STORRS – The No. 14 UConn men's basketball team (13-4, 5-1 BIG EAST) is back in action for the first time in a week when it plays host to Creighton (11-6, 4-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday at Gampel Pavilion. Tip-off is set for noon on FOX with Jason Benetti and Donny Marshall on the call.
Saturday is a WHITE OUT at Gampel Pavilion and all fans are encourage to show they are For the White and Blue in their best UConn white. It is also a $2 Miller Lite game, while supplies last. Please drink responsibly.
The Huskies are back at Gampel after playing four of five away from home and ride a 28-game home winning streak into Saturday's contest. Connecticut was last in action last Saturday at Georgetown, using a second half surge to go up 20-plus in an eventual 68-60 win. Creighton was last in action on Tuesday, winning big at home against Providence.
The meeting will be the 10th all-time in a series that began with the Huskies reentry to the BIG EAST ahead of the 2020-21 season, and a series Creighton has built a 7-2 lead in. The Bluejays won the first five meetings including a BIG EAST Semifinal, but the two sides have split their regular season series in the last two campaigns. UConn has won both meetings against Creighton played at Gampel with fans, including a 62-48 victory on Jan. 17 last season.
Alex Karaban led the way for UConn at Georgetown with 19 points and is the leading scorer for Connecticut this season with 16.1 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting from the floor and a 43.0 percent mark from 3-point range. The captain adds 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game and leads the BIG EAST logging 35.2 minutes per contest.
Behind Karaban atop the scoresheet is Solo Ball with 13.6 points per game and is top-20 in the nation with a 43.9 percent 3-point field goal percentage. Ball and Karaban are the only teammates in the country to both rank in the top-40 nationally in 3-point shooting. Hassan Diarra adds 8.9 points and a team-high 6.5 assists per game, averaging a league-best 8.0 helpers in BIG EAST games. Tarris Reed Jr. adds 10.1 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game off the bench backing up Samson Johnson, who scores 7.6 points per game on 77.5 percent shooting.
The Huskies have been without star freshman Liam McNeeley (13.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) since an injury suffered on Jan. 1 and he is not expected to return on Saturday.
This season Creighton is 11-6 after playing a grueling non-conference schedule to sit firmly in NCAA Tournament discussions. The Bluejays, picked second in the league's preseason poll, are off to a 4-2 start in BIG EAST play after an 84-64 win over Providence on Tuesday. Fifth-year stalwart Ryan Kalkbrenner anchors the post for CU and leads the squad with 17.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, leading the BIG EAST with 2.9 blocked shots per contest. Fellow veteran Steven Ashworth adds 17.3 points and 6.6 assists per game, while Jamiya Neal posts 10.9 points a night. Creighton will be without star Pop Isaacs (16.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg) following a season-ending injury after eight games.
Following Saturday's contest the Huskies will return to action in Hartford on Tuesday, Jan. 21 to welcome Butler to the XL Center.
Players Mentioned
- G
- 6' 2"
- Senior
- F
- 6' 10"
- Junior
- F
- 6' 8"
- Redshirt Sophomore
- G
- 6' 3"
- Freshman
- C
- 6' 10"
- Junior
- F
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
Players Mentioned
- 6' 2"
- Senior
- G
- 6' 10"
- Junior
- F
- 6' 8"
- Redshirt Sophomore
- F
- 6' 3"
- Freshman
- G
- 6' 10"
- Junior
- C
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
- F
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