UConn basketball use strong start to beat MSU Basketball in Sweet Sixteen
Following a dominant 82-71 win over the UCLA Bruins, the UConn men’s basketball team returned to action this Friday night in the nation’s capital. The Huskies drew Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans for a late Sweet Sixteen showdown. After a 40-minute game full of twists and turns, the Huskies emerged victorious, 67-63.
Connecticut’s injury report heading into Friday was noticeably clean. Silas Demary Jr. resumed his starting lineup role, and Jaylin Stewart returned to action for the first time since Feb 21st at Villanova. Demary logged 23 minutes while Stewart only played four.
The Huskies have made a habit throughout the season of keeping the game close. Most contests this season have started close, with UConn finding a way to separate themselves in the second half. However, on Friday night, Connecticut wasted no time throwing the first punch.
Connecticut looked the best they have all season long early on. Stout defense and unbelievable shooting fueled a devastating 24-2 UConn run. Whether it was Braylon Mullins knocking down his first attempt from three or Solo Ball finding his shot, making his first two tries, it was raining threes for UConn. The program finished 6-9 (66.7%) from downtown in the first half. The Spartans did not enjoy the same success, finishing 1-8 (12.5%) from three.
Tarris Reed Jr. led the way for Connecticut in the first half. The senior big man did an excellent job establishing himself in the paint. Reed led the way with eight points, though he did more than just score the basketball. The center from St. Louis ran around the paint, using his frame to create space and receive passes down low. Reed immediately drew multiple defenders, and he excelled at finding shooters in space, picking up three first-half assists.
“He’s a huge presence out there,” Alex Karaban noted of Reed postgame. “He really opens things up on the perimeter. Just with how great of a passer he is, but also how great he is at finishing around the basket. He really causes so many problems for the opposing team and just opens everything up for us.”
UConn’s lead ballooned to as much as 19, where it sat comfortably above double digits for some time. This was a contest where UConn had a chance to run away to the Elite Eight; the first 15 minutes were the best Connecticut has looked all season.
However, Michigan State did not go down without swinging. The Spartans stacked some stops and points in the paint, bringing the contest to single digits in the dying embers of the half.
“We knew they were going to make a run,” coach Dan Hurley told the media. “There was some self-inflicted things that went on with us out there, but we knew they were going to make a run. We knew we were going to have to make plays down the stretch, get stops, make big free throws, make big shots because to beat the Michigan State Spartans, we weren’t winning going away, although that would have been nice.”
Jaxon Kohler gave the Spartans life, scoring nine points on 3-6 shooting. Perhaps what was most game-changing about the senior was his defense, as he came away with a pair of steals. This was all part of the Izzo game plan, and it was executed at a high level. Michigan State’s offense finally leveled out, thanks to an improved defensive intensity: winning one-on-one matchups, forcing turnovers and forcing bad shots. This led to a 9-2 Michigan State run ending the half. The Huskies took a narrow 35-27 lead into the first half locker room.
UConn needed a resounding response in the second half. The program’s momentum tapered off, and they needed to put together a strong 20 minutes if they wanted to face Duke this Sunday.
“We punched them first, they responded, and it’s really just how are we going to respond? How are we going to respond? We put in so much work. Our practices are intense for a reason and really prepare us for these type of moments to respond and really stay together as a team,” Karaban noted postgame. “Making sure that we didn’t separate, making sure that we didn’t allow Michigan State to break us and really just have trust in our preparation.”
The dawning moments of the second half were a continuation of the previous five minutes. The Spartans kept the momentum rolling, bringing the contest to within one point before UConn could get on the board. Carson Cooper played a significant role in making that happen, putting up 12 second-half points in 16 minutes of work.
At the 10-minute mark, Michigan State took the lead, thanks to an And-1 conversion by Kohler.
The Huskies did roar back thanks to a 10-2 run that Reed catalyzed. The 6-foot-11 big man had his hands all over the second half, scoring 12 points in 18 minutes of work. Despite not being known for his aptitude at the charity stripe, Reed hit four clutch free throws with less than a minute remaining, keeping Michigan State at bay and securing victory for the Huskies.
“I know I missed my first two, and they felt good. Really being able to have the confidence. Like I said, I feel like I put in the work. The guys around me were like, T, trust. We see you do free-throw games every day. You put in the work every day, and we see you at the free-throw line,” Reed told the media. “So, I took a deep breath and took my time at the line.”
Jeremy Fears Jr., added onto a six-point first half, with seven additional points in the second half. The guard’s contributions all came late for the Spartans, and he never really found his footing Friday, finishing 5-15 from the field with four fouls and four turnovers. While Fears was not finding the bottom of the rim like he is accustomed to, he did a good job finding his teammates in space, finishing with seven assists on the night.
Karaban was a man on a mission for the Huskies, putting up 12 points on clutch shooting. Whether it was from beyond the arc or at the free-throw line, the Huskies needed production from their veteran. With the season on the line, Karaban logged 20 excellent minutes and continued an NCAA Tournament run in which he has flat-out dominated.
While some fans may look at the close final score and conclude that Connecticut limped to the finish line, that is not the full story on Friday night. The Huskies were tested throughout all 40 minutes and had a real chance at losing to a talented Spartans squad. When the Huskies needed buckets, someone always stepped up; this has been par for the course all season long for the program, and it has worked thus far.
“Tough, gritty game. It’s March, it’s survive and advance. We’re going to look at the film, we’re going to look at the good, the bad, the ugly. We have to move on to a tough Duke team,” Reed noted postgame. “I feel a lot of times we find ourselves in these positions, and we come out victorious.”
Friday night was a gutsy win for UConn. The dream remains alive for Karaban and the Huskies; the road to the program’s third final four in the past four seasons will be as treacherous as ever, with UConn drawing Cameron Boozer and the No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils.
“We’re always tough, we’re always strong together. Just relying on the experiences that we’ve been through as a team and not being shy of any moment and leaning on another. I’m super proud of the guys; enjoy it for a little bit, but we have to flip the page quickly,” Karaban told media personnel.
