Michael Cohen
College soccer and faculty basketball author
NEW YORK — He capitalized on the rebound and absorbed a foul with 20.4 seconds left, setting in movement the lengthy celebratory stroll from one finish of Madison Square Garden to the opposite as a grateful fan base acknowledged that the job was nearly full. Everything that separated the no. 18 UConn from a 3rd consecutive victory over a top-ranked opponent – having already upset the then no. 15 Baylor and Texas earlier this week — it was two free throws by true freshman Liam McNeeley, a budding star for coach Dan Hurley and the Huskies’ shining star on an evening when the sector shone with future execs. He buried the primary and drilled the second to protect his staff’s 77-71 win over eighth-ranked Gonzaga and stabilize a season that briefly faltered.
“He was nice tonight,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few stated when requested about McNeeley. “It actually, actually was. And hear, UConn is… God, they have the center of a champion, man. Danny (Hurley) type of brings that out of them. We knew it was going to be a bodily struggle, principally , and I believed we have been as much as the duty. They simply made a pair extra of these baskets.”
Many of which have been attributed to McNeeley, the previous five-star recruit and one-time Indiana commit who poured in a career-high 26 factors on the brightest stage of his younger profession, igniting an overwhelmingly pro-UConn crowd in a an evening when a few of his extra skilled teammates struggled. That the Huskies turned so usually to McNeeley, a baby-faced teenager who scored 11 of his staff’s final 24 factors, in such a loud, high-pressure atmosphere displays the long-term potential Hurley sees for his staff, which is chasing a 3rd consecutive nationwide title. Seeing him anchor the offense by making seven of 13 photographs from the sector and hitting 10 of 12 from the free throw line – all whereas grabbing eight rebounds and dispensing 4 assists by way of pick-and-roll alternatives – encapsulated the type of affect advert wide selection usually reserved for males of the higher courses.
And the Huskies wanted every part McNeeley gave them to make up for the atrocious taking pictures of main scorer Alex Karaban, who missed all seven of his makes an attempt from past the arc; the concussion of beginning middle Samson Johnson, who had “began the sport off in merely electrifying trend,” as Hurley described it, with an alley-oop on the opening possession and a one-handed lefty jam quickly after; and foul bother for sophomore Solo Ball, who failed to succeed in double figures in scoring for the primary time all season.
“His efficiency tonight ought to put him on the high of any of those lists that I see of the very best freshmen within the nation,” Hurley stated, “as a result of he is doing it on each ends. He’s doing it on the scoreboard. He’s not counting on ) and there is a lot stress on him as a result of he is our second finest participant after Alex.”
Part of that stress got here from the legions of UConn supporters who poured by way of Grand Central Terminal within the hours earlier than tip-off, pouring into town on Metro-North Railroad automobiles smothered within the physique warmth of the standing crowds — items of whom have been wearing festive apparel for SantaCon New York. For many years, Connecticut residents have made these biannual pilgrimages to high-profile video games at Madison Square Garden, whether or not for the Big East Tournament in early March or regular-season matchups, reminiscent of Saturday night time’s Hall of Fame Series in opposition to Gonzaga. The Huskies’ appearances and triumphs at this historic constructing are so frequent that followers have nicknamed it “Storrs South” in reference to the faculty campus in Storrs, Connecticut. Last 12 months’s staff, which completed 37-3 total and captured this system’s second consecutive nationwide championship, gained all seven occasions it performed at MSG and averaged 14.3 factors per recreation.
On Saturday, a call-and-response chant echoed by way of the stomach of the practice station as followers poured into Manhattan: “UConn!” somebody shouted. “Huskies!” these round him shouted again. And so on. The area was stuffed with related expectations as Connecticut welcomed Gonzaga into the boozy fray. Nearly 19,000 followers, lots of whom had clearly been consuming for hours earlier than reaching the world, remodeled the venue into what appeared like a UConn house recreation. They blew the whistle because the Bulldogs rushed onto the sector for closing warmups at 7:41 p.m., forcing the group announcer to shout above them for the go to’s introduction. They booed once more when a pre-game video celebrated Gonzaga’s pedigree below legendary coach Mark Few, who has been on the helm since 1999. But when the digicam panned to UConn gamers and coaches arm in arm throughout an electrifying rendition of the nationwide anthem, the group roared with pleasure.
“It was like a prize struggle,” stated Few.
And that was precisely the type of help Hurley was asking for after his staff’s beautiful losses on the Maui Invitational, the place the Huskies completed No. 2 within the nation and have been shortly downed by Memphis, Colorado and Dayton on consecutive days. Upon returning to Connecticut, Hurley used his postgame press convention after a 99-45 loss to Maryland Eastern Shore to name for “grace, persistence and simply unbelievable help” from UConn followers who anticipated close to perfection in a back-to-back conflict. nationwide headlines plagued by lopsided outcomes. The customary Hurley and his workers held gamers unchanged — the Huskies are nonetheless within the hunt for a three-peat — however they misplaced two stars to the NBA lottery in Stephon Castle (No. 4 total) and Donovan Clingan (No. .7) total), plus two different veterans incomes two-way contracts in Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton, meant the Huskies would take a while to reconfigure.
But because the supporting solid led UConn to a fourth straight win on Saturday, the progress Hurley is making turned more and more clear. There have been essential contributions from sophomores Jaylin Stewart (two 3-pointers) and Jayden Ross (two assists, one rebound, one steal). There have been essential minutes from Michigan switch Tarris Reed Jr., whose 12 factors have been bolstered by six rebounds and three blocks. And there was the revelatory brilliance of McNeeley, the No. 18 total participant within the 2024 recruiting cycle, whose 4 free throws and acrobatic layup within the closing minutes pushed Connecticut forward for good.
That’s why it appeared so applicable that Saturday’s recreation ended like this: with McNeeley dribbling out the ultimate seconds of a victory he had largely fueled.
“I had by no means performed Mecca earlier than,” McNeeley stated. “But it was an ideal first expertise.”
Michael Cohen covers faculty soccer and basketball for FOX Sports with a concentrate on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.
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