UConn Eyes Big East Supremacy in Rematch with Georgetown
After a stumble at Madison Square Garden, UConn found its late-game rhythm again-and just in time. Now, with the Big East standings tighter than ever, the No. 6 Huskies return home to Storrs looking to keep their edge atop the conference when they host Georgetown on Saturday night.
Let’s rewind for a moment. Just over a week ago, UConn let a close one slip away against St.
John’s, getting outscored 14-5 in the final 3:39 of what turned into an 81-72 loss. It was a rare lapse in execution for a team that’s otherwise been excellent in crunch time.
But on Wednesday at Butler, the Huskies answered the bell. They closed the game on a 16-8 run over the final 6:49, pulling away for an 80-70 win that not only steadied the ship but also locked in a first-round bye for next month’s Big East Tournament.
“We get everyone’s best shot,” head coach Danny Hurley said postgame. “But when it got close-two, four points-we responded.
We pushed it to double digits, made big shots. Any road win in this league?
That’s like two wins.”
One of the biggest reasons for that bounce-back? Solo Ball.
The junior guard erupted for 24 points, tying the second-highest scoring output of his career. After struggling with his shot over the previous four games-just 31.8% from the field-Ball found his groove, knocking down 8 of 14 shots, including a season-best six triples. Confidence, rhythm, and trust from his teammates all played a role.
“It felt good,” Ball said. “My teammates are always uplifting me.
I had it going tonight, people kept finding me. Credit to my teammates.
Glad I was able to hit some shots.”
But Ball wasn’t the only one clicking. UConn as a team shot 50.8% from the field, their fourth straight game hitting at least half their shots. They also continued to let it fly from deep, connecting on 13 of 31 from beyond the arc.
And perhaps just as important as the hot shooting? The Huskies cleaned up their ball security.
After turning it over 15 times in the loss to St. John’s, they coughed it up just eight times at Butler.
Silas Demary Jr., who had a rough nine-turnover outing in the Garden, bounced back in a big way with 11 points, 10 assists, and just two turnovers.
Now comes Georgetown.
The last time these two teams met-back on Jan. 17 in D.C.-UConn had to grind out a 64-62 win. The Hoyas shot 43.9% that night, despite being in the middle of a six-game losing streak. Since then, they’ve started to show signs of life.
After a 15-point loss at Villanova on Jan. 21, Georgetown ripped off four straight wins. They shot over 50% in three of those games and even managed to win one while shooting just 34.9%-an 8-point victory over Creighton that showed some grit.
But last Saturday, the offense sputtered again. Georgetown hit just 7-of-25 from deep and shot 32.3% in the second half of an 80-73 home loss to Villanova. Head coach Ed Cooley didn’t mince words.
“I thought we played hard. We didn’t have intelligence playing today,” Cooley said.
“We did not do what we were supposed to do, from a scouting standpoint. We did not execute our way into victory.
We tried to play our way into victory.”
Still, there are bright spots. Malik Mack continues to be a steady scorer, finishing with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting. He’s been efficient lately, knocking down 43.9% of his shots over his last five games-a sharp turnaround from a 1-of-14 night earlier this season at Villanova.
KJ Lewis, on the other hand, is still searching for consistency. After a 26-point outburst at Providence on Jan. 24, he’s cooled off, shooting just 34% over his last four games. He scored 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting in the Villanova rematch.
For UConn, Saturday is about more than just staying in the win column-it’s about keeping their foot on the gas as March creeps closer. With St.
John’s breathing down their neck in the standings, every game matters. And if the Huskies can keep playing the way they did in Indianapolis-efficient, composed, and confident-they’ll be tough to knock off the Big East throne.