No. 2 UConn pursues ‘nasty edge’ as Creighton awaits
UConn is off to its best Big East start this century and will take aim at its 17th straight victory when it visits Creighton on Saturday night at Omaha, Neb.
The No. 2 Huskies (20-1, 10-0 Big East) started 11-0 in conference play during the 1998-99 season. The 16-game overall winning streak this season is the third-longest in program history.
UConn won a school-record 23 straight games during the 1995-96 campaign and put together a 19-game winning streak in 1998-99.
However, Huskies coach Dan Hurley said he isn't satisfied with what he's seeing on the floor.
"I think we as a team need to get a lot meaner," Hurley told reporters. "I think we need to play with more violence. We need to play with a nasty edge. We need to play with more of a killer instinct."
UConn's only setback this season came against then-No. 4 Arizona, 71-67 on Nov. 19 on the Huskies' home floor. The Wildcats are still unbeaten and the only team ranked ahead of UConn.
The Huskies have had close calls in their last four games, starting with a five-point road win at then-No. 25 Seton Hall and a two-point victory at Georgetown. UConn then went to overtime against visiting Villanova before posting a 75-67 triumph last Saturday.
The four-game stretch includes Tuesday's 87-81 home win against Providence. The Huskies led by just one point with less than seven minutes remaining before a nice finishing kick.
"When you've won a bunch in a row and have the record we have, and I continue to come in here somber," Hurley said postgame in the press conference room. "There's areas with this team that, it feels like on any night, are letting us down."
Tarris Reed Jr. had 19 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots against Providence. His backup, Eric Reibe, added 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field and collected eight rebounds, while Solo Ball scored 17 points.
Ball leads UConn with a 14.8 scoring average, while Reed (14.5) is second and Alex Karaban (13.5) is third. Reed averages a team-best 7.9 rebounds.
Braylon Mullins (concussion) sat out against Providence, but Hurley hopes he can play against Creighton. Mullins averages 11.4 points a game, and Silas Demary Jr. (team-best 6.1 assists per game) also averages in double digits in scoring at 10.4.
Creighton (12-9, 6-4), meanwhile, isn't as formidable as in recent seasons, but the Bluejays have controlled the all-time series with UConn, going 9-3 -- including a 2-1 mark last season, when the Bluejays beat UConn in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.
But Creighton limps into Saturday's contest with four losses in the past seven games. And little went right on Tuesday when the Bluejays were pounded 86-62 by host Marquette.
Creighton trailed 52-23 at halftime.
"That first half was embarrassing," Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said. "One team had energy, one team had focus, and our team didn't. We were a little better the second half, but you're also playing against a team that's up 30, so you take that with a grain of salt. We weren't hooked up from the start."
The Bluejays were outscored 52-24 in the paint and connected on just 7 of 34 3-point attempts.
Creighton's Josh Dix missed all nine of his 3-point tries after making at least one 3-pointer in 32 straight contests, dating to his time at Iowa. Dix leads the Bluejays with a 12.3 scoring average.