UConn Basketball Defeats Sacred Heart: 3 Takeaways

UConn basketball coasts past Sacred Heart in their opening game of the season 92 to 56.

In what is becoming an yearly tradition in Storrs, another banner was raised, and another victory was secured. The Huskies reflected on their most recent title for one last time, but quickly focused on the new task at hand… a 3-peat. UConn basketball had a ho-hum victory with impressive debuts from transfer Tarris Reed and five star freshman Liam McNeeley as well as great contributions from returners Alex Karaban and Solo Ball.

With banner night in the books, here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s game.

Takeaway #1: Alex Karaban makes his case for Big East Player of the Year

Alex Karaban was torn the last offseason on whether to go to the NBA or return to Storrs for one more season. It’s only been one game but it looks like he made the right decision. He had a team-high 20 points while also making 5-7 from the three-point line. Even more impressive, he had a whopping 7 blocks and played outstanding defense all night. If UConn basketball is going to achieve the unthinkable and win three national championships in a row, Alex Karaban will need to take another leap and tonight showed that he is ready to be the unquestioned leader on the court.

First D1 player with 20 points, 7 assists and 7 blocks in a game since 2003 💪 (via @ESPNStatsInfo)

What a night for @AlexKaraban pic.twitter.com/GTz5y8hjgZ

— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) November 7, 2024

Takeaway #2: Enjoy Liam McNeeley at UConn (it won’t be for very long)

There has been a lot of hype surrounding five-star freshman Liam McNeeley ahead of his debut for UConn basketball. He delivered and then some. He showed no signs of any lingering pain from the calf injury he sustained a few weeks prior and found his way into the starting lineup. He finished with an impressive double-double by scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 boards.

McNeeley showcased just how important he will be this season as an elite floor spacer by hitting 3-6 from beyond the arc. He seemed much more composed compared to the exhibition against the University of Rhode Island which will be crucial for the team before the season truly gets underway in the Maui Tournament. Overall, McNeeley appears to be on pace to follow in Steph Castle’s footsteps of being a one-and-done lottery pick after his debut game

Takeaway #3: Questions about the center position

One of the biggest concerns going into this season was how much production Dan Hurley will get from the center position. A big part of the last two titles have been having two elite options at the center position. Going from Sanogo/Clingan in 2023 and Clingan/Johnson in 2024 to Johnson/Reed this season, there have been questions about whether the same level of productivity can be attained.

Tarris Reed looked awesome in his debut with a final stat-line of 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Samson Johnson played ok, finishing with 9 points and 2 blocks, but he also fouled out in only 16 minutes of game time.

The biggest concern UConn basketball fans should have is if both bigs get into foul trouble, especially in a league like the Big East that features big men like Ryan Kalkbrenner and Zach Freemantle. This would force UConn to play small and put Alex Karaban at the five-spot which would be an awful lot to ask of him against some very tough matchups. He fought valiantly against Zach Edey in the National Championship game when he had to step in but that would obviously not be what the UConn coaching staff would prefer.

Next up for UConn (1-0): vs. UNH (1-1) on Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. EST

Next up for Sacred Heart (0-2): at Dartmouth (1-0) on Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. EST