UConn men’s basketball stumbled mightily after Tuesday’s win over No. 24 Creighton, losing to Seton Hall 69-68 in overtime Saturday afternoon in Newark.
The Huskies led by seven with under a minute to play in regulation and by five with a minute to play in overtime, but costly turnovers gave the Pirates too many chances. A late tip-in from Scotty Middleton off a Solo Ball turnover with three seconds left gave the Pirates their second Big East win of the season.
The loss torpedos an otherwise strong NCAA tournament resumé for the Huskies (17-8, 9-5 Big East) and throws any chance of winning the Big East regular season out the window. Shaheen Holloway’s squad entered the game ranked 213th in KenPom and as losers of nine straight.
The Pirates’ size and physicality defensively bothered UConn enough to cause a rockfight, and while the Huskies leaned on its high-powered offense to pull away multiple times, the team’s 16 turnovers eventually did them in. While the Huskies had moments offensively, the team couldn’t overcome a poor showing in which the team shot 37.3 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from three.
UConn started slow but still managed to lead for a majority of the first half, but after a layup from Alex Karaban put UConn up 17-14 at the nine-minute mark, the Huskies’ went ice cold. Seton Hall rattled off a kill shot, scoring 11-straight points to claim a 21-17 lead as the Huskies went scoreless for over six minutes before Ball stopped the drought with a 3-pointer.
The Pirates would retain the lead through the first half and led by as much as eight before a Ball three and Karaban layup cut it to 25-22 Seton Hall after the first 20 minutes. UConn’s 22 points were the fewest the Huskies have scored in the first half since 2022.
Karaban powered UConn’s comeback in the second half, as the junior hit his first three in his last 16 attempts to the Pirates’ lead to 36-34 midway through the second half. He then found Samson Johnson on a slip screen on the next possession to cut the lead to one. Ball put UConn ahead on the ensuing possession with another 3-pointer to lead 39-37 at the under-eight timeout as part of a 7-0 run with five straight made field goals. Seton Hall punched back immediately with six-straight field goals of its own, with a 3-pointer from Isaiah Coleman tying things up at 43.
Karaban and Liam McNeeley combined for an 8-0 run with four minutes left to lead 55-48, and it looked like the Huskies would be able to pull away with an ugly victory. But Dylan Addae-Wusu had other plans, scoring the Pirates’ last 10 points, including eight in 36 seconds of game action, to force overtime. Addae-Wusu hit three free throws after being fouled beyond the arc by Ball, then hit the game-tying three to force overtime after the Huskies once again struggled to inbound the ball on the Seton Hall baseline. After UConn turned the ball over with a 5-second violation, Seton Hall missed a dunk, corralled the long rebound, and found Addae-Wusu, a 31.3 percent shooter, to send the game to OT.
UConn once again looked to be in control in overtime, with Karaban hitting two free throws on the opening possession and eventually leading 68-63 after Karaban dished to Reed for an acrobatic layup with a minute to play. But the Pirates were relentless, forcing three turnovers on inbounds passes in the final 48 seconds and making four straight free throws before Middleton’s game-winning basket.
Karaban led UConn with 20 points and six rebounds in a bounce-back performance, while Solo Ball (15 points), Hassan Diarra (12), and Liam McNeeley joined him in double figures. Coleman posted a game-high 23 points for the Pirates on 8-22 shooting, while Addae-Wusu added 13.
Up next, UConn will welcome Villanova to XL Center on Tuesday, Feb. 18. With the loss to the Pirates, a win over the Wildcats will be necessary to ensure the Huskies are firmly in the NCAA tournament discussion. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on FS1.
