UConn men are back! The Huskies are heating up at just the right time, and if Saturday’s win over Providence is any indication, March Madness is here. Dan Hurley’s squad didn’t let the Friars get within seven points in the second half, cruising to a 75-63 win. And while the whole team stepped up, two veteran players stole the show—Tarris Reed Jr. put on a clinic inside, and Alex Karaban brought the dagger. Now, Hurley is feeling very good about his squad’s chances moving forward.

Tarris Reed Jr. was, simply put, a problem for Providence. The man set three career highs—24 points, 18 rebounds (that’s half of UConn’s total), and six blocks. Hurley couldn’t stop himself from giving Reed a pat on the arm at the post-game press conference, calling him the ‘difference-maker.’

And he wasn’t wrong. Reed checked in less than a minute into the game and immediately went to work, snagging rebounds like they had his name on them. His dominant presence in the paint had Providence scrambling for answers—and calling timeouts. Hurley summed it up best: “Maybe the switch is coming on.” Till now, Reed’s contribution has been decent, averaging 9.8 points. However, not as explosive as fans expected. But in this one, he proved why he is still one of the pillars of the team. 

As great as Reed was, Karaban’s return to form might be the most important piece of UConn’s puzzle. After struggling with his shot for over a month, the junior forward looked like himself again. He dropped 17 points, shot 6-for-13 from the field, and even hit a smooth reverse layup that had the Huskies’ bench hyped. 

Hurley has said it before—UConn goes as far as Karaban plays, and Karaban agrees. “I wasn’t playing like Alex Karaban during my struggles,” he admitted. “This team’s going to go as far as myself and the rest of the guys.” And the coach is not worried at all. “He’s convinced that March is a special time for UConn,” the HC said, “and he’s about to get hot.” 

With this, the team hit the 20-win mark for the fourth straight season. And Hurley’s postgame words felt like a warning shot to the rest of college basketball—his team is heating up, and everyone better be ready. With UConn firing on all cylinders, March Madness might just have its favorite.

Safe to say that UConn is rolling right, and Hurley is confident. 

Now, do you know, apart from all this, what was the real highlight of the game? Well, it was Hassan Diarra playing an entire possession without a shoe. 

Dan Hurley’s senior guard hooped shoeless

With 11:37 left in the game, Diarra hit the deck trying to draw a charge, and somehow, his sneaker decided to part ways with him. Instead of stopping play, the refs let it roll, so Diarra just picked up his shoe and kept going. Would he try to put it back on? Nope. 

Instead, he casually tossed it off the court just in time for Liam McNeeley to knock down a three. Meanwhile, the CBS broadcast was losing it. “This is crazy,” Andrew Catalon said, as the cameras zoomed in on Diarra running back on defense with one socked foot. 

Analyst Steve Lappas chimed in: “I’ve never seen a guy play this long with no shoe.” Eventually, after what felt like forever (but was really 55 seconds), a foul was called, and play paused with 10:52 remaining. That’s when Solo Ball retrieved the shoe and tossed it back to Diarra. 

As the game ended, the senior finished with 10 assists. And if you ask Tarris Reed, that number should’ve been even higher—“I stole a couple of his assists,” he admitted. Diarra, laughing, agreed: “Ha ha, he did!”

Overall, UConn looked like a team ready for March. They’ve got the talent, the confidence, and the momentum. The madness has already begun—but can Dan Hurley’s defending champs actually pull off the three-peat? Well, at this rate, we could bet on them.