UConn basketball’s regular season was a roller coaster ride to say the least as the reigning champions finish with a 22-9 record.
Back in November, the expectations couldn’t be higher for the program coming off of back-to-back national titles that seemed to have re-tooled their roster. In an off-season that truly tested Husky fans’ mental health, the team sent four starters to the NBA, experienced Head Coach Dan Hurley’s name get brought up in just about every coach opening, and dove head first into the transfer portal.
Despite the summer chaos, CBB Review ranked UConn basketball 4th in our preseason poll as the pursuit for the three-peat was truly on. The season got off to a shaky start and never truly stabilized as the Huskies found some big wins and terrible losses along the way. The past five months have flown by so let’s take a look back at UConn basketball’s journey to the present as the team gears up for the Big East Tournament and March Madness.
The Nefarious Non-Conference
It was business as usual in November as the Huskies won their first four “buy” games by 35+ points and looked ready as ever for the incredible field at the Maui Invitational. Looking back at it, Dan Hurley probably wishes his team missed their transpacific flight to Hawaii. The losses to Dayton (currently ranked #74 per Kenpom) and Colorado (currently ranked #92 per Kenpom) are doing the most damage to this team’s tournament resume.
The noise surrounding the team couldn’t have been louder upon their return to the mainland as every fan and analyst in the college basketball world seemed to have criticism for them. The Huskies rebounded in impressive fashion with three consecutive wins over Baylor, Texas, and Gonzaga. That stretch is perhaps the biggest boost to UConn basketball’s tournament resume as Baylor currently sits at #29 per Kenpom and Gonzaga is currently ranked #9 per Kenpom.
The past two seasons saw UConn lose just one non-conference game (to Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse) yet this season saw them lose three games. The highs were that of a team which could make a run in March, the lows were that of a team with no business even watching the bracket reveal on Selection Sunday. Either way, UConn basketball ended the non-conference strong and entered conference play in good form.
The Highs of Conference Play
Every night is a tough night in the Big East. The rivalries between schools are real and home court advantage truly means something. With that being said, winning on the road is tough and UConn basketball got two massive wins outside of Connecticut.
The first win came at Marquette who was ranked #9 in the country at this point. Despite committing 25 turnovers, the Huskies shot the lights out at the Fiserv Forum shooting 60% from the field and an even better 63% from three. The real hero of the game was Solo Ball who scored 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and shot 7 for 9 from deep. Playing without Liam McNeeley (ankle sprain) and having Alex Karaban in a shooting slump was tough to deal with, but Ball stepped up when his team needed him most.
The other big road win came at Creighton, a place that the Huskies had never won at before. There was really only one storyline that came out of this game and it was Liam McNeeley. The freshman made some serious noise in his return to the starting lineup for the first time since getting injured against DePaul more than a month earlier. McNeeley finished with 38 points and 10 rebounds in what was one of the most iconic performances from a UConn freshman in the history of the program.
Absolute cinema 🍿🔥 pic.twitter.com/hE7ItkUYkE
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) February 12, 2025
The Lows of Conference Play
It wouldn’t be a roller coaster ride without a few drops along the way and boy did the Huskies have some lows. The Alex Karaban shooting slump was a particularly tough one as the leader of this team went 6 for 47 from three (just under 13%) over a 9-game stretch. This started shortly after Karaban missed two free throws at the end of OT in a one point game to lose to Villanova. As all great shooters do, Alex Karaban worked his way out of hit making 46% of his threes over the final 5 games of the regular season.
The lowest single moment for this team came on their annual road trip to New Jersey when they faced off with the Seton Hall Pirates. Since rejoining the Big East, UConn basketball is 1-4 against Seton Hall on the road and this season certainly did not improve that record. In perhaps the most exposing loss of the Hurley era, the Huskies simply could not inbound the ball to beat a full court press as they committed 16 turnovers in the game including a crucial one at the end of overtime which gave the Pirates the win. Seton Hall is currently ranked #208 in the country per Kenpom and are easily the biggest blemish on UConn basketball tournament’s resume.
What to Expect in Storrs South
The Huskies are heading into the Big East Tournament on a four game winning streak. Three of those wins were by double digits including a 31-point revenge-filled victory over Seton Hall. The fourth win was a fantastic showing against #20 Marquette which saw Alex Karaban hit a dagger three to clinch the win.
ALEX KARABAN FOR THREE!!!! BANG!! pic.twitter.com/aRtDm1u8GH
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) March 6, 2025
UConn basketball has the 3-seed in the conference tournament and look to have a favorable draw as their opening game will be against the winner of Villanova/Seton Hall. With how up and down this season has been, a Big East Tournament title might mean even more to the Huskies this season than it did when they raised the trophy last season.