UConn Basketball Secures Massive Win Over Marquette: 3 Takeaways

UConn basketball picked up a signature win on the road against Marquette 77-69 behind Solo Ball’s big night.

UConn basketball reminded the Big East that they are still the team to beat in the conference after winning wire-to-wire at Marquette.

After a scare at home against DePaul where UConn basketball fans actually booed the team, the Huskies responded coming right out of the gates to build up a 10-point lead.

UConn basketball led most of the way by double figures, leading by as many as 22 points in the first half. Marquette did not go away without a fight, battling back and cutting the lead several times late in the second half to as low as six points.

In the end, though, UConn basketball came out on top, winning their fourth game in a row against the Marquette Golden Eagles.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

UCONN TAKES DOWN NO. 9 MARQUETTE ON THE ROAD 😤 💪 @UConnMBB pic.twitter.com/2erGplHzAp

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 2, 2025

Takeaway #1: Solo Ball is an absolute stud.

There aren’t enough praises to go around to describe the sophomore standout. UConn basketball always seems to find a player to make the sophomore jump and Solo Ball has absolutely been that guy.

He was a flame thrower from behind the three-point line going 7-9 to finish the game. Every time Marquette would go on a run, Solo Ball was the guy UConn basketball would lean on to hit a timely bucket and he delivered time and time again.

Solo Ball ended the game with a career-high 25 points and finished with a double-double by also securing 11 rebounds. He has slowly become UConn’s most consistent shooter in a time where Alex Karaban has been on a slump shooting the ball from deep.

What was just as impressive was his committed effort on the defensive end which has been his only knock so far this season. He was much better staying in front of Marquette players while he was playing on-ball defense and that was one of the key reasons UConn’s defense as a whole appeared much sharper than it has in the past.

Takeaway #2: Marquette may very well be the best defensive team in America.

In a game where Marquette could not get a bucket to fall, it was their defense that kept them within striking distance.

Normally if a team going against UConn shot only 39.7% from the floor, the bench players would be seeing the floor in the closing minutes because the game got out of hand. This was not the case for Marquette as they used their defense to force UConn into a season-high 25 turnovers.

Stevie Mitchell was a pest on defense, hounding the UConn guards and securing five steals of his own. He has been making a strong case to be the Big East DPOY and his effort against UConn only boosted his stock.

Takeaway #3: Is UConn’s defense turning the corner?

UConn basketball has struggled most of the season on the defensive end. The analytics have backed this up as UConn has had defensive ratings outside of the top 100 all season.

The biggest difference in their win over Marquette was how well the UConn perimeter players stayed in front of their man while playing on-ball defense. This forced Marquette into several contested shots and they finished the game going 7-22 from deep.

And even in the instances where Marquette players were able to get by their defender, the rotations appeared to be much crisper and allowed the team to recover.

Jayden Ross was a huge reason for this and it’s not a coincidence that in a game where he saw a season-high 27 minutes, UConn basketball played one of their best defensive games. UConn will need to continue to exert this kind of effort on the defensive end for the remainder of the season.

Next up for UConn basketball (16-6): vs. St. John’s (19-3) on Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. EST

Next up for Marquette basketball (18-4): at St. John’s (19-3) on Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. EST