UConn Heads to Hinkle Fieldhouse Looking to Bounce Back Against Butler
The No. 6 UConn Huskies are hitting the road again, and this time, they’re heading to one of college basketball’s most iconic venues-Hinkle Fieldhouse-for a Wednesday night showdown with Butler.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and fans can catch the action on TNT and truTV.
This marks the second and final regular season meeting between the two programs, and UConn is looking to complete the sweep after a dominant 79-60 win over the Bulldogs back in December. That game saw Solo Ball erupt for a career-high 26 points and the Huskies swat away 13 shots-both performances that set the tone for their early conference dominance.
Historically, this matchup has been all UConn. Since their first meeting in the 2011 national title game and resuming regular matchups in 2020-21 as BIG EAST foes, the Huskies have taken every single one of the 11 conference meetings. They’re also a perfect 5-0 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, a place known for its old-school charm but not much luck for the Bulldogs when UConn comes to town.
But this trip to Indy comes at a pivotal moment for the Huskies. Their 18-game winning streak and spotless 12-0 record in league play came to a halt Friday night at Madison Square Garden, where No.
22 St. John’s handed them an 81-72 loss.
UConn actually shot a blistering 54.7% from the field in that game, but the story was told at the free-throw line and in the turnover column. The Red Storm out-attempted UConn 31-12 at the stripe, and the Huskies coughed it up 15 times-mistakes that proved costly in a hostile environment.
Still, there were bright spots. Silas Demary Jr. put together a complete performance with 18 points, seven boards, and five assists. Alex Karaban added 17 and, in the process, climbed to 12th on UConn’s all-time scoring list-an impressive milestone for the junior forward.
What makes this UConn team so dangerous, though, is its balance. All five starters are averaging double figures, with Solo Ball and Tarris Reed Jr. leading the way at 14.0 points per game apiece.
Karaban is right behind at 13.5, while also averaging 5.5 rebounds and over two assists in a league-high 33.6 minutes per game. In conference play, the scoring is even more evenly distributed-Ball, Demary Jr., Karaban, Braylon Mullins, and Reed Jr. all sit between 12.8 and 13.8 points per game.
No other high-major program can claim five players averaging at least 12 points in league action. That kind of offensive depth makes UConn a nightmare to guard.
Mullins, who returns to his home state for this matchup, has been lights out from deep-his 41.0% clip from beyond the arc leads all qualified BIG EAST shooters in conference play. Demary Jr. has been the engine at the point, dishing out a league-best 6.1 assists per game while shooting nearly 50% from the field and a scorching 47.2% from three.
As a team, UConn leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (49.0), three-point shooting (36.8%), and assists per game (18.3). That’s elite-level efficiency across the board.
Defensively, the Huskies are just as formidable. Reed Jr. anchors the paint with 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, shooting a conference-best 64.0% from the floor-good for 12th nationally.
Both he and Demary Jr. earned spots on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list, and it’s easy to see why. UConn ranks top-20 in the country in scoring defense (64.5 ppg), opponent three-point percentage (28.4%), field goal percentage defense (39.5%), and blocks per game (5.4).
This is a group that gets it done on both ends.
Butler, meanwhile, is coming off a loss at Marquette and sits at 13-11 overall, with a 4-9 mark in BIG EAST play. The Bulldogs have been solid at home, going 9-4 at Hinkle this season and 3-3 in conference games there. They’ll look to lean on Finley Bizjack, one of the league’s top scorers at 17.9 points per game, and Michael Ajayi, who leads the BIG EAST in rebounding with a monster 11.6 boards per contest.
For UConn, this is about more than just getting back in the win column. It’s a chance to reassert their dominance in the BIG EAST, shake off the sting of a rare loss, and keep building toward March with the kind of depth, defense, and unselfishness that championship teams are built on.
Wednesday night in Indy should be a good one.