UConn vs Gonzaga: Injury Report, Starting 5, & More as Dan Hurley Seeks to Recreate 1999’s Magic

Dan Hurely’s fierce UConn convincingly defeated Texas (65-76) on Monday at the Moody Center. The reigning champions stand 6th in the Big East Conference (7-3) as they face off against Mark Few’s Gonzaga in the Hall of Fame series on the 14th at Madison Square Garden.

UConn is heading strong going into the matchup with a three-win streak behind while the Zags are coming after facing an overtime defeat against Kentucky (90-89). So Will Dan Hurley recreate 1999’s semi-final magic back again? Here are all the updates you need to know ahead of the matchup.

Injury insights and starting lineup

As such there are no injuries to be reported apart from the breakout star Alex Karaban who came back after suffering from a head injury and missing out on two games against UMES and Baylor, which they won eventually was a statement on how deep their bench is. With Alex returned in the Texas game he scored 21 points and 11 rebounds at a 42.9% shooting from the field.

With Alex back UConn will be relying on its usual starting 5. This will include Solo Ball, Hassan Diarra, Liam McNeeley, Samson Johnson, and Alex Karaban. Jaylin Stewart, the forward might start the game as well, if Alex is not feeling at his fullest, coach Hurley might put the sophomore. In the absence of the junior forward, Jaylin put on a show scoring, 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in the UMES game.

For the Bulldogs, after an upset loss, Mark would look to put the right foot forward going into the matchup. His possible starting five would be Khalif Battle, Nolan Hickman, Michael Ajayi, and Graham Ike centered around, the senior Ryan Nembhard who ranks first in the nation in terms of assists (10.7) on average. With no injuries and a marquee game to keep an eye out for, what exactly can we expect at MSG?

Gonzaga vs. UConn: History in the making

This time around, the Bulldogs and the Huskies will be meeting each other for the eighth time. Previously, all seven meetings have been on a neutral court and the eighth one is no different. In the 2023 NCAA Tournament West Region Final, UConn dominated Gonzaga with an impressive 82-54 victory in Las Vegas.

Dating back to 1999, the first all-time meeting between the teams, UConn won the battle, 67-62 in Phoenix on March 20, 1999. UConn went on to win the championship defeating Duke in the Finals 77–74 as they sought hands-on the national championship first time.

With Dan Hurley, seeking to recreate the 1999 magic and achieve the three-peat, it won’t be easy to conquer the Zags as they currently rank 4th going into this non-conference battle. With UConn winning five out of the seven contests and looking at their current momentum, they indeed will be entering the Garden with an upper hand. But who knows, the Big East foes might topple Hurley’s dream.