UConn basketball advances to the Sweet Sixteen with 82-71 win over UCLA

It seems that the theme for the UConn men’s basketball team this postseason has been gutting out late-starting games. For the duration of the Big East Tournament, the Huskies seemed to always be slated in the dead of night, with the Philadelphia sub-region being no exception. Connecticut grinded out a tough 82-71 win last Friday night over Furman. This past Sunday night, “the stairway to seven” only got steeper, with UConn drawing UCLA with tipoff scheduled for 8:45. After late clock drama between Virginia and Tennessee in the game before, the Philadelphia sub-region concluded, with Connecticut advancing to the Sweet Sixteen, following a 73-57 win.

Both programs came into Sunday night banged up. A knee injury kept the Bruins’ leading scorer, Tyler Bilodeau, out of action. Silas Demary Jr. and Jaylin Stewart both came into Sunday listed as questionable; Demary logged 22 minutes, and Stewart never suited up. Malachi Smith started his second game in a row for UConn.

“There wasn’t a scenario where we were going to put him in the game,” coach Dan Hurley noted concerning Stewart’s status. “… We wanted him to just go through pre-game warmups as part of the process of being ready next week.”

As has been the case all season long for Connecticut, the contest was razor-thin close in the first half. For a solid portion of the first 20 minutes, one possession separated these programs at any given time.

UCLA excelled at causing mismatches through switching early on. Connecticut big man Tarris Reed Jr. was tasked with defending Bruins’ guard Donovan Dent. While this didn’t always yield points for the senior, he was not afraid to find rim runners in space; Xavier Booker was the primary beneficiary, notching 12 points in 16 minutes of work.

Dent also put together solid minutes for the Bruins, scoring nine points with four of his makes coming at the free throw line. As well as the UCLA duo performed, the Huskies got a championship response when they needed it most from a trio of their own.

Alex Karaban was a man on a mission for UConn. The redshirt senior scored 11 points in 17 minutes of work. Many of these points came in the dawning moments of the half when Connecticut needed it most. This was so needed, considering that the Bruins had a multitude of scorers who excelled at creating points off turnovers and in the paint; this was a prominent reason why UCLA led for nearly 13 and a half minutes. However, at the end of 20, it was Connecticut with a five-point lead.

Jayden Ross demonstrated elite shooting from beyond the arc when the Huskies needed it most. The junior scored nine points on a pair of tough threes. Additionally, Ross drew a foul on his third three-point attempt of the night, sinking all three tries at the charity stripe. The forward filled up the box score defensively, too, picking up an impressive block and steal in 15 minutes of work.

“We were struggling defensively,” Hurley told the media. “[Ross] came in and changed that. The three was huge and the free throws, but this team needs his athleticism on the court, his size, and you just see a player that’s really, really developing, coming into his own right now, especially with Jaylin Stewart out.”

Following an unideal 0-8 performance from beyond the arc, Braylon Mullins seemed to be on the same cold path Sunday night. The freshman, by way of Indiana, missed his first three attempts from beyond the arc and was in a real bind.

“You have to just break every game with confidence. Missing my first three shots rattled me a little bit, and getting my composure on the bench,” Mullins told media personnel. “All my teammates believe in me. Just coming in, letting it fly with all the confidence in the world. One of them has to go in, right? So happy to see them stick in the first half.”

Mullins, however, put his cold start behind him and scored eight points on a trio of shots, two coming from three. The guard’s shots all came near the end of the second half. Mullins’ shooting not only gave UConn a five-point lead but also marked the program’s first tangible moment of upward momentum heading into the break.

Connecticut ended the first half strongly with a real chance to pull away. However, the Bruins did a good job of adjusting after their slow start in the first half, quickly knotting up the contest.

However, yet again, it was the two-time national champion, Karaban, putting on another signature performance in a big moment. As a program, UConn struggled to generate points early, and with UCLA threatening to jump out to a significant lead, Karaban generated the first eight points for Connecticut, and it didn’t stop there. Karaban was unconscious from all over, catalyzing a 14-0 run where he outscored the rest of his teammates by a large margin. This run single-handedly put UCLA on the ropes Sunday night, and the Bruins needed a response; the program did not go down without a fight.

The Bruins quickly responded with a 10-2 run of their own, and it was Eric Dailey Jr. leading the charge. The forward shook off a sluggish two-point first half, putting up 10 points in 13 minutes of work. However, Connecticut adjusted, and lights-out shooting was the nail in the coffin for UCLA.

Karaban had a career night, scoring 16 second-half points on 5-9 shooting. Karaban’s 27 points are a career high for the redshirt senior, undoubtedly his best performance all season long. His output couldn’t have come at a better time for Connecticut, considering the competition quickly ramps up.

Reed also put together a solid performance for the Huskies, completing his double-double with six points and ten rebounds in 18 minutes of work. Mullins also added a nine-second point in the second half, though he had four fouls and missed his only three-point attempt.

Sunday night was the program’s biggest win all season long. The Huskies’ performance in the round of 64 against Furman raised significant questions among pundits about how UConn would hang against stiffer competition. UCLA hung around for a significant portion of the game, and Karaban demonstrated UConn’s ceiling with a championship response.

“Michigan State’s going to place us hard; we may be in the same situation. We just need to keep chipping at it, keep putting the foot on the gas. We all want to keep playing with each other; that’s everyone’s mentality,” Mullins noted.

“I definitely don’t want my career to end, so I’m doing everything in my power to help lead this team to make sure that happens and get the win,” Karaban told the media. “Do anything possible to make sure I get the win. Whether it’s my night or someone else’s night, help, contribute, and lead. It’s a motivating factor for myself. I ultimately came back here to win. Every time I’ve had a decision to come back, I came back just wanting to win and help this team out, but also just enjoying every second I have in a UConn jersey.”

Connecticut will return to action this Friday at 9:45 p.m. in Washington, D.C. for a Sweet Sixteen showdown in the East Region.