By Pete Janny (@pete_janny)
HARTFORD, Conn. — Almost 15 years ago, UConn and Butler established their rivalry in an unexpected national championship matchup that ended with the Huskies securing their third title, while Gordon Hayward had his heart broken a second time on the sport’s biggest stage.
In every meeting since, UConn has won, establishing a sense of dominance over a nationally respected program.
The latest chapter between the Huskies and Bulldogs was written Tuesday night in front of a packed crowd at PeoplesBank Arena. Fifth-ranked UConn authored a 79-60 win, and did so after getting off to an inauspicious start, allowing Butler to jump out to an early lead that — of course — tested Dan Hurley’s patience.
“That was just total bullshit,” the coach said of letting Butler get downhill early. “To start the Big East opener by scoring a lob, and then they dunk the ball on a lob, that’s something championship teams don’t do.”
Things were looking up for Butler, who led 11-4, but then came the other side of the first media timeout. The Bulldogs went scoreless for over three minutes, while UConn was able to turn phenomenal interior defense into points on the other end. Once the Huskies offense settled in, all bets were off. Solo Ball powered a game-tying 7-0 run by getting to his spots inside, and Braylon Mullins provided a spark that would further endear the Indiana product to the UConn faithful.
Mullins’ corner three gave the Huskies (11-1, 1-0 Big East) a four-point lead at 18-14 that helped drive the turnaround, and he continued to impress in the first half, with eight points on a pair of threes.
Tarris Reed, Jr., who scored UConn’s first four points and started his night with an alley-oop feed from Silas Demary, Jr., overwhelmed Drayton Davis and Butler to the tune of 10 first-half points.
With Ball and Mullins leading the way in the backcourt, UConn ended the first half on an extended 21-8 run over the final eight minutes to lead 39-25 at halftime. Butler’s shooting numbers tanked, and never really recovered, after shooting 28 percent (9-for-32) from the field and just 1-for-12 from three-point range in the first half. To boot, the lethal three-headed monster of Ball, Mullins, and Reed combined for a ridiculous 35 of 39 first-half points to make the lead insurmountable.
While Butler tried to whittle a deficit that eventually swelled to 24 points, Jayden Ross showed some of his best game since arriving at UConn three years ago. The junior forward helped sustain the Huskies’ aggressive style of play in the second half by coming up with a series of dunks that will not soon be forgotten as the season progresses. The memorable performance ended with 13 points, all in the second half, to go along with eight rebounds. Ross’ putback slam off a missed Ball three was the main highlight, but he also soared for a fast-break dunk and received an alley-oop feed from Demary.
Life hasn’t always been easy for Ross at UConn, despite him staying the course after a disappointing sophomore campaign.
“Most men would hang their head, be a baby, and start preparing for the portal,” Hurley said when assessing the lack of playing time for Ross lately. “It’s just not the way he handled it. He just accepted it, and got back to work. I told him he would get his opportunity.”
Ross’ increased opportunities in the second half came after Jaylin Stewart suffered an injury in the first half while running back on defense. Hurley wasn’t sure of the seriousness of Stewart’s injury when asked about it after the game, as the versatile wing did not return after halftime.
There’s no ignoring that Ball had his best game of the season, as he finished with a career-high 26 points in an effort that could very well cast away his early-season shooting struggles for good.
“He comes from a family that has built him up into a strong man,” Hurley said. “Dealing with him on a daily basis, you wouldn’t know if he’s shooting 50 percent from three or 15 percent. He has a very confident mind, and it’s hard not to get him to believe in himself.”
The UConn defense is willing to battle for 40 minutes with a combination of elite ball pressure and rim protection that reminds Hurley of his two national championship teams. After falling outside the top 50 in KenPom defensively last year, the Huskies are firmly back in the top 10, and will likely stay there.
A lot of that can be traced to Demary, who has shown flashes of greatness, but is still looking to put it all together. Once he does, watch out.
“That kid has changed our identity completely as the point of attack defender,” Hurley said of Demary. “He’s the reason why our defense is good enough to win a championship.”
Among the glut of positives on Tuesday night for UConn included outrebounding the opposition, 47-29, and rejecting 13 shots at the rim, led by four blocks from Eric Reibe and three from Reed.
Tuesday had the look of a Big East game with the bruising nature of play. At 1-0 in conference action, UConn has set the tone and continues to give Hurley enough reasons to believe his team can go the distance by the time March rolls around.
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