University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Providence
No. 1 Huskies Welcome PC To Gampel, Wednesday
1/30/2024 7:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
STORRS – The No. 1 UConn men's basketball team (18-2, is back in action on Wednesday night when it plays host to New England neighbor Providence at Gampel Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. and the contest will air on FS1 with Tim Brando and Donny Marshall on the call.
Wednesday night at Gampel is Bleed Blue, Wear Blue night. UConn leads the all-time series with the Friars, 47-31, and took two of three from PC last year including a win in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament. Connecticut has won the last five meetings in the series inside Gampel Pavilion.
The Huskies are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak, their longest since last season's 14-0 start. UConn's 18-2 start to the year is the best 20-game stretch to open a season since the 2008-09 team opened at 19-1.
In its last outing, UConn put together one of the complete performances of the season in a historic 99-56 victory over Xavier. Connecticut hit a program-record 17 shots from 3-point range and dished out a season-high 28 assists, recording the fourth-largest margin of victory in a conference game in BIG EAST history. Tristen Newton led the way with 22 points, while Donovan Clingan added 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting with eight rebounds and two blocks.
UConn has been led this season by its explosive offense, ranking top-10 in America in field goal percentage, assists per game, assist/turnover ratio and scoring margin. The Huskies have also ramped up on the defensive end and currently lead the BIG EAST in scoring defense, rebound margin and field goal percentage defense.
Newton is UConn's leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, also pacing the squad in rebounding at 6.4 per game and assists with 5.8 per contest. The Wooden Award Top 20 Finalist is the only active player in Division I men's basketball with 1.700 career points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds. Cam Spencer is right behind Newton in the scoring column with 14.9 points per game and leads the BIG EAST in both 3-point field goal percentage (45.4) and assist/turnover ratio (3.19).
Alex Karaban adds 14.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Clingan posts 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting a league-best 63.8 percent from the floor. Stephon Castle is a five-time BIG EAST Freshman of the week and stuffs the stat sheet with 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
The Friars visit Storrs with a 14-6 record on the year and a 5-4 mark in BIG EAST play. PC is riding a three-game winning streak into the contest, most recently defeating Georgetown at home on Saturday. Devin Carter leads the Friars across the board, averaging 18.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. During league play Carter is the conference's top scorer at 22.0 points per contest. Josh Oduro also scores in double-figures for the Friars with 14.8 points per game on 56.4 percent shooting. Providence is second behind only UConn amongst BIG EAST teams in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, with Kenpom ranking PC in the top-10 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Following Wednesday night's contest, UConn visits its home away from home when it battles St. John's at Madison Square Garden on Saturday at noon.
