Notes & Quotes: Regular season ends with a bang in Providence

PROVIDENCE - The UConn Huskies ended their regular season in historic fashion, dominating their final two games — even though they had already clinched the Big East title and top seed — to set a new record for wins in league play.

After falling behind by double digits in the opening minutes, the No. 2 Huskies put on a clinic in a 74-60 rout of Providence on Saturday night at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.

They also set a program record for wins in the regular season and tied the Big East record for average margin in league play.

Alex Karaban scored 16 points to lead UConn (28-3, 18-2 Big East), who has ruined Senior Night for the Friars and Marquette Golden Eagles in consecutive games this week.

All five starters scored in double digits as the Huskies helped head coach Dan Hurley notch his first win in that building.

“I’m not gonna lie, it felt pretty good,” he said, having started his career 0-5 at the AMP. “I’ve had to eat sh*t in this building a bunch.”

Hurley emphasized that he was more focused on the task at hand.

“I was thinking more about history, I was thinking about the legacy for some of these guys: Tristen [Newton], Donovan Clingan, and Karaban,” he added. “The two-year run they’ve been on is bigger than any two-year run in the program’s history.”

“It doesn’t even seem real,” Karaban said. “To be part of that is special because of how hard the Big East is. Just adding to UConn history and Big East history is special to everybody.”

It wasn't a pretty start. Devin Carter scored 12 points to help the Friars bolt out to a 15-2 lead with a rowdy home crowd egging them on.

As has been the case for most of this season, UConn maintained its composure, turned on the gas, and buried the opponent.

In the final 15:58 of the half, the Huskies outscored their hosts 40-9. Hassan Diarra's buzzer-beating 3-pointer to close the half and Karaban's 3 to open the second killed any hope for a PC resurgence.

Clingan started the Friar fans’ mass exit with 9:42 left as he hit his second 3-pointer of the season. The Huskies finished with 19 assists on 29 field goals

Here's a closer look at the regular-season finale:

What Went Well

Championship Composure: It could have unraveled fast, but UConn took PC’s best punches early and then responded. The defense held the Friars to 28.6 percent shooting, generated 10 points off turnovers, and cleaned up on the offensive glass (12-2 edge in paint points). They also started to make shots - from all over - hitting at a 47.1 percent clip.

Providence head coach Kim English: “We got off to a really good start obviously and then immaturity set in. You’re not going to take a team out like that in the first five minutes of the game. They are obviously a really good team, as good a college team as I’ve seen in a long time.”

Double Trouble: Oduro gave UConn trouble in the first game with 20 points. This time around he ran into early foul trouble and faced a combo of Clingan (seven rebounds) and Samson Johnson (eight points, six rebounds) that is roaring into full strength.

Hurley: “Just having that two-headed monster that Josh had to deal with, with different types of play, I think we kind of wore him down. If you have two centers like we have, it was a big part of our success last year and a big part of our success this year.”

Shutdown the Threat: Carter knocked down two 3-pointers while igniting the Friar offense, but once the Huskies buckled down on him, it wasn’t quite the same. Oduro ran into foul trouble and PC started chucking up ill-advised 3-pointers.

Castle: “Just realizing he’s a capable shooter, but don’t get scooped by it. I think he’s a better driver than a shooter, so I had to stay down on his pump fakes and rely on my backside help with DC. That’s what we were able to do for 16 minutes and it worked.“

What Needs Work

Caught Early: Providence threw the Huskies off-balance at the onset, with its full-court pressure defense and Carter’s offensive exploits. The Huskies started just 1 of 5 from the field and Hurley even picked up a technical during the slow start.  

Hurley: “They jumped us and credit Kim and their guys. They are one of the most physical teams and are in the top 20 in defense. This is a tough place to play, the atmosphere…it’s different from most places you go. There’s a real edge to the game when you come in here, and it just took us a little while to get comfortable.”

Misc. Notes

UConn is 49-31 all-time against PC. ... Newton has a streak of seven straight games scoring in double digits. ... Providence is the seventh seed for the Big East Tournament and will play its former coach Ed Cooley and No. 10 Georgetown in the opening round. … The Huskies tied 1984-’85 Georgetown for the best average scoring margin in league play. … They broke the record of 17 wins in league play previously held by UConn (1995-’96), Syracuse (2011-’12), and Marquette (2022-’23). … UConn’s previous regular-season record of 27 wins had been accomplished three other times (1995-’96, 2005-’06, 2008-’09). … Donovan Clingan blocked a shot in all 26 games he appeared in, with 19 multi-block games. … This was the fifth time all UConn starters scored in double digits. … Samson Johnson had a solid outing, with eight points and six rebounds (five offensive) in 12 minutes.

Up Next

The Big East Tournament will kick off in Madison Square Garden this week. The Huskies await the winner of Wednesday afternoon’s 8/9 game between Butler and Xavier (4 p.m., FS1).

UConn’s first game will tip off on Thursday, March 14th at noon (FS1) for the quarterfinals. If they win, the Huskies play again on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and the tournament final is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and both of those games would be on FOX.