Sean Miller watches his team inside the silent Gampel Pavilion at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. He’s ready to send a message.
“We did a great job, but the mark of a great team is what you can do away from home,” Miller said at the end of his team’s shootout. “Now is your chance to do it. We didn’t come here to play UConn. We are here to fight hard to win.”
That’s exactly what the 13 musketeers did, taking a 9-0 lead to open the game and prevent the 19th Huskies’ furious comeback in a boisterous atmosphere, trending 82-79. It marks a fitting end to by Xavier 9-1 in the first half Big East play, because the Musketeers answered a big question surrounding this team: Can they do it on the road?
“I really feel it was our best overall performance of the season,” Miller said after the win. “In terms of defence, I think the first half went as well as we’ve played all season.”
The Musketeers, who came in at 96th in KenPom adjusted their defensive effectiveness, shutting down UConn in the first minutes by letting André Jackson Shoot from outside the arc and challenge Huskies to launch from downtown. It worked, as Connecticut shot just 32% from the field in the first 20 minutes, including 1 to 13 from three points.
“That’s the mindset of our team in this game, to set the tone and stay together,” Souley Boum say after victory.
That mindset is the change Miller has brought to Xavier basketball, which Boum describes as “never at a time when we were complacent.”
Highlight: Souley Boum proves her strength compared to UConn
Xavier’s Souley Boum scored 21 points in an 82-79 win over 19th UConn Huskies.
The UTEP transfer showed that attitude and more towards 16-4 Musketeers. Boum answered questions defending Xavier’s pre-season views with clarity, ranking 5th in the Big East in terms of both goals (17 PPG) and assists (5.1 APG). He’s as impactful as any transfer in college basketball and is a legitimate candidate for the title of Eastern Player of the Year.
“He’s an incredibly precise shooter,” Miller added of Boum. “Whether it’s 3 seconds deep or 3 seconds dribbling, when he comes on, he’s going to shoulder us. Really, I don’t think Souley had his best game, but the fact that he played. bad shooting, it’s hard to say 21 points at UConn wasn’t a good evening.”
In his latest performance as the steady presence of the Musketeers, Boum started 5 to 5 from outside the arc and finished with 21 points.
“I’m the point guard of this team, and I have to be that guy for this team,” Boum said. “I didn’t have time to get frustrated, and I talked to our guys to get them ready. We did that to start the game, and then it was about getting through the storm. storm.”
UConn delivered a blizzard in the second half, reducing a 17-point deficit to one with 10:59 to start, and again with 4:52 remaining before a final push with 2:40 on clock.
Second Superstar Huskies Jordan Hawkins won 26 points, scored 8 to 12 in the last 20 minutes. It’s a welcome sight for a soul-seeking offense at halftime. With Tristen Newton matching his season-high with 23 points plus 4 assists, the positive picture for the Huskies is that Hawkins had some help and the backcourt played strong. in the first half like for weeks even though it was too little, too late.
“Defensively, we were too soft. We were completely lost and I had to fix that,” Dan Hurley said after Connecticut’s sixth loss in eight games after starting the season 14. -0.
“It’s rare that I have to completely get out of the man’s defense because their defenders have gone wherever they want on the pitch. The whole defensive perimeter is terrible. If we can’t fix it. fix their defences – teams that are dedicated to playing zone only don’t do well.”
Musketeers shoot 53% from the floor and 50% from outside the arc.
For UConn, Wednesday marked another disappointing night, as the Huskies fell 5-6 in the Big East and were knocked out of the regular-season title race. UConn is still considered an NCAA Tournament spot as the expected 5th seed in Mike DeCourcy’s latest bracket prediction, but the Huskies need to be a different team next week. They have a week off before a match against the residents of the Big East basement DePaul and Georgetown.
For Xavier, the vision of the regular season championship crown is real. This show, which won just eight games in the Big East last season, has taken a 180-degree turn since Miller’s return to the sidelines. A victory of this magnitude on the road and with reserves Hunter Jerome and Desmond Claude adds quality depth to the rotation, helping this Musketeer team grow as the season intensifies.
“That’s what tonight really gives our team, a belief that we can win anywhere,” Miller said. “Talking is one thing, getting over it is another. When you get through it and win, you say, ‘Okay, we can do it’.”
“There are people out there who say, ‘Can they win on the road?’ and all this and all that,” added Boum. “We’re just out there to continue to get the credit we deserve. We’re built for these moments and we’ll keep walking and keep working.”
The path of the musketeers was not easier. Xavier goes to Omaha to visit a Creighton the team found its footing in the conference match and won 8-1 at home this year. That advice comes at 12:15 p.m. ET on Saturday.
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