The Huskies started out hot but couldn’t finish off the Red Storm Friday night.
UConn men’s basketball got out to a hot start Friday night against No. 12 St. John’s but couldn’t seal the deal, as the Red Storm handed the Huskies a 68-62 defeat at Gampel Pavilion. Here are some of our staff’s takeaways from UConn’s seventh loss of the season and fourth in Big East play.
Elite defenses are going to be a problem
Shawn McGrath: The injuries are truly starting to stack up, even if Liam McNeeley did return from his high ankle sprain on Friday night, but St. John’s put UConn in its place. An offensive efficiency rating of 89.8 as per KenPom was by far the worst of the season and the program’s first game under 90.0 since Feb. 11, 2023 against Creighton (87.6).
The 22 turnovers aside, which is a massive problem in itself, the Red Storm were able to force the Huskies to take shots that they didn’t want to take at the end of the shot clock basically all night. UConn was at its best early when it was able to get into transition and keep the ball moving up floor. When that wasn’t happening, the offense was unable to break free and take smart shots, which is why they made just six field goals over the final 15 minutes.
As far as ball security, this is becoming a worrying trend. St. John’s, ranked No. 2 at KenPom, is truly elite, while Marquette is inside the top 20. However, at 31.9 percent and 38.0 percent, respectively, the Huskies’ last two games are their worst with regard to turnovers since the 2019-20 season, as Indiana (32.5 percent) and St. Peter’s (37.9 percent) represent a similar stretch. However, Marquette’s figure hasn’t been eclipsed since December 4, 1996 against Pittsburgh (40.6 percent). The person writing these words was less than six months old at the time. Woof.
Should we be worried about Alex Karaban?
Zach Carter: It feels like every game recently could be the one where Karaban finally breaks through, finds his shooting stroke and erupts for a big scoring night — like what Solo Ball did against Marquette on Feb. 1. Something along the lines of what he himself did in the game following the loss to Villanova in early January, when he scored 19 points on 7-10 shooting three days after missing the would-be game-tying free throws in the expiring seconds.
His performance against Georgetown had seemingly put the spark back in his season. But since then? He has been mired in an incredulous shooter’s slump. Karaban has shot 4-30 from beyond the arc in his last eight games, a 13.3% shooting percentage compared to his career average of 38.2%. He has finished with single-digit point totals in three of his last four games, something he did just once in the first eight games of the season. His points-per-game average has dipped from 16.1 to 14.4. The junior is getting plenty of open looks, but he just can’t seem to find the bottom of the net.
In the loss to St. John’s Friday night, Karaban played 27 minutes, shot 1-6 from the floor (0-5 from three) and finished the game with just three points, his lowest total in a game this season. It was also the fewest minutes in a game he has played this season— and it was not a foul problem, given he had just two. The question now becomes: when (because we know he will) will Karaban break this slump and revive the shooting ability that the Huskies so desperately need right now?
Dinged up Diarra
Dan Madigan: Hassan Diarra is clearly hobbled with a knee injury that, per Dan Hurley, Diarra will have to deal with and manage for the remainder of his final season in Storrs. Despite the injury, Diarra has tried to play through it, and while he is still playing well, his production has taken a hit because of it. In the Marquette and St. John’s games combined, Diarra has 10 assists, but also 10 turnovers.
This injury has clearly hampered the entire UConn offense too. As good as it is, it is very obviously at its best when Diarra, even when banged up, is running the show. With no other true point guard healthy on the roster, Diarra is still playing a heavy minutes load with 34 minutes against St. John’s and 25 against Marquette. It’s easy to see how the offense struggles to get towards the basket without Diarra running point, and even when he is in charge now, he does not have the quickness to beat his man off the dribble.
Diarra can (and still will be) an effective player for the Huskies even with this injury. But UConn needs someone, whether that’s Aidan Mahaney or Ahmad Nowell, who is still dealing with an ankle injury, to step up and take some of Diarra’s minutes so the senior can stay healthy and efficient when he is on the floor.