UConn men’s basketball returns to action Monday night fresh off a historic beatdown of UMass Lowell in Hartford, where the Huskies (2-0) defeated the River Hawks 110-47 and led by a program record 47 points
at halftime. UConn will now welcome Columbia (1-0), predicted to finish dead last in the Ivy League’s coaches poll, to Gampel Pavilion as one final tune-up before a highly anticipated showdown with No. 8 BYU in Boston on Saturday.
The Lions kicked off their season Friday night with a convincing 18-point win over New Haven, who UConn defeated by 24 with somewhat of a lackluster effort in the Huskies’ season opener. Despite Columbia’s low preseason expectations, the Lions are the stiffest competition Dan Hurley and UConn have faced in the regular season. Columbia currently ranks No. 212 in KenPom, higher than New Haven (No. 364), UMass Lowell (No. 300), and all but three teams in a solid Ivy League conference.
TV: FS1
Radio: UConn Sports Network, Sirius XM 201, Sirius/XM online streaming
Odds: UConn – 32.5; over/under 155.5 – odds via FanDuel
Location: Gampel Pavilion
KenPom Predicted Score: UConn 90, Columbia 62 (99 percent win probability)
Series History
In a series that dates back to 1953, the Huskies hold a 9-2 advantage over the Lions. They last faced off in 2017 when UConn won 77-73 in overtime led by Christian Vital’s 29 points.
Injury report
Freshman Braylon Mullins remains out after spraining his ankle in practice during the preseason. Jacob Furphy is also out right now with a sprained ankle.
What to Watch For
The Kodiak is back
Tarris Reed Jr. made his season debut and immediately made his presence felt on Friday night against the River Hawks. With no one on UMass Lowell to counter Reed’s size and strength, the former Michigan transfer dominated with 20 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, and two assists in only 17 minutes of game action. Reed figures to continue to ramp up against the Lions ahead of the pivotal matchup against BYU, and his presence on the court gives the Huskies a massive advantage in the post, on the glass, and defensively in the paint. While Columbia has some decent size for a mid-major program, Reed should continue to dominate on both ends Monday night.
Filling it up from three
UConn did not shoot it particularly well from three in either of its exhibition games, and shot 34.8 percent from three in the season opener against New Haven. The floodgates opened for the Huskies Friday night, as they shot 39.1 percent (9-23) from the 3-point line in the blowout of UMass Lowell. The only nit to pick from UConn’s big win was that Solo Ball, one of the top 3-point shooters in the country, only took two attempts from deep, making one.
Ball is just 4-12 from three this season, but has taken advantage of defenders closing out hard on him on the perimeter, constantly blowing by them for easy buckets at the hoop. While it’s great to see Ball growing as a scorer at multiple levels this season, no one with his shooting ability should be taking just two attempts from deep in a game. If he can get it going from deep against Columbia, it should bode well for the Huskies’ chances to grab a win this coming weekend in Boston against BYU.
Aside from Ball, Alex Karaban has looked locked in from deep, making six of his 10 attempts so far. Malachi Smith is 4-6 from three through the first two games, and while Silas Demary Jr. is 0-2, the Georgia transfer is widely regarded as an elite catch-and-shoot option and will be a key figure in UConn’s 3-point attack this season.
Locking down the Lions
The Huskies responded with a high-energy performance in the win over UMass Lowell after looking a little sluggish in the season opener against the Chargers. Reed’s return and noticeably improved defensive intensity led to 21 River Hawks turnovers and UMass Lowell averaging just 0.63 points per possession. While the Huskies won’t always hold teams to 47 points, the defensive effort was more along the lines of what both fans and Hurley himself envision for this team.
UConn will look to keep the defensive pressure rolling against a Columbia team that leans on its backcourt. Senior Kenny Noland scored double figures in all but five games last season for the Lions, and had 14 points and two assists in Columbia’s season opener. Freshman wing Miles Franklin was also a key contributor off the bench, scoring 13 points and hitting both of his 3-point attempts. While neither will provide the same type of test AJ Dybantsa will offer this coming weekend, putting the clamps on Noland and Franklin will be key to ensure the Huskies cruise to a comfortable win and get to 3-0 prior to the Saturday showdown in Boston against the Cougars.
