No. 3 UConn men’s basketball begins three-peat quest with blowout win over Sacred Heart

Alex Karaban led the way with 20 points, seven assists, and seven blocks

UConn men’s basketball is back, and while the team on the court was different from last year’s juggernaut, the result was the same. The third-ranked Huskies dispatched of the Sacred Heart Pioneers, 92-56 on banner raising night at Gampel Pavilion.

Alex Karaban kicked off his All-American campaign with a sterling 20 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and seven (!) blocks, with the latter two career highs. He also became the first D-I men’s player to put up 20 points, seven assists, and seven blocks in a game since 2003, per ESPN.

Sophomore Solo Ball chipped in 16 points, while freshman Liam McNeeley added 18 points and 10 rebounds in his collegiate debut. Michigan transfer Tarris Reed joined the double-double party with 15 point and 11 rebounds.

The season’s first starting lineup of Ball, McNeeley, Karaban, Samson Johnson, and Aidan Mahaney raised plenty of questions right off the bat, especially about Hassan Diarra’s role. But familiarity soon took hold. Karaban blocked Sacred Heart’s first two attempts and Johnson opened up his 2024-25 dunk account with a breakaway slam.

Back-to-back threes from Karaban and Ball gave UConn its first real cushion. A Pioneer zone did nothing to disrupt ball movement, but two quick fouls on Reed and Johnson, plus some sloppy turnovers, kept things interesting.

Despite a quick double-digit lead, the Huskies lacked crispness, though that’s to be expected given the new pieces and first-game jitters. There were overcooked passes, a few air balls, miscommunications on defense, and fouls 25 feet away from the basket.

Luckily, UConn has Karaban, who did everything but sell hot dogs in the first half (14 points, five assists, five blocks, three rebounds, 5-5 FG). The Huskies led by 15 at the break, but there was plenty for Hurley to chew on, notably 14 SHU points in the paint and seven UConn turnovers.

The Huskies dialed up the defensive intensity to start the second half, holding Sacred Heart without a field goal for the first six minutes. Reed looked more comfortable as the game wore on, at one point gobbling up offensive rebounds on four-straight possessions. The Michigan transfer picked up a double-double nearly in the second half alone, putting up 12 points and nine rebounds.

There were some glimpses of the final product, like this pretty touch-pass from Karaban to Slamson.

Beyond McNeeley looking ready and a confirmed Solo Ball Leap, holding Sacred Heart — which put up 70 points against Temple on Monday — to eight second-half field goals and only one three before garbage time is the most encouraging. Despite a Clingan-sized hole in the middle, UConn logged 38 points in the paint. And no Cam Spencer, no problem; the Huskies connected on 43% of their threes.

Next up for UConn is a Saturday night home game against New Hampshire at 7 p.m. ET.