UConn basketball gets a much needed victory as they beat Baylor 76-72.
Two Top-25 ranked teams faced off in Storrs, CT as the Baylor Bears traveled north to take on the UConn Huskies and this matchup certainly lived up to the hype. These are two of the best programs currently in the sport as they own three of the last four national championships.
Despite that success in past seasons, both Baylor and UConn basketball entered this contest looking to bounce back after some seriously disappointing losses in their non-conference schedule. Baylor came out of the gates hot and climbed to a 19-8 lead in the first 8 minutes. The Bears attacked hard on offense and seemed to get whatever they wanted while the Huskies continued to struggle to lock in defensively.
UConn basketball battled back and ended up grabbing their first lead of the game with 3:24 left in the first half. Baylor opened the second half with the lead but lost it for good after UConn’s Samson Johnson converted a three-point play. The Huskies managed the game well in the second half as they started to look like the team many expected to see this season. Confident offensive plays combined with steady defense were enough to close this one out for UConn basketball as they earned their first resume-worthy win of the season.
Despite fouling out again, Samson looked much more capable as the team’s center with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal on the night. UConn’s Liam McNeeley led the team in scoring with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
On the other side, Baylor’s Robert Wright III led the game in scoring with 22 points on an efficient 9-14 FG. Langston Love added 16 points of his own and Norchad Omier scored 14 points to go with his 7 rebounds.
Takeaway #1: The Sky is NOT Falling
A lot has been said about the Huskies and their coach Dan Hurley over the past week. On Wednesday, UConn basketball got to quiet some of that noise with their first win over a power conference opponent of the season. While it may be a bit farfetched to say the three-peat is definitely obtainable after just one big win, this game was evidence that the Huskies are moving in the right direction and in fact do have a higher ceiling than many wanted to give them credit for over the past week.
Dan Hurley coached a phenomenal game as he not only had to fix a lot from the team’s trip to Maui, but he was also without his star player Alex Karaban due to a concussion. Hurley’s lineup experiments were taken to a new level in this game when both Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr. played together. This was mostly to serve as a temporary solution for not having Karaban available but ended up being quite the effective lineup to put out there to counter Baylor’s strength and length in their wing players.
From interesting rotations to players stepping up when called upon, this was a true team win for UConn basketball as they start to climb out of the deep hole they dug for themselves.
Takeaway #2: Baylor is a Rollercoaster… for now
Through eight games, Baylor’s start to this season has been anything except consistent. The Bears lost by 38 points to Gonzaga then turned around for their next game to beat John Calipari’s Arkansas. Baylor then played in the Bahamas Championship where they won a thrilling 2OT game against St. John’s only to lose by 15 points to Tennessee in the title game.
Against UConn basketball, Baylor was without 5-star freshman VJ Edgecombe (hamstring) which forced head coach Scott Drew to add Langston Love into the starting lineup. Losing a starter to injury can certainly mess with the chemistry and roles of the team. Perhaps to the benefit of the Huskies, they were without Alex Karaban in their last game against Maryland-Eastern Shore which gave them some extra time to figure out what adjustments they needed to make. Baylor was without this same opportunity meaning Scott Drew had to react on the fly.
The Baylor Bears also welcome three other new faces to the program this season in Jeremy Roach (transfer), Norchad Omier (transfer), and Robert Wright III (freshman) who are all expected to be key contributors this season. Give Baylor some time to gel and settle into their roles. Once Edgecombe is ready to go, the Bears’ ceiling will be quite high.
Takeaway #3: Liam McNeeley Will Be THAT Guy
A huge part of the growth of this UConn basketball team over the course of this season will be how far Liam McNeeley takes his game. Fans have already seen some great performances out of the 5-star freshman, but Wednesday’s feels like it could be the start of Liam taking that next step.
What a performance from @liammcneeley30 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pR97EH0WnZ
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) December 5, 2024
The Huskies struggled shooting the basketball to start the game, something that also happened to them in stretches at the Maui Invitational. What they lacked then was a player who could put his head down and drive to the basket, but not anymore. McNeeley forced his way into the paint over and over again in the first half, including multiple trips to the free throw line, in order to get points on the board and slow down Baylor’s opening surge. If Liam can continue to stay hungry like this on offense, then he will create so many more opportunities for himself and his teammates.
Now add in Liam’s outward display of emotion following big moments or momentum swinging plays and Husky fans can start to see the fierce competitor that they want so bad.
Next for UConn (6-3): at Texas (7-1) – Dec. 8 – 5 p.m.
Next for Baylor (5-3): vs. Abilene Christian (6-3) – Dec. 9 – 8 p.m.