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UConn Sports Weekly: Hockey in Boston, MBB in Philly, Baseball in the Desert

A lot of big games going down this weekend.

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Headlines

Men’s Hoops Sliding?

Braylon Mullins’ career-high 25 points were not enough on Wednesday night as UConn men’s basketball lost its third game of the year and second of conference play to Creighton. 

The ramifications of this loss are significant. The Huskies may have squandered their chances at a No. 1 seed, and St. John’s is now in pole position for the conference title. Alex Karaban is banged up, so is Mullins, and the team’s defense is regressing.

It’s not time to panic, but alarms are sounding. Storrs Central’s Brian Kervick offered a review of the Huskies’ seeding possibilities. 

For the first time all season, UConn really was not competitive at the end of a game. The Bluejays controlled the glass and hit almost half of their shots, while also cruising at the free-throw line.

Dan Hurley’s postgame interview was at least honest about the state of the team. He mentioned that opponents are taking on their weakest defenders 1-on-1, and that they’re running out of time to address their issues.

The Huskies are in Philly to take on a surging Villanova team on Saturday. Solo Ball’s 24 points helped UConn squeak past the Wildcats in OT last time out, and Saturday should be just as competitive. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Biggest Hockey Series… Ever?

This weekend’s BC series could be the most pivotal in the history of UConn men’s hockey. The Huskies have won five straight and have all of their goals in sight: A Hockey East regular-season title, a Hockey East Tournament championship, and an NCAA tournament berth. 

Throughout program history, UConn has never accomplished the first two feats. Achieving the second on the list guarantees the third, and doing all three would all but solidify the 2025-26 squad as the best in UConn history, regardless of its NCAA tournament fate. It would be Huskies second appearance in the big dance in program history, following last year’s squad. 

UConn plays the first of two against the No. 12 Eagles starting tonight. A mere two points separate these two squads in the conference standings right now, the Huskies second and BC third. Both sit firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble, UConn at NPI No. 12 and BC at No. 14.

If UConn wants any hope to catch conference-leader Providence, who they’ll meet in the regular season finale. With a loss or two, the Huskies would move down the standings and out of the NCAA tournament picture. 

The Huskies are on the safer side of the bubble, whereas BC is not. After the six conference tournament winners, 10 at-large bids are granted to fill out the 16-team field. Being in the top 16 does not always guarantee security. 

Two current conference leaders, AHA’s Bentley and CCHA’s Michigan Tech, both fall outside the top 16. Bentley (No. 28) and Michigan Tech (No. 18) winning their respective tournaments and getting into the field would knock out NPI Nos. 15 and 16, and so on. From there, it’s a numbers game. 

Bubble watch is on, folks, so grab your popcorn and get ready for two big ones. The Huskies head first to Chestnut Hill and will host the return game of the home-and-home Saturday at 3 p.m.

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Not-So-Fun in the Sun

The excitement of college baseball’s opening weekend quickly turned to concern for UConn baseball, which lost its first four games before prevailing in extras on Thursday night. 

The Huskies competed in the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona, facing Nebraska, Kansas State, and Air Force, and it was not pretty.

On Opening Day, they lost big to Kansas State, and their two other games that weekend followed a similar path. Then they were nearly mercy-ruled by Arizona State on Tuesday. On Thursday night, three 12th-inning runs propelled the Huskies over Arizona.

Our newsletter, Hook C Baseball, reviewed the three games in Scottsdale, highlighted some weekend winners, and ran through the first NCAA Tournament projections of the year. 

Jim Penders’ squad will play three more games against Arizona before returning to the East Coast. First pitch Friday and Saturday is 8 p.m. ET, and Sunday at 3 p.m. Here’s a look at the weekend starters

WBB Rough Patch

The No. 1 team in the world has shown some imperfections in the last week. The Huskies are still undefeated as they rumble through conference play, but some not-so-convincing wins have left much to be desired on the court. 

Daniel Connolly looks into sluggish wins against Marquette and Villanova, as well as Ice Brady’s season-ending surgery. One silver lining: UConn claimed the Big East regular-season title with its win over the Wildcats.

Weekly Rewind

Men’s Basketball

Six Former Huskies Shine in NBA All-Star Weekend, Thompson Scores another Olympic Goal – Castle and Clingan impressed over the weekend, while Tage Thompson continues to wow in Milan. 

UConn named one of 16 schools added to NBA 2K26 – Both the men’s and women’s teams are in the video game.

UConn men’s basketball jumps to No. 5 in the AP Poll – The ranking likely won’t last after the team’s loss to Creighton.

Notes & Quotes: Georgetown Tests UConn Again ($) – The Huskies beat the Hoyas, but their struggles are apparent. 

No. 6 UConn men’s basketball survives Georgetown, 79-75 – UConn staved off a late push to pick up the win.

Tristen Newton called up to the Houston Rockets, Tage Thompson scores for Team USA – Former Huskies doing really impressive things on the global stage. 

Women’s Basketball

The Weekly: UConn hits first rough patch of the season – The Huskies are looking to return to elite levels of play. 

UConn women’s basketball survives at Villanova, 83-69 – The Huskies trailed at halftime for the first time all season, but still pulled out a double-digit win. 

UConn women’s basketball lands as No. 1 overall seed in first NCAA bracket reveal – It’s no shock where this team will land come March. 

UConn women’s basketball pulls past Marquette, 71-56 – The Huskies played their tightest game of the season Saturday.

What UConn needs to improve over its final five regular-season games – The Huskies are far from a finished product. 

Football

Get to Know UConn Football’s New DC, Ryan Manlac – Sitting down with Manlac to discuss his football journey, philosophy, and more.  

Hockey

UConn blanks Maine, 2-0 – For the first time in a decade, the Huskies recorded back-to-back shutouts.

UConn’s penalty kill delivers shutout victory at Maine ($) – The unit killed all five penalties with elite play.

UConn battles to 3-3 tie at Maine – UConn claimed the shootout to win both in Maine.

UConn steals two points in record-setting tie at Maine ($) – Tyler Muszelik made 50 saves, the most by a UConn goaltender since the team joined Hockey East in 2014. 

Baseball

UConn baseball nearly mercied by Arizona State – UConn trailed 17-1 at one point. 

UConn baseball loses to Kansas State, 7-3 – The Huskies collapsed to lose their second game of the year.

UConn baseball drops season opener to Nebraska, 12-2 – The Huskies were mercied on Opening Day.

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