No. 3 UConn throttles Xavier, 92-60

UConn men’s basketball’s “Pitino Week” kicked off in thunderous fashion Tuesday, as the Huskies dominated Xavier, 92-60, posting its largest margin of victory in a conference game this season and a season sweep of Richard Pitino’s squad.

The Huskies stretch their win streak to 18 games and remain perfect thus far in Big East play. The last time these two teams played, the Huskies nailed 13 threes in a 23-point win. Braylon Mullins continued that trend right off the bat, nailing a deep three for the first bucket of the game. Pitino used his first timeout less than 2:30 in, when a Mullins slam from an incredible Silas Demary Jr. feed punctuated a 10-0 run to start the game. 

It was UConn’s second 10-0 run to start a game this season, having started 11-0 against UMass Lowell. Sophomore All Wright found Xavier’s first points at the free-throw line, but the damage was already done. The Huskies never trailed on their way to a blowout.

At the U12 media timeout, the lead ballooned to 22-8, stretched by consecutive threes from Demary. He finished the half with nine points and seven dimes, while Mullins led the team with 13 points.

The Huskies did not play an entirely clean 20 minutes, turning the ball over six times, three of which belonged to Tarris Reed Jr. While UConn shot 19-31 (61.3%) in the first half, the Musketeers were just 8-28 (28.6%) from the field and had just one assist in the first half. 

UConn’s bench was involved early. Malachi Smith’s engine was on full display with smothering defense. Jayden Ross and Jaylin Stewart combined for eight points, each contributing a three-pointer and a few dimes, while Eric Reibe chipped in a few buckets and a block in relief of Reed. An Alex Karaban layup pushed UConn past the 50-point threshold with just over 30 seconds to play in the half, and the two retreated to their respective locker rooms with the Huskies leading by 28. 

UConn did an especially good job containing Xavier’s Tre Carroll, who entered the night on a hot streak, averaging 26.4 points in his last five contests, including a 31-point effort in a loss to St. John’s. Carroll scored just nine on the night, going 4-9 from the floor. 

Solo Ball’s first basket of the game was UConn’s first of the second half, a three-pointer to push the lead to 31. Later, in a bizarre moment, Dan Hurley challenged an out-of-bounds call under the basket, only for the review to yield a flagrant foul on Malachi Smith. Smith shoved a Xavier player above the shoulders, but caught an elbow to the face and had to be treated for a bloody nose on the bench. The play swung five more points in Xavier’s direction. 

UConn kept its pressure firm, however. A highlight alley-oop from Ball to Ross stretched the lead to 38, the team’s largest of the night, and all but cemented the win.

Hurley emptied his bench not long after, and the Huskies rolled to their largest conference win of the season. Demary had a team-high 17 points and eight assists, while Reed, Mullins, Ross, and Reibe also finished in double figures. 

The Huskies are back in action Friday at Madison Square Garden for their first meeting of the year with St. John’s, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. in Storrs South.