Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley spoke before his first BIG EAST Tournament game about how he expects his Huskies to play with a chip on their collective shoulders for the remainder of the season, however long that may be. But if Thursday night’s performance was any indication of how UConn plays with that chip in place, it could be a long and deep run into March for Hurley and Company.
The Huskies’ first BIG EAST Tournament contest since 2012 couldn’t have gone any better. Perhaps if the pandemic hadn’t prevented legions of Husky Nation from making the train ride down from Connecticut to pack the Garden, well, that would have been a nice addition. But other than that, it was a perfect return to the BIG EAST Tournament as the Huskies had their way with DePaul almost from the game’s start as No, 3 UConn built a 23-point lead by halftime before cruising to a dominating 94-60 victory over No. 11 DePaul. It was the Huskies’ first win in the BIG EAST Tournament since they knocked off West Virginia, 71-67, in a second round tourney game back in 2012.
It was quite the welcome back for UConn.
“Thrilled with the win,” Hurley said. “It was important for us in the first half to separate ourselves and try to take their hope away. It was a really clean performance on both ends (of the court).”
It wasn’t exactly a shock to see UConn post the win as the Huskies came into the game winners of six of their previous seven games. DePaul, on the other hand, did manage to upset Providence in an opening-round game Wednesday night. But the Blue Demons posted just five total victories this season (including the victory win over Providence) and haven’t advanced to the semifinal round of the tournament since, well, they’ve never reached the semifinals. So a DePaul victory was going to be a longshot at best.
After building a you’re-not-going-to-catch-us 45-22 lead by halftime, the Huskies showed no mercy as the second half got underway. Fifteen seconds into the second half Tyrese Martin scored on an acrobatic slam before R.J. Cole tossed in a layup for a 49-22 advantage. The quick offensive flurry caused DePaul head coach to call a timeout just one minute into the half. It did little to slow UConn down, however.
The Huskies’ lead never dipped below 22 points in the second half and breached 30 points with 9:42 to play after a layup by Martin made it 71-41. Still, UConn, which will be making its 14th appearance in the semifinals, didn’t call off the dogs and as they looked to be sending a message that it is indeed a force to be reckoned with in this tournament.
For Martin, who logged a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, playing at Madison Square Garden in the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time was something he dreamed about for a long time.
“It was something I wanted to do my whole life,” Martin said. “That’s why I came to UConn. This was a big thing, them coming into the BIG EAST and playing in the BIG EAST Tournament. Today was a dream come true and it felt good that we got the win.”
UConn’s attack was a balanced one as four players scored in double figures with the trio of Martin, Cole and Adama Sanogo all posting 14 points apiece with James Bouknight adding 10.
Hurley said Bouknight was suffering from cramping and made light of the situation after the game.
“I just think James is being overly dramatic,” Hurley said, tongue firmly in cheek. “That’s what you get with these stars. He was cramping. James does a horrible job of conserving his energy. He’s a crash test dummy on the court. I think he was so hyped up to play his first BIG EAST (conference) Tournament game but hopefully he’s good for tomorrow.”
Ah yes, tomorrow. UConn and Creighton could be one heck of a show and it is one Hurley thinks could be a must-see contest.
“We know how good those guys are,” Hurley said. “We got a ton of respect (for them). They got a hell of a team and have as good a chance as any team to win this championship and a team that can make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament next week. We have tremendous respect for their players and the way they’re focused right now with everything that they’ve been dealing with. The way they are locked in and playing really good basketball. We’re just excited for us to be in the BIG EAST semifinals versus one of the best teams in the country and we get a chance to play a marquee game tomorrow night which is exciting. To be able to give college basketball fans a kind of fun game to tune into tomorrow night during this brutal Covid time, we know it’s a tremendous challenge but it’s exciting, too.”