Creighton Knocks Off No. 1 Huskies
The Story: No. 15 Creighton ended the nation’s longest winning streak with an avalanche of 3-pointers to knock off No. 1 UConn 85-66 before a raucous crowd in Omaha, Nebraska, last night.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: UConn (24-3, 14-2 Big East) lost the math game last night. Creighton shot a scorching 14-of-28 from 3-point range to overwhelm the Huskies. Steve Ashworth put on a show for Creighton with a team-high 20 points.
• Things went south for the Huskies in first half when Donovan Clingan, who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, went out with two fouls about five minutes in. That ignited the Bluejays, who outscored the Huskies 38-18 to end the half.
• UConn trailed by as many as 23 points in the second half as the Bluejays continued their bombardment.
• Tristen Newton led the Huskies with 27 points in a heroic effort. UConn cut the deficit to 74-64 with 4:26 left and had momentum but ran out of gas. The Bluejays outscored UConn 11-2 in the final four minutes as the Huskies converted on only one of eight possessions.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: The Bluejays shot 54.3 percent and outscored the Huskies 42-9 from 3-point range, which is almost an impossible deficit to overcome. This is a new era of basketball at all levels with the volume of 3-pointers being taken and made. Creighton defended the 3-point line relentlessly and didn’t give the Huskies much as they went 3-of-16 from long range.
• How different is this era? UConn held a 40-18 edge in points in the paint and had 20 second-chance points and lost by 19. Creighton sold out on not allowing 3s and overplaying the Huskies on the perimeter, and UConn just couldn’t make enough 2s to stick around.
STOP SPENCER AND KARABAN: Cam Spencer had six points on 3-for-8 shooting and Alex Karaban wasn’t any better, with seven points on 2-for-7 shooting. They hit only one 3-pointer between them.
CREIGHTON CRAKS UCONN OFFENSE: Creighton’s defense was geared toward stopping the Huskies’ passing and perimeter shooting, and it was executed to perfection. UConn, one of the better passing and assist teams in the nation, had only eight assists on 26 field goals — well below its standard.
• The Huskies were left with Newton forced to break down the defense under duress, and the senior was game but put up 21 shots. By comparison, Karaban, Spencer and Stephon Castle combined for 24 shots. The passing wasn’t there as Newton had to shoulder the offensive load.
WHAT DID DAN HURLEY SAY? “We did a bad job coaching tonight. Our players did a bad job playing tonight. I did a bad job coaching tonight.”
OUR TAKE: Not worried. UConn hadn’t lost since Dec. 20, and it still holds a three-game lead over Crieghton and Marquette with four games to go. This was an eye-opener in the sense UConn has always found a way to get its offense going or the defense has bailed it out. It reminds us how fickle the NCAA Tournament is for great teams. If we had to draw up a scenario where UConn gets upset, it’s the opponent hitting an inordinate amount of 3-pointers while the Huskies struggle from long range.
UP NEXT: Back to the friendly confines of Gampel Pavilion, where the Huskies take on Villanova on primetime on Fox on Saturday night.
Morning Reads
• NBA mock drafts galore! The Athletic has four UConn players being chosen, with Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan being taken in the first round and Alex Karaban and Cam Spencer going in the second. ESPN’s draft also has Castle and Clingan in the first round with Karaban a second-round pick.
Top photo: Dan Hurley yells during the Huskies’ win over Northern Arizona. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
