In a dramatic Big East Tournament championship game, UConn's star point guard, Silas Demary Jr., faced a challenging night, exiting twice in the second half due to injuries. Despite the setbacks, the Huskies fought on, though they ultimately stumbled at the finish line.
Demary, who transferred from Georgia, first showed signs of trouble after an awkward landing on a layup attempt. Coach Dan Hurley later shared that the initial diagnosis was a minor ankle sprain.
"He just reappeared on the bench," Hurley mentioned, noting Demary's resilience. "The first thing I heard was that it was a very minor sprain with no swelling."
The first scare happened with just over nine minutes left, following a blocked layup attempt by St. John's standout center, Zuby Ejiofor, who set a tournament final record with seven blocks.
As Demary lay on the court, St. John's capitalized with a dunk, but play was stopped as Demary clutched his left ankle.
After heading to the locker room, Demary returned under his own power and rejoined the action with just under six minutes left. However, his return was short-lived. He seemed to reaggravate the injury while driving the baseline against Ejiofor, eventually missing a three-pointer and signaling for a substitution after struggling defensively.
This brief return coincided with a St. John's surge, as they went on a decisive 13-0 run, extending their lead to 23 points.
UConn's offense went cold, unable to score a field goal in the final eight minutes, a stark contrast to St. John's previous struggles in Hartford.
With both the Big East regular-season and tournament titles slipping away, UConn now turns its attention to the NCAA Tournament, awaiting their seeding on Selection Sunday. Coach Hurley remains hopeful about Demary's availability for the first round. "We'll take precautions with an X-ray," Hurley said, "but hopefully, it is not something that lingers."
As the Huskies look ahead, they’ll need their star point guard healthy and ready to make an impact on the national stage.