No. 1 UConn knows what's on the horizon. It didn't distract the Huskies from the task at hand. Alex Karaban scored 21 points, and UConn rolled to its 13th straight win, beating DePaul 101-65 on Wednesday night.
Top-ranked UConn doesn't have a superstar on its roster, but is instead being carried by a group of NBA hopefuls who are banking on the idea that winning will do more for their draft prospects than putting up big individual numbers. As the Huskies (23-2, 13-1 Big East) head into Saturday's showdown against No. 4 Marquette (19-5, 10-3), all of UConn's starters are averaging double-figures in scoring. The balanced attack is led by Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer (15.2 points per game), Tristen Newton (15) and Alex Karaban (14.9).
Donovan Clingan missed five games in December and January with a foot injury and was in foul trouble in his last two, scoring in single digits both times. The player coach Dan Hurley affectionately calls “Cling Kong” shot 8 of 12 from the field in posting his first double-double this season and the fifth of his career. “He was tremendous,” Hurley said.
Even on the road without starting forward Alex Karaban, top-ranked UConn had plenty of answers. Cam Spencer scored 23 points, freshman Stephon Castle added a season-best 21 and Connecticut pulled away from St. John's for a 77-64 victory Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Tristen Newton had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the defending national champion Huskies (20-2, 10-1 Big East), minus an injured Karaban, overcame foul trouble for 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan to win their 10th straight game.