Huskies Unite: Gampel Transforms into a Sea of White Against Creighton!

STORRS – The No. 14 UConn men’s basketball squad (13-4, 5-1 BIG EAST) returns to the court for the first time in a week, hosting Creighton (11-6, 4-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday at Gampel Pavilion. The game is scheduled to start at noon on FOX, with Jason Benetti and Donny Marshall providing commentary.

Saturday will feature a WHITE OUT at Gampel Pavilion, encouraging all fans to display their support for the White and Blue by wearing their finest UConn white attire. Additionally, it will be a $2 Miller Lite game, while supplies last. Please consume responsibly.

The Huskies are back at Gampel after experiencing a stretch of four out of five games away from home and bring a 28-game home winning streak into Saturday’s matchup. Connecticut last played at Georgetown last Saturday, utilizing a strong second half to secure a 68-60 victory. Creighton last competed on Tuesday, achieving a significant win at home against Providence.

This will mark the 10^th encounter in a series that commenced with the Huskies’ re-entrance to the BIG EAST ahead of the 2020-21 season, with Creighton currently holding a 7-2 advantage. The Bluejays won the initial five matchups, which included a BIG EAST Semifinal, but the two teams have split their regular-season clashes in the last two seasons. UConn has claimed victory in both encounters against Creighton held at Gampel with fans present, notably winning 62-48 on Jan. 17 last season.

Alex Karaban was UConn’s standout at Georgetown, scoring 19 points and has emerged as Connecticut’s leading scorer for this season, averaging 16.1 points per game with a shooting percentage of 49.1 percent from the field and 43.0 percent from beyond the arc. The captain contributes with 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.7 blocked shots per game, leading the BIG EAST with an average of 35.2 minutes played per contest.

Next on the scoring list is Solo Ball , providing 13.6 points per game and ranking within the top-20 nationwide with a 43.9 percent success rate from 3-point range. Both Ball and Karaban are the only duo in the country to place in the top-40 nationally for 3-point shooting. Hassan Diarra contributes 8.9 points along with a team-leading 6.5 assists per game, averaging an impressive 8.0 assists in BIG EAST contests. Tarris Reed Jr. adds 10.1 points and leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game off the bench, supporting Samson Johnson, who averages 7.6 points per game with a remarkable shooting accuracy of 77.5 percent.

The Huskies have been without star freshman Liam McNeeley (13.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) since sustaining an injury on Jan. 1, and he is not anticipated to make a return on Saturday.

This season, Creighton stands at 11-6 following a challenging non-conference schedule, positioning themselves firmly in NCAA Tournament conversations. The Bluejays, predicted to finish second in the league’s preseason poll, have commenced BIG EAST play with a 4-2 record following an 84-64 triumph over Providence on Tuesday. Fifth-year veteran Ryan Kalkbrenner serves as the backbone for CU’s post play, leading the team with 17.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and tops the BIG EAST with 2.9 blocked shots per outing. Fellow experienced player Steven Ashworth contributes 17.3 points and 6.6 assists per game, while Jamiya Neal scores an average of 10.9 points per night. Unfortunately, Creighton will be missing prominent player Pop Isaacs (16.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg) due to a season-ending injury sustained after eight games.

After Saturday’s matchup, the Huskies will head back into action in Hartford on Tuesday, Jan. 21, welcoming Butler to the XL Center.