No. 3 UConn once again made short work of Xavier on Tuesday night, claiming a 92-60 victory at PeopleBank Arena in Hartford.
The 32-point win was the Huskies’ (22-1, 12-0) largest scoring margin over a conference opponent, eclipsing their previous best in the team’s last outing against Creighton on Saturday night, when they won by 27. The 12-0 start to Big East play is the second-best start in program history.
“The team is showing what we’re capable of, but the fact that now we’re showing more dominance,” Head Coach Dan Hurley said. “We’ve cleaned up the rebounding, we’ve cleaned up the offensive end of the court. This is closer to the expectation.”
The Huskies jumped out to an early lead in similar fashion to their 23-point win over the Musketeers (12-11, 4-8) on New Year’s Eve. Braylon Mullins picked up right where he left off against the Blue Jays when he led the team in scoring by knocking down a three from the top of the key for the game’s first bucket.
Mullins’ basket sparked the fuse that detonated a nuclear warhead from UConn’s offense. The five-star freshman scored eight during a 10-0 run that broke open the first half. He capped off the surge with a fast break dunk that forced Xavier Head Coach Richard Pitino to call a timeout.
“I think he’s just getting started,” Hurley said. “I think you’re going to see this guy at the rim a lot more, mixed in with bomb threes.”
While the signal stopped the clock, it did not stop the Musketeers’ bleeding. The Huskies’ would not relent. Mullins finished the half with 13 points, joined in double digits by Tarris Reed Jr. who was a perfect 5/5 around the basket through the first twenty minutes. UConn entered the intermission with a 50-22 lead, its largest halftime lead against a conference opponent this season.
Silas Demary Jr. was honored for scoring 1,000 career points prior to the game and played like he wanted to reach 2,000 that same night. His fingerprints were all over the Huskies’ offense. Demary was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points while also dishing out eight assists. He was still lunging for loose balls even as the team led by well over 20 in the second half.
“He’s the quarterback of the team…he has a chance to win some things this year,” Hurley said. “And he’s playing his way into becoming an NBA player.”
Reed continued to dominate the paint. He converted on all seven attempts and finished the game with 14 points. The performance tacked on to a 14-made shot streak that has lasted since UConn’s 87-81 win over Providence on Jan. 27. Reed also pulled down eight rebounds which led the game.
He recounted a moment that he shared pre-game with Hurley that he credited to his efficiency around the rim.
“He said something that really stuck with me, ‘This is a once in a lifetime opportunity playing for a top three team in the country. Go out there and just have fun,’ Reed said. “So, I feel like touch around the rim is just an effect of us just buying into the product.”
The Huskies controlled the glass throughout, comfortably winning the rebounding battle by 17. Eric Reibe trailed behind Reed with seven rebounds, while Alex Karaban grabbed six.
The Huskies’ perimeter barrage was just as potent as its interior presence. UConn buried 13 threes in its first meeting with the Musketeers this season. While the Huskies didn’t quite hit that number, 10 threes were more than enough to get the job done this time around. Demary and Jayden Ross each contributed three triples to lead the team from beyond the arc.
“I don’t have another great explanation for it,” Hurley said. “We’re just starting to make shots at the clip, at the level that this team should be making shots.”
Seven UConn players finished with at least nine points, five of which were in double figures, as the buzzer sounded through a triumphant PeoplesBank Arena. The Huskies 34 shots came from 26 assists. Tuesday was the team’s third straight 80-point game, boosting its KenPom offensive rating to No. 26 in the country.
“We’ve got great men that are willing to share the ball… we’ve been fortunate enough to recruit just good people that are willing to share the game with their teammates,” Hurley said.
UConn will turn its attention to Pitino’s father, two-time national champion head coach Rick Pitino, and the St. John’s Red Storm in what will be just the second ranked Big East game of the season. The Huskies were swept by St. John’s last season.
The highly anticipated matchup will tip off at 8 p.m. and can be watched on Fox.