It wasn’t pretty, but the Huskies picked up a much-needed road win over a quality opponent.
UConn men’s basketball got out to a hot start and held on Wednesday night, defeating the Marquette Golden Eagles 77-69 in Milwaukee.
Despite a season-high 25 turnovers, numerous players ruled out or banged up, and a tough road environment, the Huskies picked up the impressive win and reasserted themselves as contenders in the Big East.
Solo on Fire
Dan Madigan: Solo Ball has been so impressive and came up huge in this difficult road environment. The sophomore was automatic from three, hitting seven of nine attempts and always stepping up to answer any of Marquette’s punches to try and get back into the game. He also pulled down 11 rebounds for his second double-double in his last three games and added three assists with an improved defensive effort to boot.
No one has stepped up more than Ball during these last few games with freshman Liam McNeeley out. Over the eight full games without McNeeley, Ball is averaging over 18 points per game and shooting 46.7 percent (29-62) from three. Dan Hurley and the staff have done an excellent job drawing up plays to get him open looks, but Ball has done a great job looking for shots on his own and taking defenders to the rim if they close out too hard.
This season, Ball is shooting 45.6 percent from three and showing growth on the boards and defensively. He’s playing himself into legitimate discussions of All-Big East honors and should only get more open looks as McNeeley eventually returns.
Winning ugly still counts
Madigan: The box score from this game is a disaster for UConn and yet it was a win. The Huskies committed 25 turnovers — the most since 2019 — and had fewer 3-point and free-throw attempts than Marquette, the No. 9 team in the country playing at home. The Golden Eagles were horrendous from the line, shooting just 54.5 percent, and couldn’t get anything to fall in the first half. Some of that was due to a legitimately good defensive effort from the Huskies, who held Marquette to just 1.05 points per possession, a good number considering Marquette entered the night in the top 25 in offensive efficiency. Nonetheless, it’s a massive win for the Huskies without McNeeley, and now UConn has another marquee win with two other huge opportunities (home vs. St. John’s, at Creighton) on the horizon.
Hassan Diarra, the warrior you are
Zach Carter: UConn’s depth was starved coming into the game against Marquette Saturday night. Both McNeeley and Ahmad Nowell were out, and head coach Dan Hurley had been vocal about guys like Hassan Diarra and Alex Karaban slogging through injuries in practice to prepare for the game.
Diarra specifically had been limited or held out of practice a few times in the week as a result of a knee injury and other ailments. In the words of Hurley in his media availability last Tuesday, he was ‘banged up’ but would still play ‘without question.’ So what does Diarra do on the first possession of the Marquette game? He buries a three to set the tone for the night.
This season, Diarra has emerged as the primary ballhandler for this team. His minutes and production are way up and he looks relatively comfortable navigating the complicated Husky offense. If he wasn’t able to go last night, the Huskies would have had to run a seven-man rotation with two of their three-point guards sidelined.
But Diarra opted in, giving a gutsy 25 minutes, and did what he does best: dogged defense and a mature presence on the attack. He had five points, seven assists, and four rebounds; it wasn’t flashy, but it was exactly what UConn needed from one of its leaders.
Huskies getting healthy
Madigan: UConn is off until a matchup with St. John’s at Gampel Pavilion on Friday, Feb. 7, and the Huskies need every one of those off days to get healthy. Per Hurley, McNeeley should be able to return without restrictions against Rick Pitino’s Red Storm and the extra time is key for the likes of Ahmad Nowell (ankle), Hassan Diarra (knee), and Alex Karaban (ankle) to fully rest up.
The upcoming matchups against St. John’s and Creighton are critical if the Huskies still want to have a chance at winning the Big East regular season title. The momentum of the win over Marquette combined with the opportunity to rest up and recover should give the Huskies the best chance possible at winning at least one of those big games and gearing up for the final stretch of the regular season.