UConn Huskies at Butler Bulldogs
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Ball and Reed lead No. 6 UConn to 80-70 victory at Butler
Ball was 6 of 12 from 3-point range while Braylon Mullins scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half as Indiana's reigning Mr. Basketball returned to his home state for the first time as a college player. UConn (23-2, 13-1 Big East) rebounded from Friday night's loss at St. John's and moved a half-game ahead of the Red Storm atop the conference standings.
Butler was led by Drayton Jones with 15 points. Yohan Traore added 14 as the Bulldogs (13-12, 4-10) lost their fifth in a row.
It was an uncharacteristic game for coach Dan Hurley's UConn squad.
Alex Karaban spent most of the first half on the bench after drawing two fouls in the first 7 1/2 minutes and finished with six points and five rebounds.
Karaban's teammates had their own foul trouble in the second half as Butler played almost the final 9 1/2 minutes in the bonus. As a result, each time the Huskies looked as though they might take control, the Bulldogs answered — until UConn's final flurry.
UConn used a 7-0 spurt early in the second half to expand a three-point halftime lead to 51-43. And yet Butler was still within 64-62 when Michael Ajayi made a mid-range jumper with 6:49 left.
Then the Huskies finally delivered the knockout punch — a 10-0 run that included 3s from Ball and Silas Demary Jr. as well as a layup from Karaban to make it 74-62 with 4:32 to go.
Butler never recovered.
Hurley improved to 12-0 against the Bulldogs since taking the UConn job, and the Huskies moved to 6-0 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Butler hosts Seton Hall on Sunday.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 80 - 70 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 80 - 70 |
| 2nd 0:11 | Tarris Reed Jr. Defensive Rebound. | 80 - 70 |
| 2nd 0:13 | Tarris Reed Jr. Block. | 80 - 70 |
| 2nd 0:13 | Michael Ajayi misses layup | 80 - 70 |
Statistics
 CONN |
 BUT |
|
|---|---|---|
| 30-59 | FG | 25-54 |
| 51 | Field Goal % | 46 |
| 13-31 | 3PT | 8-21 |
| 42 | Three Point % | 38 |
| 7-9 | FT | 12-16 |
| 78 | Free Throw % | 75 |
| 33 | Rebounds | 26 |
| 12 | Offensive Rebounds | 8 |
| 21 | Defensive Rebounds | 18 |
| 22 | Assists | 21 |
| 5 | Steals | 6 |
| 7 | Blocks | 4 |
| 8 | Turnovers | 8 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 8 | Total Turnovers | 8 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 8 | Points Off Turnovers | 13 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 5 |
| 28 | Points in Paint | 32 |
| 15 | Fouls | 14 |
| 13 | Largest Lead | 6 |
| 8 | Lead Changes | 8 |
| 67 | Percent Led | 24 |
Game Information
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Attendance: 8,644 | Capacity:
2025-26 Big East Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| UConn | 13-1 | - | 23-2 |
| St. John's | 12-1 | 0.5 | 19-5 |
| Villanova | 10-3 | 2.5 | 19-5 |
| Seton Hall | 7-7 | 6 | 17-8 |
| Creighton | 7-7 | 6 | 13-12 |
| Georgetown | 5-8 | 7.5 | 13-11 |
| DePaul | 5-9 | 8 | 13-12 |
| Xavier | 4-9 | 8.5 | 12-12 |
| Butler | 4-10 | 9 | 13-12 |
| Providence | 4-10 | 9 | 11-14 |
| Marquette | 4-10 | 9 | 9-16 |