NEWARK, N.J. — For Dan Hurley’s Connecticut Huskies, 2025-26 has grow to be all about exorcising the demons from a season in the past.
Regardless of how these exorcisms occur.
On Tuesday evening, the toughest purging one but.
Final 12 months’s Huskies famously did not get that unobtainable three-peat in 2025, however their chase for a 3rd nationwide title in 4 seasons may be very a lot on due to their newest win, this one a vindicating 69-64 victory vs. Seton Corridor on Tuesday. With the win, the Huskies are 17-1 total and 7-0 to begin league play for the primary time since 1998-99 — the season of UConn’s first NCAA championship.
Now it is chasing a seventh.
The trail by the Huge East seems to be considerably simpler this season vs. final. Nonetheless, one the staff’s hardest exams got here vs. the Pirates. No. 3 UConn was up by 18 factors within the second half and seemingly on its technique to a cruise-control highway win in opposition to Twenty fifth-ranked Seton Corridor. As a substitute, the Huskies succumbed to the Pirates’ full-court press within the closing 10 minutes and wound up narrowly escaping, successful regardless of 17 turnovers.
“These guys STICK to you,” Hurley mentioned. “They’re very fast.”
UConn’s victory was finally aided by the truth that Seton Corridor, which ranks close to the underside of 3-point accuracy amongst all Energy 5 groups (31.4%), was a season-worst 1-of-16 from past the arc. Connecticut was barely higher, managing a mere 3-of-17 exhibiting from deep. Seton Corridor’s solely 3-pointer got here within the closing minute, when Pirates junior guard Mike Williams III hit a trey to chop the result in two with 48 seconds remaining. Effectively-timed, however too little too late.
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The Huskies’ victory marked the primary time in 58 months — since March 3, 2021 — that Connecticut beat SHU on the highway. And it did it in escape-route vogue within the closing minute. UConn level guard Silas Demary Jr. sank two foul pictures with lower than 30 seconds remaining to place the Huskies up 67-64. The Rock was thumping.
Then Williams III tried one other 3, solely to have it blocked by Husky freshman guard Braylon Mullins. A scramble ensued. Who wound up with the ball beneath?
Demary.
He hit two extra freebies to offer the sport its closing rating. A UConn staff beating opponents by 16.6 factors on common needed to accept a five-point edge, practically blowing an 18-point lead alongside the way in which. That sort of twist can ship Hurley right into a match in opposition to many groups and on many nights. However not this one.
That is as a result of the Pirates are a viable potential NCAA tourney squad, at the very least in Hurley’s view.
“That is a staff that is going to compete on the prime of the league,” mentioned Hurley, “I would not wish to see Seton Corridor’s title drawn subsequent to mine within the NCAA Event this 12 months, I can inform you that.”
The Corridor’s rise has been one of many surprises of the season. SHU was picked final within the Huge East within the preseason, but no staff on the Energy 5 stage has jumped extra in KenPom’s scores from October till now than the Pirates (50 spots: from 93rd on opening day to forty third after Tuesday’s loss).
Candy revenge and a win to separate in-league
Tuesday evening was about survival, Hurley mentioned, and naturally ending the highway streak in opposition to his alma mater. UConn had misplaced its final 4 journeys all the way down to the Prudential Middle — sure, together with each NCAA title seasons beneath Hurley earlier this decade — and so this victory is definitely a balm on his soul.
Although he swears it wasn’t one thing weighing on him till this previous weekend.
“You are clearly not serious about it within the preseason. You are not serious about it in the summertime. You are not serious about it in October,” Hurley instructed CBS Sports activities within the UConn locker room afterward. “However then once you get to 2 days out and the media reminds you that you’ve got misplaced 4 in a row right here, and that chip will get implanted someplace within the mind, you strive not to consider that.”
Says who? With the consolation of heading residence with a win, UConn senior ahead Alex Karaban readily admitted he was serious about it.
“A number of anger simply strolling into this enviornment,” he mentioned. That anger was channeled appropriately within the first half, when UConn went into the break with a 35-22 lead. Karaban completed with 13 factors and averted an O-fer at Seton Corridor for his lauded faculty profession.
“It was by no means ‘right here we go once more,'” he mentioned. “It was staying collectively. It was just like BYU in a method.”
Connecticut’s win vs. BYU in November was one other sport that was received due to Demary’s poise late. On the entire on this evening, essentially the most invaluable participant on the ground was Tarris Reed Jr., who had 21 factors and 9 boards.
“That is actual in opposition to these guys,” Hurley mentioned of Reed’s exhibiting in opposition to Shaheen Holloway’s staff. “I simply have a lot respect for a way arduous his groups play. His staff often is the hardest-playing staff within the nation.”
Huskies can win in myriad methods
In a down 12 months for the Huge East (the place questions linger about if the league can play itself to even 4 NCAA bids), Tuesday was an opportunity for Seton Corridor to vault its nationwide profile. This was the varsity’s first ranked-on-ranked residence sport since Jan. 1, 2022. The comeback was spectacular — UConn someway solely took one discipline aim try within the closing 5 minutes, a feat that just about positively is not going to be repeated the remainder of the season — however the Huskies made simply sufficient performs to get it accomplished.
A Seton Corridor win would’ve been higher for the Huge East. UConn’s on a tier to itself within the convention, although. It is successful in lots of methods, together with dramatics as of late. Final Wednesday, UConn overcame a 13-point hole with lower than 9 minutes remaining to slide out with an OT win at middling Windfall. There have additionally been emphatic defeats over Illinois, Kansas and Florida.
The protection is closing in on effectivity numbers which can be in earshot of the Hurley’s two title groups.
“We have proven some particular qualities,” Hurley instructed CBS Sports activities. “With our accidents and the schedule, and we have received properly, however have not performed as properly (currently). Particularly on the offensive finish and on the backboard, when it comes to the turnovers, and a few rebounding points that I feel are fixable with this staff.”
Hurley mentioned if the turnovers and rebounding get labored out, UConn is as sturdy as any staff within the nation with pretty much as good of an opportunity on the title as anybody. And he is proper. The Huskies are 5-0 on the highway. That is a greater highway document than anybody else in high-major basketball, and solely second to Miami-Ohio’s 8-0 mark. (The RedHawks are a school hoops-best 18-0 after their 100-61 win vs. Central Michigan win Tuesday.)
The Huskies have received 13 in a row since their shorthanded loss at residence to No. 1 Arizona in November. It seems to be like this staff’s worst-case state of affairs within the Huge East will probably be an 18-2 run of the common season. Villanova and St. John’s each are taking part in properly, however past that, challengers will probably be arduous to return by.
When UConn misplaced in additional time at Seton Corridor a 12 months in the past — vs. a SHU staff that will end with simply seven wins — Hurley known as the trip again that evening a “coffin on wheels.”
I requested him late Tuesday: What is the time period for this 12 months’s journey again to campus?
“Grateful,” he mentioned.
UConn has 5 Quad 1 wins, tied for second-most with six different groups. However these groups (Arizona, Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Iowa State, BYU) have much more alternatives in Q1 as a result of their leagues are so significantly better and deeper than the Huge East.
“There’s not lots of possibilities for us within the league this 12 months to get Quad 1-type video games video games, to get Quad 1 wins, to get to beat groups which can be going to be within the discipline,” Hurley mentioned. “I imply, that is a staff (Seton Corridor) that is going to be within the discipline, that is a superb staff. It was truly enjoyable to play a sport that we might acquire from. I feel the group was in all probability somewhat bit looser, as a result of it was a sport that we might acquire from, versus a sport that you just lose, ow turns into a résumé hit.”
Seton Corridor’s enchancment is big for the Huge East but in addition useful to UConn on this spot. The Huskies are the league’s solely title nationwide title contender. The beginning of 2026 has been a bit bumpy, however all indicators level to a return to supremacy when it issues most. The following two months will probably be about asserting dominance, taking again the Huge East and positioning themselves for one more run into April.
Till then, Hurley will certainly conjure up just a few extra demons to hunt.
