Turnovers plague UConn as St. John’s spoils McNeeley’s return

Liam McNeeley made long-awaited return Friday and logged double-double, but it wasn’t enough as UConn fell to St. John’s. (Photo by UConn Men’s Basketball)

By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)

STORRS, Conn. — If you could only watch one Big East game all season, there’s a pretty good chance the contest in Storrs on Friday night would at least be amongst the finalists for games you consider.

The script just had it all. Dan Hurley against Rick Pitino. A Top 20 matchup. The return of Liam McNeeley. Primetime on Fox. I could probably list a dozen more reasons why this game between UConn and St. John’s is the biggest game in the Big East not just up to this point, but all season long.

Well, the game certainly delivered. 

The 12th-ranked Red Storm marched into Gampel Pavilion and defeated the 19th-ranked Huskies, 68-62, in front of a sold-out Gampel Pavilion to advance to 21-3 on the season, dropping UConn to 16-7. RJ Luis, Jr. scored 21 points and hit the dagger with 10.1 seconds remaining in regulation, a baseline jumper with the shot clock winding down to push the lead to four and give St. John’s all it would need to hold on from there.

“The game was everything we expected it to be,” Hurley said. “Credit St. John’s, the defense is real, the pressure they put on you and the physicality they bring.”

UConn started out red hot, scoring 26 points in the first eight minutes. Solo Ball knocked down a pair of threes before the first media timeout as the Red Storm looked lost on both ends. Ball scored 13 points, but all of them came in the first half.

“We’re a team that's reliant on getting shots for our players based on what we run,” Hurley said. “Switching affects that a lot.”

The Husky lead grew to as many as 14 early in the first half, but as quickly as it got that high, it went away. Plagued by turnovers all night, finishing with 22, the ball protection for Hurley’s team was very subpar compared to how it had been all season long, minus last Saturday at Marquette.

“You’re not gonna win games against St. John’s playing like that,” Hurley said. “Just some undisciplined stuff that we’re doing that makes you feel like you’re not coaching your team well.”

A late 12-0 run from the Red Storm that featured turnover after turnover from the Huskies was the difference. The only two Huskies who scored multiple field goals in the second half came from the bench, as McNeeley and Tarris Reed, Jr. were the only two really providing any jolts on the offensive end. They both recorded double-doubles, as McNeeley had a team-high 18 points and added 11 rebounds, while Reed tallied 12 points and a season-high 15 boards.

“This was a tough game to return to for Liam,” Hurley said. “It’s gonna take him a game or two to get rolling, but that second half in a game like that was impressive.”

“It’s a blessing to be back,” McNeeley added. “I didn’t realize how much I’d miss it until I went out, but I’m not happy anymore.”

McNeeley came off the bench for the first time this season and took a while to get the rust off, starting 0-for-5 from deep. He figured it out down the stretch and was impactful even in defeat, a sign for greater things to come for UConn over the next few weeks.

“I think he’s a lottery pick,” Pitino said. “I love him as a basketball player, I think he’s great.”

Two notable absences in the score column for the Huskies were Alex Karaban and Hassan Diarra. They each scored three points and struggled to contribute in their own fashion. Karaban went 0-for-5 from distance and Diarra, who’s battling a nagging injury, looked physically a step behind and had six turnovers.

“Alex is such a smart player and such a perfectionist,” Hurley said. “You’ve got to be willing in games like this to go 3-for-14 and just say ‘f’ it. Alex needs to take 12 or 13 shots in that game right there.”

Diarra still played 34 minutes in the loss, something that Hurley would prefer not be the case.

“We don’t really have a backup point guard we’re comfortable with right now,” Hurley said. “A hobbled Hass playing 34 minutes is the best we’ve got.”

At the end of the day, if you turn the ball over 47 times in two games like UConn did, there aren’t many worlds where you end up going 2-0. It could be argued you could be lucky to squeeze just one win out during a stretch like that. While there are certainly positives to take from any loss, such as McNeeley’s big return, it’s hard to overlook the negatives.

The Huskies will have a few days to try and erase those negatives as they travel to Omaha on Tuesday to take on a Creighton team that came to Storrs last month and handed UConn a rare home loss. Tip is set for 9 p.m. EST at the CHI Health Center.