Top Ranked UConn Huskies Cruise Past Creighton: 3 Takeaways

The UConn Huskies had full control Wednesday night as they beat Creighton 62-48.

For the first time in nearly 15 years, the University of Connecticut Men’s basketball team is ranked number one in the country. Their first game with their new ranking came against Creighton (ranked 18 in the country) at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT. UConn Huskies fans didn’t need the White-Out or $2 beers or John Fanta & Bill Raftery on the call to get them pumped for this matchup… but it certainly didn’t hurt.

Creighton came out of the gates hot, scoring 7 points in the first two minutes of action. UConn caught up with them and both sides traded baskets until the under 12-minute media timeout. Once the teams returned to the floor, UConn made life very difficult for the Bluejays as they scored just 9 points for the remaining 12 minutes of the half. The second half wasn’t much different as UConn grew their lead up to 22 points at one time which ultimately proved to be too big of a deficit for Creighton to overcome down the stretch.

For the UConn Huskies, Tristen Newton led the way with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Both Alex Karaban and Cam Spencer added 13 points to their team’s total as well as doing their fair share on the glass to give UConn a 48-32 edge in the rebound battle.

NO. 1 UCONN ROLLS IN STORRS 😤

The top ranked team in the nation rattles off a sixth straight win, defeating No. 18 Creighton 🔥 pic.twitter.com/laaN3qpRjg

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 18, 2024

Takeaway #1: UConn can beat teams in so many ways

We have seen the UConn Huskies explode offensively, knocking down shot after shot. We have seen UConn turn games into track meets and force opposing defenses to work double time. Now we have seen UConn grind out a slow and gritty game. There was a time in this game when UConn held a 22-point lead, but that was mainly because Creighton didn’t reach 30 points until 8:58 left in the second half. The Bluejays entered the contest averaging nearly 80 points per game, but the Huskies were able to hold them to just 48 points in a remarkable defensive effort.

While some praise should fall on the defensive end for both teams, it can also be said that offensive execution wasn’t at its best tonight. On the season, Creighton makes 29 field goals per game and shoots 36% from deep, but only made 18 baskets and shot 23% from beyond the arc. On the other side, shooting 26% from the three-point line and just under 36% from the field are certainly not statistics that Hurley and Co. will be bragging about. 

Takeaway #2: Steven Ashworth is a Floor General

When the going got tough (and boy did it get tough for Creighton), it was Steven Ashworth who calmed his squad down. Something that you won’t see in the box score is his composure. Gampel Pavilion was rocking and even at its loudest, Ashworth was locked in on both ends of the floor. He led Creighton in scoring with 14 points and was forced to take 15 shot attempts in just 25 minutes of game time as the Bluejays just couldn’t get anything to go in. If you want to make a deep run in March, then you must have reliable guard play. Creighton has that and more with Steven Ashworth.

Takeaway #3: Cling-Kong has Returned

Even in limited minutes, it is hard to overstate how impactful Donovan Clingan is when he’s on the court. UConn did very well during their stretch of games with Clingan sidelined due to an ankle injury, but they were ecstatic to have their big man back in the lineup. Donovan had 6 points, 2 blocks, and 5 rebounds during 15 minutes of action as he quickly reestablished himself in Dan Hurley’s game plan. 

Donovan made his presence known in the interior as he matched up very well with Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner. During the first half, UConn outscored Creighton 15-4 while Clingan was on the floor and outscored Creighton 36-20 in the paint over the course of the entire game. The ankle didn’t appear to bother him tonight so expect to see his minutes trend up as the season progresses.

Next game for UConn: at Villanova (Saturday, Jan. 20 – 8 p.m.)

Next game for Creighton: at Seton Hall (Saturday, Jan. 20 – Noon)