No. 4 UConn proved a little bit of hydration can go a long way in a Dec. 21 win over DePaul.
The Huskies (12-1, 2-0 Big East) were struggling when junior guard Silas Demary Jr. abruptly had to leave the floor. He came back strong, however, to lead the Huskies to a 72-54 win.
UConn takes the floor again Wednesday when it travels to Cincinnati to take on Xavier (9-4, 1-1) in a Big East matchup.
As it turns out, Demary was just dehydrated. The junior guard finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and only two turnovers.
The Georgia transfer’s performance was key for the Huskies, who were missing leading scorer Solo Ball because of an injured wrist.
“Silas is one of those guys that is like the quarterback on the floor,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “What he has brought to our program’s identity is beyond the numbers. He has changed our whole identity. The soft identity we had as a defensive team … he changed all that for us.
“His approach is real smart,” Hurley continued. “We need him to be more assertive and more aggressive, but with Solo out, we needed him to create more scoring opportunities.”
Ball, who is averaging 15.4 points per game, will play against Xavier, Hurley said on Monday.
Demary is averaging nine points and 4.7 rebounds and leads the Huskies with 75 total assists in 13 games.
Senior forward Alex Karaban had a game-high 21 points against DePaul and averages 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season.
Tarris Reed Jr. had 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds against DePaul. The senior center averages 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Reed and freshman center Eric Reibe share the team lead with 18 blocks each. Karaban has blocked 14 shots.
Xavier is coming off an 80-77 road win over Georgetown on Dec. 20 when the Musketeers won despite a huge disadvantage at the free-throw line.
The Hoyas made 25 of 43 free throws, while the Musketeers took only 14 foul shots, making 11.
“I tell my team all the time that you can’t win in this league if you don’t win the toughness battle,” Xavier coach Richard Pitino said. “We don’t force the refs to call fouls. You have to force the refs to make a decision by being aggressive.”
It was the Musketeers’ fourth win by five points or less.
“When you really value the ball, you win games like that,” Pitino said. “They have a calmness to them and they just seem to find a way to make a big shot down the stretch.”
Senior forward Tre Carroll, who transferred after playing three seasons at Florida Atlantic, leads the Musketeers with 16.5 points per game and also averages 5.6 rebounds. He has also blocked 10 shots.
“(Carroll) really has had some amazing moments,” Pitino said. “He has been terrific down the stretch.”
Senior guard Roddie Anderson III averages 12.7 points per game and sophomore forward Jovan Milicevic is contributing 11.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest.
Senior forward Filip Borovicanin is pulling down a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game and has blocked 10 shots.
Xavier outrebounded Georgetown 45-36, which Pitino thinks is key for his team.
“You will not win out there with just finesse,” he said. “You have to be physical every night.”
