63 hours and 3 minutes.
Less than three days. That is how much time No. 4 UConn men’s basketball had to prepare for its 72-60 win over DePaul on Saturday afternoon following its win over Providence.
The Huskies (16-1, 6-0) never trailed on the way to their 21st straight win all time over the Blue Demons (10-7, 2-4). UConn advanced to its sixth straight conference win while snapping DePaul’s two-game streak.
Braylon Mullins got the fans on their feet early on by knocking down a three-pointer through contact to set up a four-point play. He finished the game 2/5 from beyond the arc following a 6/10 performance against Providence on Wednesday.
UConn’s Head Coach Dan Hurley drew comparisons between his freshman marksman, and the greatest shooter in the history of the sport, Stephen Curry.
“From when the ball touches his hand to when he gets the release off, it’s so quick. Every time he shoots it, you think it’s going in,” Hurley said. It’s similar to Steph — a lower release, but the speed from catch to release is elite.”
Mullins architected a 5-0 sequence in the second half that put the game out of reach for the Blue Demons. He poked the ball away on the defense before finding a streaking Solo Ball for an easy layup.
On the very next possession he was able to quickly pick off a pass and swing it to the corner to a wide-open Alex Karaban in the corner for three. The stretch from Mullins put the Huskies up 17 with five minutes to play. He led all scorers for the second game in a row with 16, tied with DePaul’s Layden Blocker.
“He’s not just a shooter, he’s a football player out there,” Hurley said. “That stretch where he was flying around, that’s what we need more of.”
Silas Demary Jr. was quiet to start the game following a career night where he scored 23 points and 15 assists against Providence. He attacked the basket on back-to-back possessions to score his first four points of the night with less than three minutes to go in the second half.
Demary was charged with the last shot as the clock wound down before the half. He got himself open for a pull up mid-range but couldn’t stick it. Like Mjölnir returning to the hands of Thor, the ball leaked back out to the perimeter after the miss where Demary was waiting to retrieve it.
He stepped into a three-pointer as the horn sounded through PeoplesBank Arena. The orchestra of Husky fans cheering out when the ball fell through the net muted the blare of the buzzer, as UConn entered the tunnel with a 37-27 lead.
“When I’m aggressive, my reads are clear,” Demary said. “Being more aggressive and picking and choosing my spots, mixing up whether I’m coming off as a scorer or a playmaker.”
UConn’s leading scorer this season, Ball, did not attempt a field goal in the first half. He posted a 13% in KenPom’s percentage of possessions used, his lowest involvement in the offense this season.
Ball put the Blue Demons on their heels quickly out of the break, driving across the key to get to his left hand and finishing through the foul. He later came up with an offensive rebound which led to a Tarris Reed Jr. hook shot in the paint. The possession capped off a 7-1 to start the second half, which forced DePaul to call a timeout.
While Ball mustered up some more offense in the second half but still only scored a season-low seven points on 3/5 shooting. He did finish the game +18 which was second highest for the Huskies, behind only Karaban, taking a backseat on offense.
“Some nights it’s not going to be your night. The way teams scout, the defense is going to dictate where the ball goes,” Hurley said. “On nights like that, when you play on such a talented team, you’ve got to do other things. You’ve got to guard, rebound, and playmaker.”
UConn will have another short rest before its next game against Seton Hall on Tuesday. The Huskies haven’t won on the road against the Pirates since March 2021.
The game tips off at 8 p.m. and can be watched on truTV.