Coming off its first loss in nearly three months, No. 6 UConn stays on the road with a trip to Indianapolis, Ind. on Wednesday to take on Butler.
The Huskies (22-2, 12-1 Big East) lost their perfect conference record Friday night when they fell 81-72 to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden. The loss snapped an 18-game win streak.
The loss wasn’t for lack of accuracy in live-ball action as the Huskies shot 54.7% from the floor, which included 9 of 19 from 3-point range. However, they went just 5-for-12 at the free-throw line and piled up 15 turnovers — nine by point guard Silas Demary Jr.
Demary had committed just eight turnovers in UConn’s five previous games combined.
“To go on the road against that defense and shoot 54%…the turnovers killed us,” said Huskies coach Dan Hurley. “When you go minus-17 point-wise at the foul line and get out-rebounded, you’re not going to win on the road.”
Another potential piece of concern for UConn was the lack of production from the bench unit, which combined to score just six points as Hurley allotted his reserves just 29 minutes.
“I thought the bench was skittish,” Hurley added. “We got off to a pretty good start, went to the bench and it was an immediate 7-0 run (for St. John’s). If you’re a bench player and that happens, you get a little tight with that rotation.”
It’s hard to fault Hurley for sticking with a starting lineup that features everyone in double figures. Solo Ball and Tarris Reed Jr. lead the way with 14.0 points per game while Demary ranks fifth with an 11.2 average.
Butler (13-11, 4-9) has endured four consecutive losses, all by double figures, which includes Saturday’s 70-55 defeat at Marquette. The Bulldogs had not scored so few points since a 60-52 loss on Feb. 4, 2023, at Marquette.
They shot just 32.8% from the floor and 6-for-21 from beyond the arc. Finley Bizjack led with 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting, though he was the lone Bulldog in double figures.
Butler played without two starters as point guard Azavier Robinson missed his second straight game with a wrist injury. His absence forced Bizjack into the point guard role.
“It made a difference, no doubt,” coach Thad Matta said. “He handled (Marquette’s) pressure well at our place.”
“It’s hard to lose point guards and still take care of the ball like you want to in every possession,” Bizjack said. “If they want me to bring it up, I’ll bring it up. If they want me off the ball, I’ll be off the ball, whatever I need to do to hopefully help us get back on the right track.”
Bizjack averages a team-high 17.9 points while Michael Ajayi delivers 15.8 points and 11.6 boards per game. The latter figure ranks third nationally.
UConn has never lost to Butler. The Huskies’ run began with the 2011 NCAA championship game and improved to 12-0 with their 79-60 win on Dec. 16 in Hartford.
That game broke a stretch of four straight games in the series that were decided by single-digit margins, including an overtime battle UConn squeaked out last January at home.
