University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Creighton
NO. 17 UCONN MBB BEGINS BUSY FEBRUARY VS. CREIGHTON
1/31/2022 5:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / Jan. 31, 2022
HARTFORD, Conn. – The UConn men's basketball team, riding a five-game winning streak and up to No. 17 in the national polls, begins a busy February by hosting Creighton in a BIG EAST Conference game on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at the XL Center in Hartford (6:30 p.m., FS1).
The Huskies (15-4 overall, 6-2 BIG EAST) will play nine games in a 27-day span in February, five against teams currently ranked in the Top 25. Creighton (12-7, 4-4) is not one of those currently ranked, but holds the distinction of never having lost to UConn (3-0).
UConn, off to its best overall start in eight years, is coming off a gritty battle in Chicago on Saturday where it overcame some shooting woes to record a 57-50 victory, thanks to grad student R.J. Cole, who scored 25 points and grabbed 5 rebounds to lead the win. Cole has regained the scoring leadership of the team with a 16.1 average, just ahead of sophomore Adama Sanogo (15.5) and senior Tyrese Martin (13.6). Sanogo (8.4) is the top rebounder and Cole hands out the most assists (4.6).
UConn leads the BIG EAST in scoring (76.0), rebound margin (7.9) and blocked shots (6.9) and ranks second in scoring margin (9.4), three-point fg percentage (.360), three-pointers made (7.9) and offensive rebounds (13.9) per game.
Creighton (12-7, 4-4) will be out to break a two-game losing streak which includes a 74-64 loss at home to Xavier on Saturday. The Bluejays have a balanced attack that features four double-figure scorers – seniors Alex O'Connell (12.8) and Ryan Hawkins (12.6), sophomore Ryan Kalkbrenner (12.1) and freshman Ryan Nembhard (11.8). Fifth starter freshman Arthur Kaluma is close to joining the club (9.1).
In league games, Creighton is shooting .426 overall, but only allowing opponents to shoot .396. The Bluejays are virtually even with their opponents in scoring, but hold a plus-3.1 advantage on the boards. The biggest three-point threat is O'Connell, who leads the BIG EAST with a .479 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
Creighton is 2-3 in true away games this season, 1-3 in conference away games. UConn is 9-1 at home overall, 3-1 in home conference games and 4-1 overall at the XL Center. Â Â
