The University of Connecticut men’s basketball program has won two national championships, a Big East regular-season championship, and a Big East Tournament championship, sent seven players to the NBA, produced an All-American, along with a slew of All-Conference selections since 2021.
Something the organization has not done in that frame: Beat Seton Hall on the road.
The No. 3 Huskies will have a chance to snap No. 25 Seton Hall’s four-game home winning streak in the series on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center.
UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley played for Seton Hall during his collegiate career and carries Pirate skeletons in his closet to this day. The 2024 Coach of the Year has been very open about the mental health struggles that came along with his playing days, often referring to them as an embarrassment.
“My career eats away at me still,” Hurley said on 60 Minutes on CBS News. “It bothers me if I see a picture of myself with the Seton Hall uniform or a clip.
Hurley is 6-5 against the Pirates (14-2, 4-1) since the Huskies (16-1, 6-0) returned to the Big East in 2020. He was earned a victory in his return to Newark, N.J. during UConn’s first road meeting with his alma mater that season but has yet to replicate the feat.
Tuesday will be the first ranked opponent that the Huskies have played since they defeated then-No. 18 Florida on Dec. 9. Two of the nation’s iron-clad defenses will test their metals against one another. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 of KenPom’s defensive efficiency rankings.
“They’re quick, they’re very aggressive, very physical, on ball, off ball,” Hurley said.
The Huskies have the second highest turnover rate in the conference coming into the game. This does not bode well for them considering Seton Hall is forcing turnovers at the second highest frequency in the Big East.
UConn has committed double-digit turnovers in each of its first six conference games, four in which the team committed at least 14.
“We’re going to have to take care of the ball,” Hurley said. “Most of the teams that we’ve turned the ball over against weren’t teams that apply pressure.”
Seton Hall boasts the second longest winning streak in the conference. The three game stretch trails only UConn, which remains unbeaten against Big East foes through six games. Head Coach Shaheen Holloway has completely changed the tide for the Pirates, who won just two conference games all season last year.
He made a full roster overhaul, with only four players on the Pirates 15-man roster returning from last season. Those four have played in just 2% of the total minutes this season.
AJ Staton-McCray was one of the key additions Holloway made in the offseason. The Miami transfer is the team’s leading scorer averaging 12.3 points per game and is shooting 37% from three. McCray scored a season-high 22 points during the team’s win over NC State in November.
“He’s impressive, he’s explosive. He can score at all three levels,” Hurley said.
Holloway also poached Budd Clar from Merrimack to run the point. He averaged nearly 20 points per game in his sophomore season along with six assists.
Clark is now averaging five assists per game this season, which is the third highest mark in the conference while still scoring in double figures. He dished out 12 assists in December against Central Connecticut, which tied his career best.
“He’s not just a small guard that’s quick and fast. He plays really physically, defensively,” Hurley said. “They got some real guard depth, which makes it easy on, easier on all those guys.”
The Huskies’ biggest advantage will be its size. 6-foot-9 Stephon Payne mans the middle for Seton Hall. UConn’s centers Tarris Reed Jr. and Eric Reibe will be the two largest players to touch the court on Tuesday.
UConn wins the battle on the glass by a six-rebound margin on average this season, which is the second highest in the conference only to Butler. Seton Hall are not a bad rebounding team despite their lack of size but are only plus-three on the boards.
Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins swept the Big East Award slate last week. Demary was named as the Player of the Week while Mullins earned his second Freshman of the Week nod. The two newcomers to the Huskies’ starting lineup led UConn to a 2-0 week which included a 13-point comeback win over Providence in overtime.
Mullins led UConn in scoring both games, averaging 20 points per game over the stretch. He caught fire from three hitting 53% of his 15 attempts. Demary was the spark that ignited UConn’s comeback over the Friars. He posted 23 points, 15 assists and 5 steals, while sinking a mid-range to ice the game in overtime.
A win at the Prudential Center would scratch off an item on Alex Karaban’s “checklist,” who has yet to do so over his four-year career with the Huskies. Tuesday will be his last chance to do it, in the Big East’s first top-25 matchup of the season.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. and can be watched on truTV.