University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Xavier
UConn MBB Challenges Xavier On Road
2/12/2021 10:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / Feb. 12, 2021
The UConn men's basketball team will make its first-ever visit to the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, when it challenges Xavier in a BIG EAST Conference game on Saturday at noon.
It will be the first time the Huskies (8-5 overall, 5-5 BIG EAST) and the Musketeers (11-2, 4-2) will clash as conference colleagues, although they have met twice before. UConn defeated Xavier, 66-50, in the second round of the 1991 NCAA Tournament in Minneapolis and Xavier evened the series with a 75-74 double overtime victory in the semifinals of the 2019 Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C.
Both teams have been hit hard by stoppages due to COVID-related issues. UConn has had three significant pauses, but will now play its third game in an eight-day span. Xavier is coming off a pause that has kept the team out of game action since Jan. 30 and has limited the Musketeers to just one game since Jan. 10.
While UConn sophomore James Bouknight (20.3 ppg) continues to rehab from elbow surgery, the Huskies have been led by junior Tyrese Martin (11.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and junior R.J. Cole (11.2 ppg, 4.0 apg). Freshman forward Adama Sanogo (6.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg) has come on to average 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds over the last five games.
Xavier boasts a powerful offense, led by sophomore forward Zach Freemantle (15.0 ppg), and senior guards Paul Scruggs (14.6) and Nate Johnson (11.5). The Musketeers average 78 points per game, 10 points more than they allow. They shoot .478 overall as a team, .364 from three-point range. Xavier is particularly tough at the Cintas Center, where it owns a 9-1 record this season, the only loss to Seton Hall.
