The Connecticut Huskies entered Madison Square Garden in need of a ‘get right’ game following a humiliating defeat to deny them a share of a championship.
While the antics of coach Dan Hurley dominated the headlines, it was yet another example of how inconsistent the Huskies are from game-to-game.
But throughout the season, UConn managed to step up on the biggest of stages. Tonight was no different as the Huskies rolled over Xavier.
However, the true shock of the night came from the conference’s worst team in the regular season: Georgetown.
The Hoyas destroyed the three-seed Villanova Wildcats, a team that was wrecked by injuries late in the season – yet is still projected to make the NCAA Tournament.
But Georgetown overcame obstacles of their own and hopes to shock Connecticut in Friday evening’s semifinal.
The Connecticut Huskies steamrolled Xavier to keep their Big East dreams alive
Then, eleven-seed Georgetown continued its shock run by knocking off Villanova
UConn 93, Xavier 68
Connecticut was in the news on the final day of the regular season for reasons it probably wished were different.
With a chance to share the Big East regular season title with St. John’s on the line, the Huskies traveled to Wisconsin and got upset by Marquette.
In the final second, upset with a missed foul call, head coach Dan Hurley got in the face of official John Gaffney and began berating him. Gaffney ejected the coach, with video appearing to show Hurley bumping the official.
But Hurley maintained his innocence in the matter and the league determined he never made contact, passing on a suspension to fine him $25,000 instead. Still, the incident captured national attention and the embarrassing defeat led to a cloud of uncertainty forming around the heads of the Huskies.
The best way to chase that cloud away would be to have a strong performance at Madison Square Garden and win a second Big East Tournament title in three seasons.
If that’s the Huskies’ destiny, they certainly got off to a good start against a Xavier team they beat by at least 20 points twice this year.
A UConn team that has looked inconsistent in conference play came out loose and fluid, taking a 20 point lead into halftime.
Xavier’s second half was dominated by trips to the line, finishing the last 20 minutes of game time with 23 foul shots, converting 15 of them.
Dan Hurley’s blow-up with a referee in the regular season finale brought national scrutiny
Solo Ball led the Huskies with 19 points as part of a complete team performance
But Connecticut continued to be relentless. Guard Solo Ball led with 19 points, four rebounds and two assists while senior center Tarris Reed put up a 17 point, 14 rebound double-double.
Reed’s performance in particular is notable. Hurley has previously laid a lot of responsibility at his center’s feet in public forums, including on Thursday when the coach said, ‘What’s crazy about this… is he probably played at 70 percent tonight of what he’s capable of.’
When asked how he might be able to unlock that final 30 percent, Reed told the Daily Mail, ‘You got a new team, new players. Just sometimes a new system, you know? So, really, just trusting guys around me.
‘That’s the biggest thing – and, like, loving [and] having to enjoy each and every game. I mean even last week [the loss to Marquette] how tough that was. I feel like that brought us together, knowing that we have one job, one mission and we blew it.
‘And the beauty of it is, we have another opportunity to get a championship.’
Center Tarris Reed looks forward to ‘another opportunity to get a championship’
Georgetown 78, Villanova 64
When Georgetown poached Providence head coach Ed Cooley in 2023, the hope was for the Hoyas to return to the previous success from its heights from the 1980s through the early 2000s.
They are still miles off those days, but Cooley has pulled a rabbit out of a hat at this year’s Big East Tournament.
Despite finishing the regular season dead last in the conference, the Hoyas managed to eek out a win over a DePaul team that shot only 34 percent from the floor.
It earned them the right to play in the tournament quarterfinals against a Villanova team which beat them by a combined 22 points across a pair of regular season contests.
But this Wildcats team is hampered by injury, losing starting power forward Matt Hodge for the rest of the season to an ACL tear, and lost two of their final five contests.
Coming into Thursday night, the Wildcats were still expected to dominate with their strong guard play.
Instead, the Hoyas leaned on a career-best performance from New Zealand sophomore center Julius Halaifonua.
Georgetown coach Ed Cooley earned a shocking semifinal berth in the Big East Tournament
Hoyas center Julius Halaifonua led the way with a 21 point, 10 board double-double
Kayvaun Mulready celebrates in front of Villanova coach Kevin Willard (L)
His double-double effort anchored a superb rebounding performance where Georgetown thoroughly cleaned Villanova off the glass.
But beyond that, the Hoyas’ own injuries didn’t affect them in this game as much. With star guard KJ Lewis out for the season, guards Kayvaun Mulready and Jeremiah Williams dropped 14 points each as Georgetown shot over 50 percent from the field in the game.
Georgetown stares down its toughest test of the year on its biggest stage yet. It’s also a rivalry game against UConn, in a building where both these teams have taken part in famous battles.
Cooley appears unfazed by the occasion: ‘I was born with a chip on my shoulder. I don’t need to play against somebody else to have a chip. We’re going to play one of the best teams in America. They have earned that right… We’re just excited that we are here.
‘I want our men to feel how special it is to play on a Friday night in Madison Square Garden. We’re going to give them that experience, and if we continue to do what we’ve been doing the last couple of days, we’re going to give ourselves an opportunity to advance.’
