UConn picks up where it leaves off in overpowering W over Xavier

 

Silas Demary, Jr. led UConn with 17 points and eight assists as Huskies completed season sweep of Xavier. (Photo by Jessica Hill/Associated Press)

HARTFORD, Conn. — UConn dropped a spot in the Top 25 this week even after its most convincing performance to date in conference play.

It responded by raising its offense and intensity another level just 72 hours later.

Only three days removed from a 27-point evisceration of Creighton, the Huskies took any frustrations stemming from falling to No. 3 in the polls out on Xavier Tuesday, crushing the Musketeers from start to finish in a 92-60 thrashing to complete a season sweep of the Cincinnati-based program.

“I just feel like the team is starting to figure out how to play more bulletproof basketball,” head coach Dan Hurley remarked after UConn remained unbeaten in Big East Conference play and won its 18th consecutive game. “I just thought we played at such a great level. Obviously, the short turnaround, the travel back from Creighton, getting in at 5 a.m. on Sunday and then kind of doing the best we could with prep on Sunday when everyone is kind of sleep-deprived, I just thought that the group showed just a high level of class by playing at such a high level on both ends.”

UConn (22-1, 12-0 Big East) never trailed Tuesday, as a Braylon Mullins three just 67 seconds into the contest served as the first points in a seismic rout. The Huskies opened the game on a 10-0 run, forcing Xavier head coach Richard Pitino to call a timeout as the Musketeers were unable to effectively contain a lineup that placed five players in double figures and came one point each from having Solo Ball and Alex Karaban join that group as well.

The hosts poured it on from there, eventually opening up their largest halftime lead in conference play at the end of the opening stanza, when UConn took a 50-22 lead into the locker room. Xavier would briefly show flashes of getting closer, including early in the second half when Hurley unsuccessfully challenged an out of bounds call and then saw Malachi Smith get called for a flagrant foul, but the Huskies slammed the door shortly thereafter.

“Worst case scenario,” Hurley quipped when asked about the challenge and its aftermath. “I didn’t know that was possible. I gotta go see the clip. It was just universal, though. It was clearly not off of Malachi, but to lose the challenge and (have) it become a flagrant, it was like, oh my God. I didn’t know that was possible.”

What was possible, though, following the Creighton game, was the belief that UConn would become more adept at piecing together a complete game. Silas Demary, Jr. hinted at that in Omaha this past Saturday, saying it would not be long before the Huskies put forth efforts of that nature on a consistent basis. The point guard was proven prophetic the next time he took the floor, leading the way toward a full 40-minute takedown with 17 points and eight assists.

The Georgia transfer has unlocked his outside shot in addition to his two-way play, and credited a veteran influence for helping him be more selective and efficient with his opportunities.

“Just talking with the coaches and (Karaban) just helping me figure out where I can be effective in the offense,” Demary said. “Over the past couple weeks, I think I’ve been able to just pick and choose my spots the right way, and I think it’s helping us because now I feel like I’m a threat on the three-point line. Now, teams have to guard us a different way. Towards the beginning of the year, people were going under and I think last year, I shot a good percentage. So it was just getting my confidence back, and then just being able to pick and choose the spots where I could let it fly.”

Besides Demary, the interior tandem of Tarris Reed, Jr. and Eric Reibe each tallied 14 points, combining for 15 rebounds between them. Mullins added 13, with 10 of those markers coming in UConn’s 14-2 salvo to start the game. Jayden Ross was the Huskies’ other double-digit scorer, accounting for 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

UConn’s next contest is the much-anticipated encounter with fellow Big East favorite St. John’s inside Madison Square Garden on Friday, an opponent the Huskies have pledged to treat no differently than any of those who have come before the Red Storm. But no matter who awaits, or what is placed in front of his team, Hurley sees a clearer vision of what can be when firing on all cylinders.

“I think this is who we believe we can be, who we think we are,” he said. “When you look at Alex Karaban and Braylon Mullins, and Solo Ball and Silas Demary, and J-Ross off the bench and Jaylin Stewart, we’ve got guys that can make shots and firepower. We’ve got two centers that can rotate in and out and be as good as, or better than, any two-center tandem in the league, we’ve got an excellent backup point guard in Malachi Smith. Sometimes it just takes you a while to get there.”