Marquette Post Game Thread

[RuffRuff]

If there's any consolations about today's humiliation, the bottom half of the BE bracket works out better for us, avoid Providence/Seton Hall/Creighton with a possible revenge opener vs Marquette. We may fall out of the 4-5 region setup and avoid Florida. Duke suffered a big injury tonight. Michigan lost their backup PG. And Arizona is notorious for March flops and we did almost beat them w/o Reed and Mullins. I think FL is the one I most want to avoid right now. Of course, who knows if we get there.

Holding my breath on even getting to those three teams. That is jumping WAY ahead. We just lost to Marquette.

The BET won't be much of a measuring stick on this season and I think we are firmly on the 2 line at this point, whether we win or lose the BET. It'll be two games we should win, then a rematch with StJ. This season's success will be determined entirely on what we do in the big dance. Right now, this team feels feels fringe second weekend. Anything can happen up to the Elite 8 honestly.

 

[HooperScooper]

I can see this team losing the first game of the tourney, but I can also see them reaching the Final Four. Very frustrating situation to be in.

As Hurley said:

“I feel like a lot of people have kind of got the team wrong. I think the team has got a high ceiling and a low floor.”

 

[3rdbass]

With the exception of the most recent St. John's game, this team has gradually gotten worse as the season has progressed. A poor shooting night happens to every team, but the recent number of close games and losses to weak teams, shows cracks and weaknesses that were not apparent in the early non-conference games. Perhaps it is the heightened physicality of Big East conference games where excessive pushing, grabbing and holding are allowed, but it appears to me that in general the UConn team has regressed, and lacks the dominant swagger of the 2023 and 2024 teams.

I think it is more that other teams have gotten better while we have stayed the same. Improving very little.

 

[formerlurker]

We'll blast them by 30 then lose on Friday

 

[HooperScooper]

Not that we didn't already know this. We're going to see more of it this week.

Bracketology: Florida passes UConn for fourth No. 1 seed as Selection Sunday nears

A big road win for Florida combined with UConn's loss brought a change to the No. 1 seed line

www.cbssports.com

 

[uconn_jack]

06 team would take teams to the woodshed occasionally

You mean like we did to St Johns, X twice, Creighton at Creighton, Butler, etc.? This team has it in them too, just not consistent.

 

[Jsmoove1121]

It’s been the most frustrating 27-4 season because we all kno we’re not as good as that record. For months we have only snuck by every bad team in this conference.

 

[uconn_jack]

I tend to look at this less as the actual teams we lost to than the programs and the coaches. Normally a 3 loss season to Marquette, Creighton, and St John's would be a roaring success. Certainly Marquette and Creighton are not the teams they usually are, but losing to them isn't like losing to DePaul or Gtown. They are still prideful programs with invested fan bases and great coaches who can still (and did) beat you even when they "suck".

 

[HooperScooper]

Has AK had any other games with 0 FG made in his career?

No. The game articles said it was a first for him.

From the Courant article:
The Huskies’ sharpshooting duo of Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins combined to shoot just 6-for-25 from the field and 3-for-17 from beyond the arc. They were the only Huskies to make a 3-pointer as Alex Karaban missed five attempts from deep and went without a made field goal for the first time in his career.

 

[superjohn]

No. The game articles said it was a first for him.

From the Courant article:
The Huskies’ sharpshooting duo of Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins combined to shoot just 6-for-25 from the field and 3-for-17 from beyond the arc. They were the only Huskies to make a 3-pointer as Alex Karaban missed five attempts from deep and went without a made field goal for the first time in his career.

He's never had 0 field goals before. It's incredibly difficult to score just 2 points on 0 field goals in 40 minutes but he's ghosted a lot this season. It's painful from our senior leader, he scored 2 points in our loss to Creighton and he's had 10 games in single digits scoring this season.

 

[RuffRuff]

 

[freescooter]

Just stop already. This team has look disjointed offensively for the vast majority of the season starting with the slogfest that was the New Haven opening game.

"The had a lot of great looks, just didn't drop" is the new rallying cry for some around here.

Glad somebody else has finally recognized that this goes way back. It wasn’t just a “bad game” or an off day. These problems showed up against New Haven. With very few exceptions they’ve been there in most league games in a league that is the weakest it has ever been. And when every week guys who don’t hit 3s are shooting and hitting them it suggests that you might not be defending the 3 that well.

 

[FightOnCT]

I mean, the conclusion is really that the team has played to its opponents level throughout the year. The same struggle putting away bad teams was at the same time the team was winning many big games. Both go way back.

They haven’t changed in that regard on either account, and this late in March, just gonna have to accept the volatility. I couldn’t tell you why this is the case.

 

[giddyup]

After tonight's raging embarrassment of a loss, this is going to be a narrative. Especially with Clingan and Castle going beast mode in the NBA.

Can’t resist:

Brady is to Belichick
As Clingan & Castle are to ________

Truthfully, it’s incredibly hard winning college NCs…. Just ask the B1G. If we don’t win a NC for the next 30 years we will still be ahead of 99.99%
For Hurley, the bloom comes off the rose quickly if he can’t parlay “success” into the next success, and the standard of success is ridiculously high - win another NC.

 

[mauconnfan]

Watching the uic vs drake game now and the announcer just made this same point. These are energy plays. You need these during the game. UConn usually tries to get them from the 3pt line and more times than not it kills momentum when you miss. There is no energy guy on this team Ross tries at times but there really is no energy guy on this team.

Silas never stops and rarely gets help. He is an “energy” guy if this team has one. Both ends he’s non stop. The problem is his Robin isn’t any good unless he’s making shots.

 

[dtrumpet]

We aren't as good a team as we looked vs. St John's and not as bad as yesterday. The Johnnies bounced back from missing 24 shots in a row and are looking good right now. No reason we can't do the same starting Thursday.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Welp we did better than my predictions before the season started (yes I am also one of those odd ducks that keeps the schedule next to my desk and puts down Ws and Ls after each game). I had us at 25-6 with losses at Kansas, Florida, at X, at Creighton at SJU and at Marquette. Great season now lets win the BE Tourney and I will hope for 1 or 2 seed in the south. This team is very hard to root for sometimes I agree, even within games they give hope then snatch it away but as it says they are what they are going to be.

 

[Marat]

The offense needs to be adjusted. Obviously cant rely on the 3 point shots anymore. When they don't fall, we can be in big trouble. Reed in foul trouble adds to this issue. What does Hurley do ? How about more mid range shots for Solo and Braylen ?

 

[navery12]

Interesting to see how miserable people seem about our season right now compared to the predictions in this thread where most people had us exactly where we are right now

Thread ''25/'26 Regular Season Predictions'

Oct 21, 2025

1st tie breaker is record in Big East Tournament (rounds won)

2nd tie breaker is rounds won in NCAA TOURNAMENT

Here is the regular season schedule (thanks, jleves)

If anyone can come up with a simple list of regular season opponents that can be quoted and used here to winner for each game - please post and I'll add it to this post.

• temery
• Replies: 29
• Forum: UConn Men's Basketball Forum

• 

 

[willie99]

Has Dan Hurley lost this team? They pulled out an absolute stinker of a game where they were playing for, at worst, a share of the BE regular season championship. I’m going to get killed for asking it but it needs to be asked.

No it doesn't

 

[TroyHall98]

After tonight's raging embarrassment of a loss, this is going to be a narrative. Especially with Clingan and Castle going beast mode in the NBA. I can't think of a spot in the history of Calhoun's tenure, where he was this strong a conference record, in a spot to ice a BE crown and battling for a one seed, and takes an upperclassmen laden team on the road against a team like young Marquette, last place team in the BE, and loses. This feels like a first for the program.

Can't keep listening to this one. This was the last place team in the BE - you figure out a way to win, and win convincingly, without relying on 3 pointers.

This is the worst loss of the year given who they were playing and what they were playing for.

 

[REB1094]

Last 5 games (through the Creighton L):

Silas: 10.1 PPG on 35.1%
Solo: 10.0 PPG on 34.1%
Braylon: 12.8 PPG on 38.3%
Karaban: 10.6 PPG on 45.4%
Reed: 14.4 PPG on 64.6%

Pretty easy to see what the offense should be centered around

 

[Edward Sargent]

Driving skills aren't great - he shies away from contact, and a big part why we don't get to the line. His two drives today were pretty embarrassing. His middy game is solid, but seems to abandon it for threes a lot. One of the more frustrating players I've seen in a Uconn uniform.

He doesn’t shy away from contact with the floor. Many or most times he ends up on the floor after a drive to the basket. It’s why he sprained his wrist (twice). I wondered if he was coached to do this as Hurley mentioned it sometime mid season. With his upper body build one would think he could be coached to take hits from defenders better.

 

[microfich]

We've had a great season by any measure but after 20 games we're pretty heavily scouted in-conference not to mention a calendar-circled game for every opponent. And, we're missing a key piece in Stewie, who has something we could use out there - mental toughness.

We've been playing up and down to the competition most of the season, no question. Some Perno and Calhoun teams had the same problem. It's mental toughness, not leadership. Where's our Cam Spencer, our Kemba Walker, our KEA, our refuse to lose guys? On this team it's either Captain America or the quiet but deadly Silas and this would be a great time to speak loudly and grab ahold of those reins.

Now that it's win or go home time, I believe they'll step up as a team. Why? Skill kills if you use your head and we have proven we can do that. We've shown we can bounce back as easily as we can be bounced by weaker teams. Good thing is, after game 1 at MSG (I hope it's Marquette) we won't be playing any more weak teams.

 

[djct1999]

I think this thread illustrates perfectly the dangers of microanalysis. Let’s summarize:
1. It was Danny’s fault. A coach goes 27-4, wins 2 consecutive natty’s, turns down the lakers and Kentucky in same offseason, yet people on here still believe they know more than him and point fingers the moment something unexpected happen. Got it.
2 Braylon Mullins is overhyped. Mocked in the lottery in a very deep draft everywhere. Yet all he does is heave three’s. Sure guys. The kid is elite and is playing within the system, not complaining at all(like Steph) yet he isn’t the player some of you thought? Got it.
3. Solo should be benched and start Ross over him? Brilliant. Let’s take the one kid who can regularly get his own shot off the dribble off the floor and put in an energy guy with almost no offense. If you want to see more turnovers, less scoring, and more stagnant sets, then fine but this is insane. Danny knows what Ross gives. Danny also knows the ceiling of solo and what he gives, and guess what, it’s more beneficial to get solo rolling no matter how late than give up on him to start a kid with limited upside . Got it.

It was a brutal game, a worse result, and one the team will now own forever. What a shame. They deserved better given the overall body of work, but got what they deserved in yesterday’s moment. It happens. Get over it and hope for better in Thursday.