UConn basketball advanced to the semifinals of the Big East Tournament with a 87-60 victory over Xavier.
The madness has officially begun as conference tournaments are fully underway. College basketball fans were treated to an entertaining opening day of Big East Tournament action on Wednesday as DePaul fought until the final seconds in a one-point loss to Villanova. UConn basketball kicked off the day two action against the Xavier Musketeers. The Huskies swept Xavier during the regular season with a 5-point win in Cincinnati and a 43-point win in Hartford.
One of the major keys to those two regular season victories was the Huskies’ incredible three-point shooting and it was clear that Xavier head coach Sean Miller knew that as the Musketeers paid special attention to their perimeter defense on Thursday. They held UConn to 4-14 from deep in the first half and made it extremely tough for them to get any open looks. Dayvion McKnight got a friendly bounce off the rim at the buzzer to take Xavier into the halftime break trailing by just a point.
Whatever Dan Hurley said to his players during the break clearly worked as the second half was all UConn basketball. They outscored the Musketeers 53-27 and turned what was a classic Big East rock fight into a rout. The Huskies picked apart the Xavier defense with an incredible passing display that resulted in 29 assists on 35 made field goals over the 40 minutes of play. UConn advanced to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season as they look to get over the hump and play in their first championship game since rejoining the conference.
On to the next one. pic.twitter.com/XTr29VvP1Z
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) March 14, 2024
Takeaway #1: UConn’s ability to adapt is a matchup nightmare
Yet again, the Huskies show us another way that they can win a basketball game. In their first two matchups with Xavier this season, UConn basketball shot over 45% from beyond the arc, but that was not the case on Thursday as they shot just 33%. There was a clear change in gameplan at halftime as the Huskies used their quick ball movement to get open looks in the paint rather than forcing offensive sets that targeted three-point shot attempts.
They outscored Xavier 54-24 in points in the paint through a series of alley-oops, contested layups, and dunks. Not only can UConn play inside-out to create open looks from behind the arc, but they also force teams to focus so much on the perimeter that it leaves their frontcourt open in the paint.
Takeaway #2: This was a season to forget For Xavier
Musketeers fans knew this season would be an uphill battle once they heard that they would be without their star players Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter. Both players went down with injuries before the season even started and fans could see the full potential of Sean Miller’s squad.
Graduate transfer Quincy Olivari ended up being a pleasant surprise for Xavier as he ended up leading the Big East in scoring with 19.5 points per game. Sophomore Desmond Claude was also voted the Big East’s Most Improved Player this season so not all was lost for Xavier as they finished the season ninth in the conference. Xavier fans certainly have something to hope for in the future with Claude’s great season as well as Freemantle and Hunter looking to return at full strength for next year.
Takeaway #3: UConn’s first teamers showed up
Both Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer were voted onto the Big East’s First Team All-Conference this season after stellar campaigns. Newton finished the quarterfinal matchup with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists while Spencer tallied 12 points and 8 assists. That set a career high in assists for Spencer who was a crucial part of the gameplan shift for the Huskies.
Instead of being the lethal shooter Husky fans have come to know and love, the team needed Cam to step up in a different way and he did just that as he became a key facilitator on offense. UConn basketball will need both of their guards to continue playing at this high level if they want to take home their first Big East Tournament title since 2011.
Next for UConn: St. John’s (Fri., Mar. 15 – 5:30 p.m.)