And then there were two.
Entering the day as one of three undefeated teams in the country, No. 2 UConn fell to No. 22 Xavier in Cincinnati 83–73, leaving No. 1 Purdue and No. 22 New Mexico as the only undefeated teams heading into 2023.
The Huskies and Musketeers played a close first half, with UConn up one at the break, and the game stayed tight through most of the second half. However, as Xavier was up three with 2:25 in the game, UConn coach Dan Hurley picked up a technical foul while Xavier forward Zach Freemantle was shooting free throws.
As a result, Xavier earned a four-point swing on one possession.
After the game, Hurley said he was called for the technical for yelling “unbelievable” after the foul call that put the Musketeers on the line.
The Musketeers took 28 free throws to the Huskies’ nine during the game, a large disparity in a tight contest and one that Hurley cited directly. After Hurley’s tech, Xavier outscored UConn 9–2 to finish the game with the win.
UConn had started the season with 14 straight wins and was one of the most dominant teams in the country in the early going. However, a matchup with Sean Miller’s Xavier team proved to be difficult, and the rejuvenated Musketeers rode their home crowd to a win thanks to five players who scored double-digits.
Xavier improves to 12–3 on the season, a year after they missed the NCAA tournament but won the NIT. In his first year back with Xavier, Miller has already taken the team to another level.
These two sides will meet again later this season in Storrs, but they currently represent the only two ranked Big East teams. UConn next faces a rough Providence team, while Xavier travels to Villanova.
