Playing without Tarris Reed Jr. for the third time in the first five games of the season, the No. 3 UConn men’s basketball team dropped its first game of the year to No. 4 Arizona, 71–67.
Reed has been the sail in which UConn’s offense catches its wind, and without him, the team fails to maximize its potential on both ends of the floor. Eric Reibe got the start, as he did in the first two games of the season when Reed was sidelined with a hamstring injury, but Reed’s presence was sorely missed. The game was ultimately decided on the glass and in the paint. UConn was outrebounded by 20, with Arizona generating 16 second-chance points compared to the Huskies’ five. Of Arizona’s 71 points, 43 came in the paint.
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With Reibe filling in the starting lineup, the freshman center showed great flashes and finished with a career-high and team-high 15 points. If there was any indication he was headed for a big offensive night, look no further than his first basket. He caught a lob from Silas Demary Jr. and converted an and-one — upgraded to a flagrant foul — for UConn’s first three points of the game.
Otherwise, UConn was ice cold to start, shooting just 1-for-8 through the first five minutes and change. Solo Ball paced the offense with 10 of the Huskies’ first 15 points, though UConn overall struggled to find nylon. Much of the offense flowed through the lane, utilizing drive-and-kick opportunities when available. Both Ball and Silas Demary Jr. had a few open looks in the midrange, and UConn routinely found space in the paint. Converting from beyond the arc, however, proved more difficult. The Huskies shot just 3-for-11 from deep in the first half and 8-for-25 overall.
The game was closely contested throughout the first 20 minutes. The largest lead either team could build was two possessions, with eight lead changes between the sides. Arizona’s Jaden Bradley led the Wildcats with 12 first-half points, followed closely by standout freshman Koa Peat with nine. Quiet for UConn was Alex Karaban, who didn’t score his first point until 3:25 remained in the half and didn’t register his first field goal until after halftime.
Sloppy fouls burdened the Huskies, with four starters picking up two fouls by the break. The whistles were active on both ends, and the teams combined for 20 fouls in the first half. Arizona capitalized at the charity stripe (11-for-13), while UConn struggled (6-for-12). A Demary layup closed out a sluggish half for UConn, which trailed just 35–33.
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Arizona opened the second half on an 8–2 run and quickly built a double-digit lead. A 7–0 burst from UConn brought the Huskies back within two possessions with 10 minutes to play. Their defensive effort improved dramatically down the stretch, and they began securing stops when they needed them most. Malachi Smith drew an offensive foul, Karaban delivered a key block, and UConn found itself running in transition multiple times.
With fewer than five minutes to play, Karaban buried a big three to cut the lead to one. Arizona had been practically daring Reibe to shoot from deep, leaving him wide open beyond the arc for much of the night. Reibe hit two threes in the second half, including one to tie the game with just over three minutes remaining. A Stewart layup on the ensuing possession gave UConn its first lead since the midpoint of the first half. While UConn diversified its shot profile, Arizona shrank its own, attempting just two threes in the second half and instead consistently attacking the paint.
Leading by one, Bradley drained the shot clock before driving, faking, and stepping through for a layup off the glass to put Arizona up three with 16 seconds left. UConn used its final timeout to advance the ball. Demary initiated the final possession in the halfcourt, dropping it off to Reibe, who drew a foul going up and nearly sent Gampel into a frenzy with a potential and-one. But the ball spun out, and Reibe missed both free throws. Arizona’s Tobe Awaka iced the game with two makes at the line, and a Demary three at the buzzer was moot as UConn fell 71–67.
UConn had no answer for Bradley (21 points) or Peat (16). Ball had the midrange game working but struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 1-for-8 while finishing with 13 points. Demary added 13 and Stewart 10, the only other Huskies to reach double figures. Karaban finished with eight, attempting only five shots on the night. All five starters ended with a negative plus-minus.
It’s a tough blow for the Huskies, though not unexpected given the difficulty of the non-conference slate. UConn is back in action Sunday at PeoplesBank Arena, tipping off against Bryant at 6 p.m.
