No. 5 UConn hopes to continue rolling versus struggling Creighton
UConn head coach Dan Hurley openly is pointing the finger at what he deems to be a no-show, both by his team and the fanbase.
After being chastised by Hurley, the fifth-ranked Huskies (24-2, 14-1 Big East) and their fans aim to make their presence felt on Wednesday night when Creighton (13-13, 7-8) pays a visit to Storrs, Conn.
Now, UConn has given its fanbase a show for quite some time -- after all, it's not too far removed from its back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024. As for this season, the Huskies hold a half-game lead over second-place St. John's (13-1 in the Big East) and are 13-1 at home.
However, questions were raised by both Hurley and Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley about the number of empty seats after UConn posted a 79-75 victory over the visiting Hoyas on Saturday.
"Like, this is the ‘Basketball Capital of the World,' we need our fans to come to the game and be loud as (expletive) from the start. It needs to be a madhouse," Hurley said.
The less-than-capacity crowd saw Solo Ball score 20 points, Alex Karaban add 18 and Silas Demary Jr. record 15 to go along with 12 rebounds and nine assists. Freshmen Braylon Mullins and Eric Reibe each added 10 points as UConn posted its second straight win following an 81-72 setback to St. John's on Feb. 6.
"Eric (Reibe) saved us (on Saturday) with his offense. But to get three rebounds from the center position, that... didn't happen when it was like Donovan (Clingan). It just didn't happen," Hurley said. "We've got to get that fixed, amongst other things.
"... I've said this a million times: the easiest thing for me to distribute is playing time. If players don't look like they're ready, these games have major ramifications for us. If you don't look like you're ready to play, I got to get you off the court."
Rebounding wasn't the issue in the Huskies' 85-58 romp over the Bluejays on Jan. 31 in Omaha, Neb. UConn enjoyed a 37-24 edge in boards, including a 13-6 advantage on the offensive glass.
Mullins scored 16 points and Karaban and Demary Jr. each had 15 apiece to pace the Huskies in that win. UConn also shot a robust 54.1 percent from the field and 51.6 percent from 3-point range.
Nik Graves scored a Bluejays-high 17 points in that game on 5 of 6 shooting from the floor, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
Graves recorded 15 points on Saturday in an 80-69 setback versus Villanova. Josh Dix, who played after the loss of his mother less than two weeks ago, added 14.
With losses in five of its last six games, how does Creighton approach its daunting road trip with both UConn and St. John's (on Saturday afternoon) on the schedule?
"You can't change the approach. We're not in a position, emotionally, that I could yell and scream at them. They don't need that with what they've been through this last week," Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott said.
Ball averages a team-best 14.7 points per game for UConn, while Dix contributes a dozen points per contest to lead Creighton.