‘Two of the best programs in the last 25 years.’ Gonzaga-UConn set for marquee matchup at famed Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK CITY – In building out the December portion of its nonconference schedule, Gonzaga might as well have pulled up a descending list of programs with multiple national championships, scrolled to the top and started making phone calls to see who was available.
It’s a reasonable theory, considering teams that rank first (UCLA, 11 championships), second (Kentucky, eight) and tied for third (UConn, six) on that list occupy three of Gonzaga’s four Saturdays in December.
(For good measure, Gonzaga also played Indiana – fifth on the list with five titles – but that game didn’t take place in December, nor did it fall on a Saturday.)
The aggressive scheduling tactics – meant to test Gonzaga in high-pressure games and moments that resemble the ones they hope to experience in late March and early April – are certainly nothing new for Mark Few’s program. The Zags may have discovered another redeeming aspect of their loaded December slate after collapsing in a 90-89 overtime loss to Kentucky last Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
Stumble against one blue blood with championship pedigree and there’s likely another one waiting right around the corner.
Despite the loss in Seattle, Gonzaga still owns a 2-1 lead in its current series with Kentucky, and will enter a Dec. 28 game against UCLA having won four times in four years against the Bruins.
The Zags haven’t been nearly as fortunate against the next college basketball titan on their treacherous December slate.
UConn, champion of the past two NCAA tournaments, is also responsible for Gonzaga’s largest margin of defeat each of the past two seasons, overwhelming the Zags 82-54 in the 2022 Elite Eight before handling Few’s team 76-63 last December in front of a pro-GU crowd at Climate Pledge Arena.
Even if betting lines are slightly favoring the eighth-ranked Zags (7-2) in Saturday’s matchup at famed Madison Square Garden , the 18th-ranked Huskies (7-3) would be justified if they don’t feel like an underdog, given recent history between the programs and the game’s location in proximity to UConn’s campus in Storrs, Connecticut.
“Obviously, going all the way across the country and basically playing a home game for them, so it’ll be another great environment like this was,” Few said from a podium in Seattle after the Kentucky loss. “This did have a feel like a Sweet 16 or even an Elite Eight game. But (UConn is) really, really physical and I think especially when they’re teeing up and getting after you. And great on the glass.”
Huskies fans routinely watch their team play at Madison Square Garden – UConn’s been involved in 135 games there with a 75-60 record – and have bestowed the nickname “Storrs South” on the iconic Midtown Manhattan venue, which usually goes by “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” “the Garden” or just “MSG.”
“Gonzaga, I think they’re one of the best teams in the country, just watching them,” junior wing Alex Karaban said earlier this week on the Connecticut Scoreboard Podcast. “So it’ll be a big-time matchup for us. Really, we started preparation today and just really going over there concepts, their players and making sure we’re as ready as possible to get a win in Storrs South.”
Gonzaga has history at MSG as well, posting a 3-5 record inside the building. While Saturday’s matchup pits the Zags against a UConn program that won the national championship eight months earlier, GU’s last game at MSG was an 88-72 loss to Villanova in the Jimmy V Classic, four months before the Wildcats captured an NCAA title.
Demonstrating resolve after the Kentucky loss and/or the ability to execute in tight late-game scenarios – should Saturday’s contest come to that – would signify a positive stride for the Bulldogs, who believe they’re capable of cutting down nets in a few months.
“It’s two of the best programs in the last 25 years, last 30 years in college basketball. Gonzaga and UConn,” Huskies coach Dan Hurley said. “… I think the way they do it, they’ve got real classy players, a classy coach. It’s always better, more fun when you play against people like this and I know they’re going to want it bad. I think both of us really want it bad. Both of us need this game, want this game. It’s going to be a high-level game, hopefully.”
Hurley’s UConn teams have traditionally been dynamic on the offensive end, relying on a variety of complex off-ball screening and cutting actions to puzzle defenses and create open looks.
The 2024-25 Huskies have met their standard on that end, averaging 84.2 points per game, but have been a few steps behind on defense, conceding 78.8 points in five games against high-major opponents.
Many of UConn’s defensive issues were exposed during a three-game skid at the Maui Invitational that nearly bumped the Huskies out of the AP rankings. UConn allowed 99 points in a two-point overtime loss to Memphis, then closed the tournament by giving up 85 in a double-digit loss to Dayton.
UConn teams that beat Gonzaga each of the past two years lost a total of six players to the NBA draft, leaving just one starter, junior wing Alex Karaban, from the Huskies’ national title team in 2023.
The Zags should still have their hands full with Karaban (16.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.4 apg), point guard Hassan Diarra (5.6 apg) and potential one-and-done freshman Liam McNeeley (12.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg). Saint Mary’s transfer Aidan Mahaney, an old West Coast Conference rival of Gonzaga, shook off a tough stretch at the Maui Invitational by scoring nine points on three 3-pointers against Baylor.
“They’re elite offensively, with all the kind of layered stuff they do on offense,” Few said. “So we’ve got our hands full, that’s for sure.”
UConn’s biggest challenge should be containing Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard, who leads the country at 10.5 assists per game, and staying out of foul trouble while defending three frontcourt players who all average double figures in scoring: Graham Ike (15.3 ppg), Braden Huff (12.2) and Ben Gregg (10.0).
Hurley joked Nembhard had racked up so many assists he had to check with UConn’s sports information team to make sure the former Creighton point guard wasn’t catching up to older brother and former Duke standout Bobby Hurley, the NCAA’s all-time leader with 1,076 assists.
“It looks like Bob’s safe, unless he’s got a COVID year or something,” Dan Hurley said. “He’s one of the best point guards in the country. He creates all types of problems for you in transition and in the ball-screen game and look for his ability to put pressure on the defense.”
It’ll be imperative for UConn’s big men to stay out of foul trouble, specifically while guarding Ike and Huff. Samson Johnson, UConn’s starting center, has fouled out of four games and backup Tarris Reed Jr. has fouled out twice.
“I don’t think anyone’s got a center tandem like they do right now,” Hurley said of the Zags’ duo. “It’s kind of like what we’ve had the last couple years with Adama (Sanogo) and Donovan (Clingan), where when the backup center comes in the game you kind of catch a break. But it’s not like that for them. They’re both excellent.”