Amid a thoroughly dominating stretch, No. 1 UConn will be out to make Big East Conference history Tuesday.
UConn could be the first Big East team to ever put together a 15-game winning streak in conference play when the Huskies (24-2, 14-1 Big East) play on the road against No. 17 Creighton at Omaha, Neb.
It was a different type of history that UConn achieved Saturday, crushing No. 4 Marquette 81-53, while creating the largest margin of victory in a conference game played between a pair of top-five teams in the history of the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Donovan Clingan led a balanced attack with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, while adding 10 rebounds. Tristen Newton had 15 points with eight rebounds and eight assists, while Cam Spencer and Hassan Diarra each had 14 points.
The Huskies not only shot 55.6 percent from the floor in the second half to put the game away, including 58.3 percent from 3-point range after halftime, they had 45 rebounds in the game to 27 for the Golden Eagles.
“We were just trying to prove who we are and we’re just out here trying to win,” Clingan said. “One game at a time and we’re not looking too far ahead. … It’s just one game at a time, move on to the next and we’ve just got to keep playing the way we’re playing and keep playing for each other.”
Three teams have won 14 consecutive Big East games and two are from UConn, after the 1995-96 team also accomplished the feat. The 1984-85 St. John’s team also did it. The current team also is on a run of three consecutive victories by at least 25 points, the first in conference history to do so.
Creighton (19-7, 10-5) carries some momentum of its own while on a three-game winning streak. The Bluejays earned a 79-57 road victory Saturday over Butler as Baylor Scheierman delivered his Big East-leading 12th double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds. It was his sixth consecutive game with a double-double.
Creighton’s defense held Butler to 31.6-percent shooting in the second half and 57 points for the game, a season low in conference play.
“Our guys were locked in, they really were, especially in the second half,” Creighton head coach Greg McDermott said on the team’s radio postgame show.
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 21 points for his 13th consecutive game in double figures, while also passing 1,600 career points.
“The guys are playing at a high level right now,” McDermott said. “These games are really important this time of year. Hopefully … we’re ready to rock and roll against a very good UConn team.”
UConn and Creighton previously met on Jan 17, with the Huskies earning a 62-48 victory at home as the Bluejays matched a season low for points. Newton had 16 points for UConn, also ranked No. 1 at the time, while Steven Ashworth had 14 for Creighton, who were ranked No. 18.
–Field Level Media
