On Wednesday evening, Dan Hurley’s Huskies experienced an uncommon and disappointing defeat at Gampel Pavilion.
The fifth-ranked UConn team unraveled in the final moments, enabling Creighton — a team that has faced difficulties throughout a challenging year in Omaha — to secure an impressive 91-84 upset victory. This represented Creighton’s most significant win of the current season, as the Bluejays hold a 14-13 record and require assistance to even qualify for the NCAA tournament.
This defeat marked only UConn’s third throughout the entire season, yet it significantly jeopardized their aspirations for securing a top seed in the NCAA tournament and simultaneously created an opportunity for Rick Pitino’s St. John’s squad to contend for the Big East championship. The Red Storm navigated a challenging encounter of their own later that Wednesday night, prevailing over Marquette 76-70 in Milwaukee, thereby seizing the top position in the conference standings.
Creighton demonstrated no difficulty matching UConn’s pace for the entire game. The Bluejays went into halftime on even terms with the Huskies, subsequently orchestrating a substantial 14-5 scoring spree in the second half, effectively neutralizing UConn’s offensive efforts. They also compelled the Huskies into a period where they missed 10 out of 11 attempts, briefly extending their advantage to 12 points before comfortably securing the seven-point triumph.
Blake Harper effectively clinched the outcome by sinking a crucial corner three-pointer mere moments after a Silas Demary layup on the opposing side. Harper’s successful shot extended Creighton’s advantage to 10 points with only 90 seconds remaining on the clock.
Josh Dix was Creighton’s leading scorer with 21 points and also grabbed eight rebounds, while Nik Graves contributed 18 points. Harper’s performance off the bench yielded 12 points.
This victory appeared rather unexpected for the Bluejays. Prior to Wednesday night’s contest, they had suffered defeats in six of their preceding eight games. Their sole wins during that period were by a narrow margin of a combined two points. Furthermore, they held a dismal 1-8 record against Quad I opponents before this game.
Nevertheless, an NCAA tournament invitation is probably beyond Creighton’s reach, unless they can defeat the 17th-ranked St. John’s team this Saturday in New York and achieve a successful run in the Big East tournament. Wednesday’s triumph, however, represented a significant stride towards accomplishing that objective.
Braylon Mullins topped the scoring for UConn with 25 points and secured six rebounds, while Demary contributed 17 points along with nine assists. Key player Alex Karaban was limited to only two points, having made just 1 of 6 shots from the field, signifying his lowest scoring performance of the season.
UConn, having commenced the season with victories in 22 of its initial 23 matchups, has now accumulated two losses in its most recent four games, following a defeat at St. John’s last week. Should they fail to maintain a flawless or near-flawless record for the remainder of their schedule, obtaining a top seed in the NCAA tournament might become unattainable.
The upcoming re-match, scheduled for next week between the two front-running teams in the Big East, has consequently gained significantly increased importance as the conference tournament approaches.
