University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Creighton University
UConn MBB Comes Back Home To Face Creighton
1/6/2023 8:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / Jan. 6, 2023
STORRS, Conn. – After playing back-to-back games in arguably the two toughest environments for a visiting team in the BIG EAST Conference, the UConn men's basketball team could not be happier to be back home in Gampel Pavilion.
The #4 / #5 Huskies (14-2 overall, 3-2 BIG EAST) ran into some difficult times at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati and the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, dropping contests to Xavier and Providence after 14 straight wins to open the season.
Saturday, UConn will attempt to get back on track as it plays host to Creighton (9-6, 3-1) at Gampel (12 p.m., FOX). Not that the opponent is any easier – Creighton was the preseason favorite to win the BIG EAST – but at least the venue will help. UConn has won 16 straight games at Gampel Pavilion.
"I'm super excited to get to Gampel," junior Andre Jackson said. "We just played in two tough road facilities, so it's definitely good to be back home. We're looking forward to it for sure."
Jackson said he's hoping the Huskies learned from their losses.
"In sports, you're always going to learn a lesson," Jackson said. "You can't ride the highs and the lows, you've got to find an even keel. You've got to find a way to progress whether you're winning or losing. You can't let wins get into your head and you can't let losses bang you up. It's all about finding growth every single day – focusing on getting better every day.
"A loss humbles you. You look back and see all the things you did wrong. So, you go back to the drawing board and you say, 'OK, we've got to get back to doing this.' A loss is a lot of motivation, it motivates me and I know it motivates the other guys as well." "We know what needs fixing. It's getting back to our identity and we've been fixing that. Now it's a matter of executing it."
A couple of streaks will be on the line Saturday – UConn's 16-game win streak at Gampel, Creighton's current three-game winning streak, and the Bluejays' five-game winning streak against UConn.
"If you make mistakes and lose concentration and focus for a second … this was the team that was the favorite to dominate the league," UConn Coach Dan Hurley said. "Creighton's starting five is as good as any starting five in the country."
Creighton's staring five is led by 7-1 junior Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is second in the country in field goal percentage (.762) and leads the Bluejays in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (7.0). The rest of the starting lineup includes sophomore forward Arthur Kaluma (12.7 ppg), senior guard Baylor Scheierman (12.4), sophomore guard Trey Alexander (12.7) and sophomore point guard Ryan Nembhard (11.5 ppg, 5.8 apg).
"They are back to playing like the team we thought they would be in the preseason," Hurley said.
The Huskies have averaged 67.0 points per game in their last two games after averaging 80.9 ppg for the season and obviously will be looking to get their offense back in gear.
Junior Adama Sanogo still leads UConn in scoring (17.4) and rebounding (6.8), with Jordan Hawkins the only other Husky in double figures (14.6). Jackson, Alex Karaban, and Tristen Newton complete the starting unit. The last two games, UConn's heralded depth has not been in evidence.
"We know what needs fixing. It's getting back to our identity and we've been fixing that," Jackson said. "Now it's a matter of executing it."
