In a few hours, the No. 5 UConn Huskies will be taking to an electric Allen Fieldhouse to take on the No. 21 Kansas Jayhawks.
With recent news ruling five-star Darryn Peterson out of contention for the hardwood, there are a lot of questions about how an offense that is currently ranked 151st in the nation with 76.3 points per game can take down an always stubborn Dan Hurley-led defense, which ranks as the 8th-best defense in the nation with only 61.3 points per game allowed.
Yet when speaking with the media yesterday, head coach Bill Self spoke about the dangers of the Huskies’ offense.
“They're the best that we'll probably play against this year as far as offensive movement,” quoted Self ahead of the gargantuan clash.
“…Because those guys really do a good job of tight curling, and the next time they're coming off the stagger, and the next time they're back cutting the downscreen, and the next time they're slipping the fate screen, and the next time they're setting the fate screen into a ball screen. I mean, they do a really good job of moving without the ball, and as a credit to them.”
Dan Hurley’s strategic and consistent offense has long created college basketball dominance. Under Hurley, the Huskies won both the 2022-23 NCAA National Championship and the 2023-24 title in dominant fashion as the Huskies combined for a 68-11 record over the two seasons. While the 2024-25 campaign saw a small drop-off, which ended in an NCAA second-round exit to the eventual champs, the Florida Gators, in a 77-75 loss.
Battle of the Fast & Fearless: Kansas Jayhawks vs UConn Huskies matchup significance
So far this season, UConn ranks 78th in the nation with 82.4 points per game. With the recently released Net Rankings, the Huskies are touted as the 8th-best team with a strong 2-1 Quad one record, leading the way in their metric placement.
UConn’s sole loss came against the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats, in a 71-67 loss. Barring that four-point slip-up, the Huskies hold a smooth 6-1 record. Tuesday will mark the first true away game for Hurley’s team, which is led by center Tarris Reed Jr., who has notched 15.5 points per game. Just behind Reed are guard Solo Ball (14.3) and forward Alex Karaban (14.0).
However, Reed was just ruled out for tonight’s matchup, meaning more pressure will be on the rest of the Huskies to pick up the scoring slack.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT with streaming available on ESPN 2.
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