UConn basketball wins convincingly on the road as they beat Texas 76-65.
Despite traveling 5,000 miles for the Maui Invitational, this one was the first true away game for the Huskies this season as the Texas Longhorns played host in the first leg of this home and home series. Texas entered this one as the betting odds favorite and looking for their first win against a ranked opponent this season.
UConn basketball was in control from the opening tip as they never once trailed in the game. The first half was about as close to perfect as head coach Dan Hurley could have hoped for with his team holding an 11-4 lead at the under-16 timeout which grew to a 19-6 lead by the under-12 timeout. Ultimately, the Huskies never looked back and closed out a huge win on the road.
Texas showed some life in the second half thanks to standout performances from Tre Johnson and Arthur Kaluma. Tre Johnson had multiple takeover moments and hit some unbelievable shots while Kaluma battled on the glass and got his shots to fall too. The Longhorns were never able to cut the second half deficit to anything less than eight points.
Both Alex Karaban and Solo Ball shot the ball phenomenally for the Huskies, going a combined 7 for 14 from three in the game. The centers, Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr., were very involved in the offense going a combined 12-15 from the floor.
This was the first leg of a home and home series and Texas will be looking for revenge when they visit Connecticut next season.
Lone Star Statement.@keybank pic.twitter.com/Zj23b0wSxx
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) December 9, 2024
Takeaway #1: The Huskies got their swagger back
UConn basketball was able to score at every level and do it all quite efficiently, but most importantly they played long stretches of inspired defense that fit the Dan Hurley mold that Husky fans have become accustomed to. The Johnson-Kaluma combo for Texas was too much for the Huskies to contain for 40 minutes, but they were able to lockdown the rest of the Longhorns team enough that it did not matter.
A few things in the box score that Hurley will be happy to see is his team outrebounded Texas 39 to 25 and had 21 assists on 28 made baskets. Both stats go to not only show how well UConn basketball played in this one, but also the overall growth of this team in just 10 days since losing to Dayton. Next up is a matchup at Madison Square Garden with a top-10 Gonzaga squad that the Huskies look more than ready for.
Takeaway #2: Texas needs more than Johnson-Kaluma
That feels crazy to say when those players bring so much to the table for the Longhorns, but in Sunday’s game they each scored 20+ points while the third highest scorer on the team had just 6 points. That player was Kadin Shedrick who went 2-2 FG in 38 minutes played.
The Longhorns certainly aren’t getting the best out of transfers Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark who both averaged over 16ppg for their former teams and are averaging single digits in scoring to this point. It may simply take more time for those two guys to feel more comfortable with head coach Rodney Terry’s system and playing alongside a superstar like Tre Johnson who commands a high volume of shots.
The Longhorns have four more games on their non-conference schedule before they get into a gauntlet of SEC games where they play 7 ranked opponents in their first 8 conference games.
Takeaway #3: Alex is KaraBACK
Alex Karaban showed everyone why he is a contender to be an All-American with an excellent performance in his first game back from injury. This UConn basketball team feeds off of Karaban on both ends of the floor and was clearly more comfortable with him back in the lineup. With that being said, the Huskies deserve a bit more credit for their win over Baylor considering they’re a tougher opponent than Texas and they were without Karaban.
It feels like UConn basketball has fully dug themselves out of the hole they were in just 10 days ago as they prepare for another tough test in Gonzaga. As their last non-conference game, a win at MSG would do wonders for the Huskies tournament resume come March.
Next up for UConn (7-3): vs. Gonzaga (7-2) – Dec. 14 – 8 p.m. EST
Next up for Texas (7-2): vs. New Mexico State (4-5) – Dec. 12 – 8 p.m. EST
Well said Chandler
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