When Alex Karaban missed his first free throw vs. Villanova, the Huskies knew it was a do-or-die situation. Then their star junior missed the second one, and with barely twenty seconds remaining on the clock when he had begun, UConn knew the game was lost. It was their fourth loss of the season after the surprising end to the Maui Invitational with three straight losses. But unlike November, when Dan Hurley seemed to cause a spectacle on the sidelines, he seemed to take this loss much better. But Big East play is not over yet.

Next up, UConn faces their old rival Georgetown. But just like how UConn wasn’t a part of the Big East again until 5 seasons ago, Georgetown is not what it used to be in their heydays of rivalry. In their eight meetings in the last 5 seasons, the Huskies have defeated the Hoyas on all occasions. Granted, some of these meetings took effort from the like of Joey California in 2022 and then Karaban himself a year later.

With former Providence coach Ed Cooley taking over Georgetown last year, the 2023-24 season still left much to be desired as the Hoyas went 2-18. But the current season is a straight 180 from previous years as the school boasts a 12-3 overall record, no to mention the 3-1 Big East record. UConn is in for a tough game this Saturday.

And Hurley knows without Georgetown, and even St. John’s, which is playing Villanova next, the Big East conference wouldn’t be nearly as in tip top shape. “The Big East is going to struggle without Georgetown, without St. John’s being like top 25 level. So it’s great to be going to DC to play a big game,” the coach said, per The UConn Daily.

As for the newish Georgetown coach, Hurley had nothing but praise to offer, “Ed’s resume speaks for itself, what he’s been able to accomplish. He’s taken over a program that was struggling in a variety of ways.”

While the Hoyas now boast a star freshman in Thomas Sorber, UConn has lost its own to injury. Nevertheless, Hurley is trying to stay positive in his absence.

Dan Hurley is all praises for Sorber but Liam McNeeley is still missed

The thrill of Huskies’ 81-68 victory over DePaul was dulled as freshman Liam McNeeley ended the knight with an ankle sprain. He was hurt during the second half after chasing a loose ball and then running into opposing guard Layden Blocker, which caused a bad fall fro McNeeley. Although he did return for the final minutes of the game, the UConn standout is out for “weeks”, as Hurley said.

On the other hand, Georgetown’s 6’10” center Sorber, who leads the team in scoring with 15.1 points per game and rebounding with 8.4, also the most in the conference, has been a boon. “Sorber’s been awesome for Georgetown, Liam’s been awesome for us,” Hurley said of him. “I guess it’s how quickly Liam gets back, how well the teams do.”

“You never know how the Big East coaches are going to vote on things,” Hurley reasoned. “Ed (Cooley) nailed that recruitment with Thomas. He saw it, he’s put the kid in a great position to play well.”

Saturday’s match-up is going to be interesting because so far, both sides seem evenly matched. And the scales could easily tip in anyone’s favor. Question is, can UConn overcome the Villanova loss to overcome Georgetown next?