Xavier basketball coach Sean Miller makes blunt admission after loss to UConn
12/18/2024 10:53 PM
In the first game of the Big East basketball slate, Xavier and No. 11 UConn went at it in a titanic battle between two teams that should be in contention to make the NCAA Tournament. The two teams battled tooth and nail all the way down to the wire, with Dan Hurley and the Huskies coming out on top in a 94-89 overtime win.
This is a fourth consecutive big win for UConn after dropping three games in a row at the Maui Invitational. Since then, however, the Huskies have knocked off Baylor, Texas, Gonzaga and now Baylor to get their momentum back.
On the Xavier side, this is a second consecutive crushing loss after Sean Miller and the Musketeers dropped a tense rivalry game against Cincinnati on Saturday. Xavier also lost a close game against TCU earlier in December.
After Wednesday night’s loss, Miller put a positive spin on the loss despite admitting there are no moral victories in college basketball, via Storrs Central.
“Great college game,” Miller said. “Very proud of our team. We got the news about Zach Freemantle mid-morning on Monday. … A lot of teams when they get news that you’re gonna be without your leading scorer, it can really strip you of your hope and your confidence. In particular, we were coming off a tough loss against Cincinnati. From my side of the ledger, very proud of our players.”
Miller went on to say that UConn’s size, rebounding and execution on offense wore his Xavier team down and overwhelmed it in the overtime.
Xavier desperately missed Freemantle in this game, who is out indefinitely with a lower body injury. In 11 games this season, Freemantle led the Musketeers in scoring with 16.9 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounding with 7.7 rebounds per game.
Guards Ryan Conwell and Dante Maddox Jr. made up for Freemantle’s scoring in this one, notching 23 and 22 points respectively. However, it wasn’t enough to match UConn who had three 20-point scorers and all five starters reach double figures.
Xavier has no time to feel sorry for itself, as it takes on another Big East power on Saturday when the No. 9-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles come to Cincinnati. That will be Xavier’s last game before the holiday break, after which the schedule lightens up a bit.
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