UConn men’s basketball team bounced back from its regular-season finale loss with a 93–68 victory over Xavier in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Dan Hurley’s squad will play in Friday night’s second semifinal against the winner of Georgetown vs. Villanova.
The Huskies corrected their mistakes from the previous game, shooting 57 percent from the field and doing better from three-point range (38%), while also cutting down turnovers, committing just three in the first
half and 10 on the night. After the game, XU head coach Richard Pitino admitted that his team doesn’t match up well with UConn, taking losses of 23 and 32 before this 25-point margin.
Three Husky starters finished in double figures as Solo Ball led the way with 19 points, while Tarris Reed Jr. scored 17 and Alex Karaban had 15 points, and they were all hitting shots early. Four other Huskies scored nine points. UConn went to its big man early and often, finishing with a decisive 42-17 edge in points in the paint and a 40-28 rebounding advantage as Reed Jr. finished with a season-high 14 rebounds.
The Musketeers kept the game within reach through the first ten minutes, but a Malachi Smith three-pointer and easy dunks from Eric Reibe and Jayden Ross put the Huskies up by double digits. They led by 20 at the half in large part thanks to their stars clicking alongside solid bench play.
Xavier began the second half on a 7-0 run, but a three-pointer and easy layup from Braylon Mullins helped put any hopes of a comeback to rest. The Musketeers played better offensively after halftime, but it wasn’t enough to overcome UConn’s 48-point second half. Ball hit three threes in the final 20 minutes to finish with the team lead.
On Friday, St. John’s and Seton Hall open the semifinal evening at 5:30 p.m. on FOX before UConn’s semifinal, scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. tip-off on FS1 from Madison Square Garden.
