UConn Gets Revenge on Florida with Thrilling Win in Jimmy V Classic

No. 5 UConn vs. No. 18 Florida, the past two national champs. 

Madison Square Garden, aka Storrs South. 

The late 9 p.m. tipoff only added to the anticipation. The first “Let’s go Huskies!” chant actually rang out with more than seven minutes to go in the BYU-Clemson game. Many were booing when BYU coach Kevin Young called a late timeout to draw up what turned out to be the game-winning play because it further delayed the start of the night’s headliner. 

For the Huskies, the game offered a chance at revenge. Florida toppled them in the NCAA Tournament’s second round last season, snapping their streak of 13 consecutive tourney wins and officially ending their long reign atop the college basketball world. It was a true passing-of-the-torch moment, as Florida went on to cut down the nets in San Antonio a few weeks later. 

For the Gators, the game offered a chance to right the ship. After beginning the season ranked fifth in the AP poll, they have plummeted 13 spots with losses to Arizona, TCU and Duke.

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All that to say, a lot seemed to be riding on this game, far more than your typical early-December matchup. Both teams rose to the occasion, putting on a captivating show for the 19,694 in attendance. But it was UConn that ultimately secured the 77-73 win to improve to 9-1 and avenge last season’s 77-75 defeat. 

“It was definitely a topic,” UConn 6-foot-8 senior forward Alex Karaban said when asked whether the previous meeting with Florida gave the Huskies an extra boost Tuesday. “Definitely revenge was just added motivation, I would say. A lot of guys in that locker room last year were hurt, and we just remember that feeling. At the end of the day, we knew how good Florida was, and we can’t let the emotions of last year carry into this year’s game.”

Still, the rematch had a similar intensity to it. Despite the biting, 35-degree weather outside, it felt like mid-March inside the Garden. This wasn’t a mundane Tuesday night affair. It was a pair of heavyweights trading haymakers for two hours, just like that memorable NCAA Tournament clash. Here’s how then-Florida guard Alijah Martin described his team’s victory over UConn to Hoops HQ that day: “It was very emotional, very physical. It was a game of chess. Two great programs going at it, trying to try to do whatever they can to win.”

This was much the same (not to mention the score was nearly identical), only the Huskies came out on top.

One particularly thrilling sequence late in the first half went as follows: Three-pointer from UConn center Eric Reibe, three-pointer from Florida guard Xaivian Lee, three-pointer from UConn guard Solo Ball, then a physical jump ball that sent both Reibe and Florida forward Alex Condon tumbling to the floor. 

That back-and-forth was part of a stretch in which the Huskies buried nine shots in a row to seize a 33-26 advantage. They led 39-32 at halftime, shooting a scorching 59.3 percent from the field. 

The Gators were down, but not out. They stormed back after the break, going on a 17-7 run to go up 49-46 with 11:53 remaining as Florida fans briefly took over Storrs South.

Yet it was UConn that landed the final punch. A jumper from 6-foot-6 freshman guard Braylon Mullins at the 7:40 mark gave his team the lead for good. Key buckets from Karaban (13 points), 6-foot-11 senior center Tarris Reed Jr. (12 points) and the 6-foot-4 Ball (19 points) helped the Huskies gain some separation.

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Florida had possession trailing 76-73 with 9.4 seconds left, but could not get the ball inbounds. Sophomore guard Boogie Fland was called for a five-second violation, which effectively sealed the outcome. Coach Todd Golden thought the call came early – when he and his staff timed it in the locker room afterward, they got 4.6 and 4.7 seconds. “In a moment like that – I’ve been around the game for a long time, to get a call like that where it doesn’t even get to five seconds – usually they give you an extra second, to be honest,” Golden said. “Just a really, really tough pill to swallow.”

While the defeat was crushing (at 5-4, Florida now has the same amount of losses as it had all of last season), there are positives. The Gators were dominant on the glass again, winning the rebound battle 40-28. Lee, a 6-foot-4 senior who has struggled with the transition from mid-major (Princeton) to high-major program, had his best game in a Florida uniform, posting 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

“I’m a pretty positive guy,” Golden said. “We’re close. We’re right there. If we can get 5 percent better over the next couple weeks, we’re going to be pretty good in SEC play.”

Meanwhile, UConn has put together one of the most impressive résumés in the country despite not having a fully healthy roster. Reed has missed considerable time with ankle and hamstring troubles, and Mullins didn’t suit up until Nov. 28 because of an ankle injury. Nonetheless, the Huskies have four wins against ranked opponents (BYU, Illinois, Kansas and Florida) in the past month, perhaps none sweeter than this one. 

“I just thought (it was) a gutty performance by us,” Hurley said. “Just to be able to share the court with Florida, I have so much respect for Coach Golden. He’s a champion. They’re a championship-level program and one of the premier programs in modern college basketball, like the last 25-30 years. It’s one of the top-five programs. So it’s an honor to share the court with them, and obviously feel great about getting a win.”