Notes & Quotes: UConn is peaking at the right time

STORRS — The last time UConn played Seton Hall, Dan Hurley’s squad was out of sorts, trailing at halftime and shaken by Donovan Clingan’s departure early in the second half of what would be their second loss of the season.

Ten weeks later, Seton Hall met an evolved version of UConn, which just won the Big East outright for the first time since 1999 after a 30-point triumph.

Since that Dec. 20 loss in Newark, UConn has gone 16-1 as Clingan returned to form and Stephon Castle, who also dealt with an early-season injury, began hitting his stride as a two-way dynamo.

The freshman guard is locking down some of the best perimeter scorers in the Big East and also making an impact offensively. On Sunday afternoon he led all scorers with 21 points, going 9-of-12 from the field. He’s averaging 13.8 points across the last 10 games, scoring 10 or more eight times in that span.

He’s also been putting on a show, displaying tremendous athleticism and slashing ability. Five of his nine buckets on Sunday came on dunks or layups.

During that stretch, Castle has locked up Providence’s Devin Carter, Marquette’s Tyler Kolek, and the Pirates’ UConn-killer Kadary Richmond, helping keep him to just two first-half points. The Huskies were up 15 at that point and got it to 20 less than three minutes into the second half.

“He made it tougher on Kadary, just his size, what he’s able to do… it was tremendous,” Hurley said.

In recent games against Villanova, Marquette, and Butler, the Huskies have demonstrated an ability to win a game by making stop after stop and eventually wearing their opponent down on the other end. They’ve won five of their last six, with a margin of at least 24 in those five victories, and shot 62 percent from the field in the second half on Sunday.

“We’re attacking games instead of feeling March pressure,” Hurley said.

What’s even scarier (for future opponents) is that they’re improving.

UConn is probably a better defensive team than its numbers suggest, though its efficiency metrics are still quite high and climbing. The Huskies are second overall in KenPom and have the third-most efficient offense in the country, with the defense ranked 17th.

“I feel like our defense is going to the next level,” Clingan said. “Just trying to really guard the ball at a high level, rebound at a high level… we just had to find that toughness on defense, toughness on the backboard.”

After cutting down the nets and raising a trophy in Storrs, Hurley and the players know a larger mission is ahead. But they can’t help but take a lot of confidence into every game knowing what they’ve proven across this season already.

“Next to getting to a Final Four or winning the national championship, winning the regular season of a conference like this is the hardest thing to do,” Hurley said. “You gotta earn it in a true round-robin, in this league in some incredibly tough places to play, the most physical games in college basketball, against the best coaches in the country.”

Here’s a closer look at Sunday’s win:

What Went Well

Castle the Playmaker. He’s been showing signs all season but lately we’ve seen consistent excellence on both ends from the five-star freshman. After the game, Hurley took issue with some NBA Draft analysis that was critical of the blue-chip star.

Hurley: Steph is our fifth-leading scorer and he had, against a really good defensive team, 21 on 12 shots.

Clingan Working. He’s a brick wall defensively and on the other end his low-post game is improving. Clingan stayed composed and assertive as he posted his third double-double of the season with just two fouls. UConn went to him multiple times and he had some nice finishes in the paint, dropping 19 points (7-12 FG) while grabbing 11 boards and blocking five shots. His three double-doubles on the season have all occurred in the last seven games.

Hurley: The key for Donovan was just getting the weight down after the second injury. He was never healthy for the first part…he’s one of the most impactful players in the game. He came back lighter…he’s moving really well.

Clingan: My teammates finding me when I’m open, when I got good post position… Letting the game come to me and my teammates were finding me for open dunks and open around the rim.

Consistent Newton. His coach may have been emotional, but the graduate guard remained cool and collected as usual as he notched his third consecutive double-double, ninth of the season. This time he did it with points and assists, scoring 17 on nine shots while dishing out 10 dimes. He also hit 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.

Hurley: In terms of two-year runs of guards, he’s got a chance to put something on the board, in terms of accomplishments that’s going to be tough to match.

Karaban Powers Through. Alex Karaban’s outside shot has not been “wicked hawt” as his hometown friends might say, but he found ways to contribute all over the court and still ended up with 13 points.

Hurley: The shot didn’t fall but I think he did other things. He problem-solved. He played really good defense. He moved the ball, he cut, he drove. You’re gonna go through some stretches… where you struggle with your shot… I thought he played well tonight.

Andrew’s Turn. It was an emotional day for Dan Hurley, who had complimentary things to say about all four seniors being honored on Senior Day, including his son Andrew. He’s hoping to have his son back for a fifth year but did not seem confident in the possibility.

Hurley: By Wednesday or Thursday, as I was crying in practice, thinking about the men that we’re going to lose from this team…I’ve been crying for a while now, thinking about [the four seniors].

Misc. Notes

Class of 2024 signee Ahmad Nowell was in Gampel for the game and was honored at center court during a media timeout. … UConn finished undefeated at home for the first time since the 2005-2006 season and the sixth time ever. … The Huskies are now tied with Georgetown for the most combined Big East championships (regular season or tournament) at 18. … UConn has won 20-straight at home and is 27-1 in its last 28. … Clingan tied a career-high with the five blocks and has recorded at least one in every appearance this season. … This was Castle’s third 20-point game. … The Huskies posted their lowest turnover percentage of the season.

Up Next

A marquee rematch with Marquette on Wednesday night (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1) at Fiserv Forum.

The Golden Eagles moved up to No. 5 in the AP Poll but are likely to move down again after losing at Creighton this past week without stars Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro. They sit 13th in KenPom (19th Offense, 18th Defense), which predicts a 76-74 win for UConn on the road.

Shaka Smart’s squad is 3-1 since the first meeting between the two teams, an 81-53 mauling at the XL Center on Feb. 17. They beat DePaul, Xavier, and Providence, all in convincing fashion at home, and will be playing to hold on to the No. 2 seed in the Big East Tournament while also aiming to boost their NCAA Tournament resume.