After playing just one true road game during nonconference play, No. 5 UConn concludes the first week of Big East play with a Sunday afternoon trip to Chicago to face DePaul.
The Huskies (11-1, 1-0 Big East) rode Solo Ball’s career-high 26 points to a 79-60 Tuesday win over Butler in Hartford. It was their seventh straight win this season and third in the last four years in the conference opener.
A win is a win, but for coach Dan Hurley, it did not meet expectations at the start. The Huskies faced a seven-point deficit at the first media timeout.
“Championship teams don’t do that, so obviously we’re not there yet,” Hurley said. “We were on our heels. Credit to them, they got downhill and attacked us, but that was an unacceptable way to start a game for UConn and they heard about it in the huddle. … You’ve got to be a killer in basketball, and you can’t start a game like that.”
In the end though, UConn had a 47-29 rebounding advantage, limited Butler to 29.5 percent shooting, blocked 13 shots, and led by as many as 23 points after halftime. Butler entered the game averaging over 90 points per game and was also a top-10 rebounding team nationally.
The Huskies also benefited from a career-high 11 assists by Silas Demary Jr. and had three double-figure scorers besides Ball, whose 15.4 points per game lead the team this season.
Hurley hopes to see more from his Huskies against DePaul, who they have beaten in 20 consecutive matchups dating back to their head-to-head Big East debut in 2007.
“I wish there was more killer instinct to put a team down, bury a team,” Hurley said. “We had chances to do it. This team’s got to get a killer instinct.”
Ball scored 22 points — a career benchmark at the time — and added six rebounds in the Huskies’ 81-68 win at DePaul last New Year’s Day. In the latter meeting, UConn was a 72-61 home winner on Jan. 29.
DePaul (8-4, 0-1) had a three-game win streak snapped as it lifted the lid on Big East play with a 79-66 loss at No. 22 St. John’s on Tuesday.
The Blue Demons clawed within seven in the second half before St. John’s pulled away, but Kaleb Banks enjoyed a great night with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
“I thought our competitive effort was good, and that’s what’s required (moving forward),” DePaul coach Chris Holtmann told WeAreDePaul.com.
Such an effort will be required against “one of the very best teams in the country” in UConn, and it will have to start with his key players.
Banks shot 8 of 16 against the Johnnies, including a season-high three 3-pointers. His 10 boards tied the most by a DePaul player this season.
“It’s good to see KB hit his comfort level and be where it’s at right now,” Holtmann said. “He’s dramatically improved (as a rebounder). We’ve really challenged him, and he’s got to keep doing it.”
Fellow former Indiana transfer CJ Gunn (team-leading 14.3 points per game) added 15 points. It was his fourth straight game as a double-figure scorer, adding to a string that includes last weekend’s win at Wichita State.
–Field Level Media
