University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Gonzaga
Huskies Visit Seattle For Top-10 Showdown With Gonzaga
12/13/2023 7:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SEATTLE – The No. 5 UConn men's basketball team (9-1) closes regular season non-conference play on Friday night when it takes on No. 10 Gonzaga (8-2) in the Continental Tire Seattle Tip-Off. Game time from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle is set for 10 p.m. (ET) on Friday night and will air on ESPN2 with Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas on the call.
The match-up with Gonzaga will mark a rematch of the 2023 West Regional Final, handily won by the Huskies. UConn is 4-2 all-time against the Bulldogs in a series dating back to the 1999 Elite Eight. All six prior meetings have also come on neutral courts, including a 2008 win for UConn also in Seattle.
The top-10 showdown will already be the third such contest for UConn this season, a program record for regular season non-conference top-10 contests. The Huskies split their previous two top-10 games, falling at No. 5 Kansas on Dec. 1 and defeating No. 9 North Carolina on Dec. 5 at Madison Square Garden. Connecticut also has a top-15 win under its belt, defeating No. 15 Texas at MSG on Nov. 20.
The Huskies are coming off a 101-63 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in its last outing, getting a career-high 26 points from Alex Karaban (Southborough, Mass.) and knocking down a season-high 13 shots from 3-point range. Gonzaga is also entering the weekend coming off a win, taking down Mississippi Valley State on Monday.
All-America candidate Tristen Newton (El Paso, Texas) leads UConn across the board this season, averaging team-highs of 17.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. He is one of four Huskies averaging double-figures on the year, joined by Cam Spencer (Davidsonville, Md.) at 15.8 per game, Karaban at 15.6 per game and Donovan Clingan (Bristol, Conn.) at 13.2 per contest. As a team the Huskies lead the BIG EAST in both scoring offense at 87.4 points per game and scoring defense at 63.2 points allowed.
Gonzaga also boasts a high-scoring offense, averaging over 85 points per game and boasting five players averaging at least 11.7 points per game. Graham Ike averages 14.2 and 7.9 rebounds per game, while Anton Watson checks in with 13.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs hold marquee wins this season over Syracuse, UCLA and USC heading into the Friday night showdown.
Overall, UConn has won 26 of its last 27 non-conference games. The match-up with Gonzaga will be the final precursor to BIG EAST play, as UConn opens conference action at Seton Hall on Dec. 20.
