calling us names,” Jaylin Stewart said. ““It’s always fun going into a place with fans that don’t like you.”
Providence returns home riding the coat tails of what UConn head coach Dan Hurley called a “season-defining win.” In an improbable comeback over St. Johns at Madison Square Garden, the Friars allowed the Red Storm to jump out to a 13-0 lead. They trailed as many as nine in the second half, but Providence battled back into the game with five players finishing in double digits.
Stefan Vaaks led the Friars in scoring with 16 points, followed closely by Jaylin Sellars and Jamier Jones with 15. Jones pulled down 10 rebounds to earn his first career double-double which earned him the nod as Big East Freshman of the Week.
“[Jones] was really the X-factor,” Alex Karaban said. “He doesn’t play like a freshman.”
Vaaks buried his third three of the game to give Providence the lead with less than two minutes to play. Providence pulled away as the clock wound down in a 77-71 finish.
UConn is coming off its worst shooting night since November during its 73-51 win over Marquette on Sunday afternoon. The Huskies shot a combined 20.8% from three, its lowest mark since they shot 20% against Bryant on Nov. 23.
“Offensively, we weren’t sharp,” Karaban said. “We got lucky that Marquette missed a lot of shots.”
The Huskies’ top marksmen this year, Karaban and Braylon Mullins, were both shooting above 37.5% coming into Sunday. They shot a combined 1/12 from three against the Golden Eagles.
Solo Ball was one of the best three-point shooters in the nation last season with a 41.4% average from deep. He has struggled to recapture that shooting consistency this year. While there have been some flashes of Ball’s shooting ability, he is still shooting under 30% through 14 starts.
Providence poses an opportunity for Ball and the Huskies’ to regain their confidence beyond the arc. The Friars rank near the bottom of college basketball in defending the three, allowing opponents to knock down 36.2% of their three pointers.
What the Friars lack in perimeter defense, they make up for with their high-powered offense that boasts three players averaging over 13 points per game. Providence leads the Big East in scoring at 88.9 points per game.
“They’ve got high-level talent,” Hurley said. “Their offensive firepower, especially on the perimeter, is as good as you’re going to play against in the league.”
Vanderbilt transfer Jason Edwards has been at the forefront of the offense despite a relatively quiet night, with 11 points against St. Johns. He is averaging a conference-best 17.9 points per game while shooting 36% from three.
Lineup experimentation by head coach Kim English have brought Edwards in and out of the starting lineup throughout the season, but that has not kept him from producing. The Friars have run six different lineup combinations over 14 games this season, with Edwards making the start in nine. Only Sellers has appeared in all 14 starting lineups this season.
Tarris Reed Jr. put together one of the most dominant performances of his career at Amica Mutual Pavilion last season. He posted career highs across the stat sheet posting 24 points, 18 rebounds and six blocks.
“His best games are up there with the best games in college basketball for a center,” Stewart said.
The Preseason All-Big East First Team selection has scored in double figures in six straight starts since returning from injury. He has grabbed at least eight rebounds in each of his past three outings.
UConn will look to bounce back on Wednesday after a performance that gave the team little satisfaction, despite a 26-point win.
“We didn’t play to the standard of UConn basketball,” Silas Demary Jr. said. “If we want to be a championship team, we have to play to a certain level.”
The game tips off at 7 p.m. on Peacock.