University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Butler
No. 1 Huskies Host Butler, Tuesday In Hartford
2/5/2024 5:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HARTFORD – Two of the hottest teams in the BIG EAST meet on Tuesday night at the XL Center when the No. 1 UConn men's basketball (20-2, 10-1 BIG EAST) welcomes Butler (15-7, 6-5) to the Nutmeg State. The Huskies are riding a 10-game winning streak into the contest, while the Bulldogs have won four in a row. Jason Benetti and Bill Raftery will call the action on FS1 with tip off set for 8:30 p.m.
Connecticut won the first meeting against Butler this season, rallying from a seven-point halftime deficit with a huge second half in an 88-81 victory. The Huskies have never lost to the Bulldogs in program history, holding a perfect 8-0 record that includes a win in the 2011 National Title game and regular season sweeps in each of the last three years.
In addition to its 10-game overall winning streak on the line Tuesday, UConn is also a perfect 12-0 on its home floors this season. The Huskies are playing as No. 1 for the fourth-straight week and are 5-0 this season playing at the top of the polls.
In its last outing, UConn overcame another halftime deficit and topped St. John's at Madison Square Garden by a score of 77-64. Cam Spencer scored 23, Stephon Castle set a new career-high with 21 and Tristen Newton stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to the lead the way for Connecticut. The win improved Connecticut to 4-0 this season at The Garden and was UConn's nation-best eighth Quad 1 victory.
UConn's success this year has come via a balanced attack, one that sees five players averaging double-figures. The Huskies are among the national leaders in nearly every major offensive category, including assist/turnover ratio, assists per game, field goal percentage and scoring margin. Newton leads Connecticut across the board with 15.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per contest. Spencer checks in at second on the squad with 15.3 points per game, followed closely by Alex Karaban at 14.5 per contest. Also in double-figures for Connecticut are Donovan Clingan at 12.3 per game and Castle with 10.9 a contest.
Butler is riding a four-game winning streak into the contest, most recently taking a high-scoring thriller at No. 13 Creighton on Friday night. Pierre Brooks leads the top scoring offense in the BIG EAST with 16.5 points per game, while Jahmyl Telfort adds 14.4 and DJ Davis chips in 14.0 per contest. Butler is tops in the BIG EAST in both 3-point field goal percentage (36.5 percent) and 3-point percentage defense (31.5 percent).
Following Tuesday night's home tilt the Huskies hit the road for two in a row, starting with Georgetown on Feb. 10 in DC.
