University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Seton Hall
No. 5 Huskies Open BIG EAST Play Wednesday At Seton Hall
12/19/2023 9:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEWARK – BIG EAST play has arrived.
After a 10-1 run through non-league action, the No. 5 UConn men's basketball team opens up its conference slate on Wednesday night when it visits Seton Hall (7-4) at the Prudential Center. Tip-off from The Rock is set for 7 p.m. and will air on CBS Sports Network with Tom McCarthy and Steve Lappas on the call.
UConn is entering its 38th season of BIG EAST play since re-joining the league prior to the 2020-21 campaign. The Huskies have won 17 total BIG EAST championships, claiming the regular season title 10 times and winning the BIG EAST Tournament seven times. Since joining the BIG EAST at its inception prior to the 1979-80 season, UConn is 19-25 in conference openers and 18-19 in BIG EAST openers.
The Huskies are coming off a successful trip to the West Coast that featured a win in Seattle over No. 10 Gonzaga, defeating the Bulldogs 76-63 at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday. Donovan Clingan (Bristol, Conn.) led the Huskies with 21 points and eight rebounds in the win, adding three assists and two blocks. He was joined in double-figures by Cam Spencer (Davidsonville, Md.) and Alex Karaban (Southborough, Mass.) who scored 15 and 11, respectively. As a team the Huskies shot 55.8 percent and turned up the defensive effort in the second half, holding Gonzaga to 30.0 percent shooting in the second stanza.
The Huskies have boasted a dynamic offense this season, currently leading the BIG EAST in scoring and ranking top-15 nationally in nearly every major offensive category. Tristen Newton (El Paso, Texas) leads UConn across the board with 16.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Spencer is second on the squad with 15.7 points per game, followed closely by Karaban at 15.2 per game and Clingan at 13.9 a contest.
UConn's defense has also impressed throughout the non-conference slate, as it leads the BIG EAST in scoring defense and ranks in the top-10 nationally in rebounding margin at +12.0 per game.
Seton Hall enters its league opener riding high after a win over Missouri in Kansas City in its last outing on Sunday. Kadary Richmond leads The Hall as a do-it-all guard, averaging 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Richmond is one of four Pirates averaging double-figures, along with Al-Amir Dawes (13.0 ppg), Dre Dravis (12.6 pgg) and Jaden Bediako (10.2 ppg). Bediako leads the Pirates with 7.9 rebounds per game.
Following Wednesday's league opener, the Huskies return home to a sold-out XL Center to take on St. John's on Saturday, Dec. 23 in an 8 p.m. prime time showdown on FOX.
