Butler will attempt to hand No. 14 UConn its second home loss in as many games when the Big East teams meet Tuesday night in Hartford, Conn.
UConn (13-5, 5-2) had its 28-game home winning streak end with Saturday’s 68-63 loss against Creighton. It was the program’s first home loss since an 82-79 defeat to then-No. 13 Xavier on Jan. 25, 2023.
“We’ve lost that aura we’ve had when we’ve taken the court the last couple of years,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “There’s a hunger that you have to have when you take the court. There’s this wild desire that you have to have where you will not be denied, or you’re gonna get over a screen, and you’re gonna contest the shot, and you’re gonna track down a loose ball. You’re gonna give a warrior’s effort. That’s not who we’ve been.
” … Maybe I’ll dial my intensity up even more in practice (and) I’ll bring more fire to the sidelines. I just think the team doesn’t reflect who we’ve been. We haven’t been able to turn these talented nice guys into fierce, savage competitors.”
Alex Karaban, UConn’s leading scorer, was held to eight points on 3-of-12 shooting against Creighton. Karaban is averaging 15.6 points per game.
The Huskies have been without freshman Liam McNeeley (ankle sprain) for the last four games and are 2-2 without him. McNeeley is averaging 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest.
“I’m not sure if Liam, when he returns, is going to be able to fix the lack of tenacity that we have right now,” Hurley said.
Butler (8-10, 1-6) ended a nine-game losing streak by beating Seton Hall 82-77 on Wednesday. Pierre Brooks II led the Bulldogs with 19 points.
Brooks is averaging 15.1 points per game, just behind Jahmyl Telfort (15.2) for the team lead.
“It feels amazing,” Brooks said after the win, per Butler’s student newspaper. “We’ve been working hard every practice, focusing on the little things, getting details corrected. … It really came through (against Seton Hall). We played as a team. We played together. When things got going against us in the second half, we stayed composed. I’m really proud of our team.”
The Bulldogs will be looking for another strong performance from Andre Screen, a 7-foot-1 center, who came off the bench to collect 16 points and five rebounds during Wednesday’s victory.
“Winning is in the details and (against Seton Hall) we did that,” Screen told Butler’s newspaper. “Last practice was a great practice. We need to continue to have great practices, continue to get better and that will lead us to play more consistently in the first and second halves.”
Butler coach Thad Matta tinkered with the team’s starting lineup against Seton Hall. Sophomore forward Boden Kapke made his first career start after he scored a career-high 13 points in an 80-76 loss to Creighton on Jan. 11. Kapke had six points in 17 minutes against Seton Hall.
“Since we’re down in numbers, we’re trying different things,” Matta told the newspaper. “As you can see, we’re subbing a lot more often and trying to get guys rest whenever we possibly can. I thought (Kapke) played really well the other night, so we thought to start with a change here.”
Butler is 0-4 in road games this season, while UConn is 8-1 at home.
–Field Level Media
