No. 5 UConn Tops No. 13 Illinois, 74-61

The no. 5 UConn men’s basketball team held off no. 13 Illinois, 74-61, to improve to 6-1 on the young season. It’s UConn’s second top-25 win this month, and it was done by shutting off the Illini from three as Brad Underwood’s men shot 6-of-29 (20.7%) from three. The Huskies also won the rebounding margin 43-38, despite only 15 minutes from Tarris Reed Jr, who was clearly not 100% as he recovers from an ankle injury.

Alex Karaban delivered a masterclass, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Beyond the box score, he was always in the right spot and made the right decisions down the stretch when Illinois was rallying.

Solo Ball broke out of his slump with 15 points, 13 in the first half. Malachi Smith added 14 off the bench along with nine assists. Eric Reibe added eight points and seven rebounds. Overall, UConn’s 31 bench points helped offset the foul trouble plaguing Tarris Reed Jr and Silas Demary Jr.

Despite the foul trouble from two of UConn’s Big Three; everyone made impact plays. And while the Huskies played with their food toward the end —letting a 21-point lead get down to seven — on the whole, this was a statement win against a very talented Illinois team.

First Half

Triples from Ball and Karaban got UConn going. Defensively, you could tell there was no tryptophan effect. There would be no slow start; active hands on defense and fluid spacing on offense made nothing easy for the Illini and created plenty of clean looks on the other end. A 10-0 killshot—eight from Solo — combined with Braylon Mullins’ season debut —had Storrs South in a frenzy before the under-12 timeout. The Huskies looked especially potent getting Karaban and Ball free at the elbows, or “horns.”

Both teams traded open looks with not a single shred of hesitation. Balkan Brad flashed some zone, but Ball would not be denied, whether it be from midrange or three.

Illinois hung around with a 6-0 run of its own as the Huskies cooled off from their hot start, but a Hurley timeout drew up a Karaban triple to stop the bleeding. And when the shots weren’t falling, the defensive effort was there, even if Reed looked not fully healthy and Kylan Boswell drew two quick fouls on Demary Jr.

Every time UConn struggled somewhere (missed free throws, offensive fouls, way off triples) they followed it up with a play that prevented Illini momentum. Case in point—with Eric Reibe picking up a second foul and the Huskies looking sloppy for a few straight possessions, Smith draws two defenders on a drive and hits Koroma for an easy dunk.

The Huskies ended the half shooting 41% from three with nine assists on 14 made field goals, pretty darn impressive considering Reed only attempted one field goal. The big question would be; was another BYU second half imminent, where UConn held on for dear life?

Second Half

Demary Jr picked up a third foul in the opening possession, and the Huskies lacked their first-half crispness without their floor general. Reed picked up a third foul as well, but Illinois refused to capitalize on the gifts UConn kept handing them, going 0/13 from three after starting the game 4/7.

Even with Reed out, the Huskies found success inside. Karaban was doing it all: rim contests, the extra pass, and cuts that unlocked easy layups. A Ross triple pushed the UConn lead to 17, with the UConn chants raining down on the garden.

Illinois’ first field goal of the half came at 12:40, just minutes before Mullins’ first-ever field goal of his career, in the midst of an 18-5 run that saw four baskets from fellow freshman Reibe.

Even with Reed unable to get going with foul trouble, the UConn machine kept rolling, with Illinois offering minimal resistance defensively and unable to hit water from a boat on the other end.

But as we’ve seen, the Huskies can lose that air of invincibility quickly. A few empty possessions and suddenly Illinois pieced together an 11—0 run, keyed by Boswell’s relentless rim pressure and a four-minute scoring draught from UConn.

Up seven after an Illini 14-2 run, UConn went in clock-killing mode. Two straight offensive rebounds from Reibe resulted in a bit of Malachi magic in his own hometown.

With the four-point play upheld, UConn had regained the momentum and avoided disaster. For the record, that was the wrong call and robbed fans of a fantastic finish.

Another uneven effort, but who cares? For 75% of the game, UConn was a dominant, scary force even with a key piece of the team hobbled. Depth matters, and with the talent at Hurley’s disposal, you can live with a few lapses.

It speaks volumes that Demary Jr and Reed Jr — both unable to really get going due to foul trouble — were nonfactors, and their backups in Smith and Reibe were able to step up. That’s a luxury in today’s college game, and the type of luxury that allows teams to play into April.