Takeaways: A Great Win Over Illinois

UConn men’s hoops delivered a vintage performance on Friday afternoon in its home away from home. The Huskies pulled away early and kept their foot on the gas thanks to the immense skill and depth across the roster. Beating the No. 13 team in New York City is a great statement for Dan Hurley’s squad this early in the season.

UConn (6-1) scheduled hard out of conference because it may not get too heated in Big East play (staring directly at you, St. John’s, Marquette, Creighton…), but that’s a different problem for a different day. For now, all indications are the Huskies have everything they need to make a deep run in March, if fully healthy.

Some thoughts from the experience:

UConn at MSG, You’ve Done It Again

Aman: The trains were so full, Metro-North was rejecting new passengers as it got closer to Grand Central, and UConn fans once again dominated MSG in a big Husky win. That blue court was terrible, but other than that, Big Red was in the house, and the crowd got loud as UConn mounted multiple runs on its way to victory. It was an impressive turnout for all parties involved.

Reed, Mullins Return Quietly

Aman: Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins returned from injury. While their return offered a glimpse into what UConn’s roster can accomplish at full strength, we’re still waiting to see, as the freshman Mullins was making his Husky debut and Reed did not seem 100 percent as he got into early foul trouble.

While not at full strength, the Huskies still whooped a top-20 team in the country, delivering a masterful defensive game plan as their hot shooting start carried through the first half and the lead got as big as 21.

Malachi Smith, Welcome to the Show

Dan Madigan: Malachi Smith was nothing short of magnificent at the Garden on Friday afternoon. The Dayton transfer stepped up with Silas Demary Jr. marred by foul trouble. He finished the day with 14 points, nine assists, and two rebounds in a season-high 23 minutes. He’s everything you want in a backup point guard — solid offensively, strong on the defensive end, and able to get the Huskies’ stars the ball when they need it. While Demary Jr. has been the talk of UConn’s transfer class so far, Smith has to be in the conversation as well. He’s averaging seven assists per game against opponents that are top-20 in KenPom and is a real injection of energy every time he steps on the floor. That circus shot to seal the win against the Illini was just the icing on the cake to an already impressive performance.

Tremendous Team Defensive Performance

Madigan: UConn took on an incredibly dangerous Illini offense and put the clamps on them for 40 minutes on the way to a comfortable victory. Illinois was the No. 7 offense in efficiency prior to Friday, and UConn managed to hold the Illini to just 0.92 points per possession, by far the team’s worst offensive performance of the season. Leading scorer Andrej Stojakovic had just three points, his lowest total of the season, fresh off of three-straight 20-point games. Illinois also shot just 20.7 percent from three on the day.

While the defense isn’t perfect, it’s clear that it is much improved from last season. UConn is now up to No. 8 nationally in defensive efficiency and should only improve as Tarris Reed Jr. gets healthier. Friday’s win was a statement not only in that the Huskies are one of the nation’s top teams, but that Dan Hurley has the defense humming close to levels that made those 2023 and 2024 title teams so dangerous.