UConn Basketball Outlasts Butler: 3 Takeaways

UConn basketball’s blown lead made for a thrilling finish as they survive against Butler, 80-78.

UConn basketball entered this contest coming off their first home loss in 28 games after losing to Creighton over the weekend. That loss certainly motivated the Huskies who came out with a fiery intensity in the first half. Tarris Reed Jr. was one of the players who came out hot scoring nine points in his first nine minutes on the court. Solo Ball also found his stroke early scoring 15 first half points. Add in UConn basketball’s seven first half blocks and things were looking good in Hartford as the Huskies held an eight-point lead over Butler at the break.

The second half opened slow for both teams as UConn nursed a lead of anywhere from six to ten points for a lot of the half. Butler wasn’t able to cut into the lead just as much as UConn basketball was unable to pull away. A four-point play from Butler’s Finley Bizjack cut the lead to five and that was as close as the Bulldogs could get for a while until Jahmyl Telfort made it a four-point game with eight minutes to play.

The closing stretch of the game included a scoring drought for the Huskies that Butler fully capitalized on to erase the lead that plagued them for most of the game. Bizjack hit a crowd silencing three which made it just a one point game with 4 minutes to go. After a few lead changes and some inspired defense from Butler, regulation time expired and the Bulldogs forced overtime.

The stress-packed finish to regulation carried over into overtime as both teams held a share of the lead early, but it was UConn basketball that pulled away with the help of a loose ball that found its way to Tarris Reed Jr. who happened to be right under the basket. Reed scored the layup and secured the victory for UConn. Head coach Dan Hurley had one word to describe how he felt post-game, “relief”. 

Takeaway #1: Solo Ball’s Big Night

Money Ball. pic.twitter.com/1FQnYie0Ld

— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) January 22, 2025

The sophomore has been shining lately averaging 17.8 points per game over the last 6 games (since the McNeeley injury). Tonight’s performance was his best of the stretch as he finished with 23 points on 8 for 14 shooting. 

Ball’s incredible shooting makes him a serious threat to catch fire at any moment. In the first half, Ball scored eight consecutive points to build a double-digit lead for the Huskies. In overtime, Solo Ball hit a huge three that gave the Huskies the lead with 1:39 left in overtime.

Dan Hurley gave the guard some praise citing his “special abilities” on offense as a positive part of his game. Of course, Hurley went on to critique Solo’s and this team’s defense which prompted Solo to comment that “I’m still growing and as a team we’re still growing” when asked about the same topic. 

Takeaway #2: UConn is Butler’s Kryptonite

Butler is still looking for their first ever win over UConn and this season couldn’t have been closer. In December, they lost by just 4 points despite outscoring the Huskies in the second half. This time around, they erased a 15-point deficit to force overtime, but just couldn’t get enough stops on UConn to win the game.

Weirdly enough the Huskies may bring out the best in Butler because in their two matchups this season they have not look like a team that is actually 1-7 in conference play. In both games they’ve had role players step up and in this one it was Finley Bizjack who finished with 17 points, he averages just 6.3 points per game this season. 

Takeaway #3: UConn Basketball Keeps it Close

Unlike the last couple seasons, this UConn basketball team is not a kill shot, blow them out type of a team. Husky fans have had to get used to every game being a real battle and this one was no exception.

The loss of Liam McNeeley (ankle) cannot be understated. Dan Hurley said, “Maybe when we get healthy we can build a 15 point lead and put someone away.”

The recent struggles of putting games away can’t all be put on one injury, but the staff and players have confidence that their best basketball is still ahead of them.

UConn basketball held as big as a 15-point lead in the first half. Everything was going the Huskies way and it seemed like they couldn’t be stopped, until they stopped themselves. Credit to Butler for making the comeback, but UConn scored just five points over the last seven minutes of regulation. As good as this offense is (currently ranked 8 per Kenpom), that scoring drought is a recipe for a disaster that the Huskies somehow avoided tonight.

Next up for UConn basketball (14-5, 6-2): at Xavier (12-7) – Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. EST

Next up for Butler basketball (8-11, 1-7): vs. Depaul (9-10) – Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. EST