After 5th NCAA title banner raised, UConn cruises

STORRS, Conn.– UConn revealed its 5th national championship banner Monday, then unveiled a new-look team that expects to compete for a 6th title.Alex Karaban scored a career-high 22 indicate lead 5 players in double figures, and the No. 6 Huskies routed Northern Arizona 95-52.

Tristen Newton scored 14 points, Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle each had 12 and Samson Johnson included 11 for UConn after a raucous banner ceremony that put a cap on the 2023 title.

“In shootaround when you look up there, that’s something you’re never going to forget,” coach Dan Hurley stated. “However we’ve been working so hard because June to get this team prepared to play, and no one is actually considering that. However that was cool. I got emotional.”

Editor’s Picks

2 Associated

The Huskies shot 56% (32-of-57) from the flooring and held the Lumberjacks to 34% (20-of-59).

Liam Lloyd led Northern Arizona with 15 points.The Huskies

won their games in last year’s NCAA competition by approximately 20 points, but then lost their leading 3 players– Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr.– to the NBA. That trio balanced a combined 40.1 points and 17.7 rebounds a game.This season the

team is literally centered around Clingan. However the 7-foot-2 sophomore missed the last month of the preseason with a right foot strain. He is being alleviated back into the rotation and played simply 15 minutes, getting eight rebounds.

“Simply to be able to get my very first college start, be able to get out on the floor, coming off an injury and feeling great out there, it was certainly a great feeling,” Clingan said.The sophomore

center opened the scoring with an offending rebound and layup, part of a 14-5 opening run. The Huskies took their first 20-point lead when Karaban rebounded his own miss and put it in to make it 39-19. UConn led 47-30 at the half.