No. 3 UConn gets it done at home with an 89-62 win over Columbia

After an excellent 110-47 blowout win over UMass Lowell, the UConn men’s basketball team returned to action, hosting the Columbia Lions for a Monday night showdown. The Huskies once again won comfortably, 89-62.

While the final score indicates a comfortable win for Connecticut, it took the program a minute to get out to a sizable lead. Columbia kept it close for the first 10 minutes of the first half, mostly due to the early play of Blair Thompson. The senior forward started the first half with eight points thanks to 3-3 shooting, including a pair of makes from deep. However, after the 12-minute media timeout, the Huskies left the Lions in the dust.

Whether it was from three, at the rack or from the charity stripe, Connecticut was firing on all cylinders. The most significant part of UConn’s offensive attack came on transition, which started with fighting for a defensive rebound and taking off running on the other end. It seemed like the program picked up right where it left off against UMass Lowell just three days ago, though it started on the defensive end for the Huskies.

“I think the defensive intensity we had in that first half really propelled us on offense,” Solo Ball told media personnel. “We were getting stops, we were getting in transition, open threes,” adding, “That’s the way we want to play; it was fun playing that way.”

Alex Karaban led the program early on, whether it was from beyond the arc or at the rack. The redshirt senior finished the first half with 14 points and four assists, on 6-8 shooting, including a pair of threes. Karaban even scored seven unanswered points, putting Columbia on the ropes, including a highlight reel worthy slam.

For as well as Karaban was playing early on, he was hardly the only contributor in the first half. Much of the Huskies’ success started with the point guard play from Silas Demary Jr., who finished the first half with five assists. The Georgia transfer’s playmaking played a crucialrole in setting up his teammates with good looks, Ball included. The junior guard got going early on, putting up 13 points on 5-10 shooting, including a pair of shots from three.

Jayden Ross also had a first half to remember, contributing 10 points of his own on perfect 3-3 shooting. After 20 minutes of action, the Huskies’ narrow one-point lead for the first 10 minutes was a distant memory. UConn was in the driver’s seat with a commanding 50-27 lead at the half.

UConn enjoyed a solid 20-13 rebound advantage in the first half. Rebounds are a crucial metric that gauges not only how well a program minimizes its opponents’ second-chance points, but also how many offensive opportunities they get. If the Huskies dominate the boards like they did in the first half on Monday night, this will maximize their success on both ends of the floor. It is hard to see many programs in the country competing with Connecticut when they’re firing at this level.

Despite Connecticut’s excellent first half of basketball, the program struggled to build on its momentum in the game’s final 20 minutes. The Huskies were not only outrebounded in the second half, but the program was less disciplined defensively, finishing with 14 personal fouls compared to just two in the first half. This stark contrast led to the Lions outscoring Connecticut in the second half, all the way up to the 5:22 mark. Postgame, Head coach Dan Hurley reflected on what he believes needs to be improved upon, quickly, following Monday night’s win.

“Rebounding showed itself showed itself to be a potential issue today. That stretch where it felt like the balls at the other end for a minute and a half, missed shots, and free throws. I would say that’s alarming,” Hurley told the media. “We had a stretch where we did not play well for eight straight minutes. You can’t play poorly into the stretch of the schedule that we’re going into for like three of four straight possessions, or else the game gets away from you.”

However, the play from Tarris Reed Jr. contributed to UConn “winning” the second half. Reed was a dominating force in the second half of Monday’s contest, muscling out 13 second-half points. The Michigan transfer’s success largely came in the paint, as he not only rebounded the basketball better than anyone, but he drew fouls, got to the free throw line and ended with a 7-10 slash from the charity stripe. When it was all said and done, Reed logged 25 minutes Monday night and looked physically solid throughout his time on the floor, despite being on a minute restriction in the program’s previous contest, nursing a hamstring injury. Hurley revealed postgame that the senior is no longer on a minute restriction.

While Monday was UConn’s “Super Bowl,” the competition gets much stiffer, quickly. Despite the large margin of victory, no one on the program is 100% satisfied with Monday night’s win. The Huskies will make the trip to the TD Garden in Boston to face No. 7 BYU, an early-season temperature check that will serve as the opener for a difficult slate of games to come.