UConn’s Solo Ball is firmly in the running for the Big East’s Most Improved Player Award, and the sophomore sharpshooter is only scratching the surface of his potential.
Running a lot of the same actions the Huskies used to highlight Jordan Hawkins two years ago, Ball’s smooth, quick release was on full display during UConn’s eight games without prized freshman Liam McNeeley. The projected one-and-done lottery pick, McNeeley drew his fair share of attention once he returned. He took over and scored 38 points in his first game back in the starting lineup at Creighton.
Ball had emerged as one of the top-five shooters in the nation statistically by that point, but was 0-for-4 from beyond the arc in Omaha. His slump continued over the next three games as he shot 33.3% from the field (18 of 54) and 10-for-31 (32.3%) from 3, still averaging 13.4 points per game over that stretch.
“It’s just a matter of time until I get my shot back,” Ball said Tuesday, before he tied the team-high with 20 points in the 93-79 win over Georgetown Wednesday night.
His shot came back at just the right time.
Dan Hurley had to call a timeout before the first media stoppage as UConn fell behind by 10 points in the first three and a half minutes of a game it needed to win badly. Out of the huddle, Hassan Diarra found Ball in the corner out of a double-team for an open look, which he hit. Diarra collected a long offensive rebound on the next possession and shoveled it back to Ball, who stepped into his shot and knew it would fall as it left his hands.
Dom Amore: Hassan Diarra soldiers through pain, puts UConn men back in attack mode
He missed a few open chances over the next 35 minutes – “He’s probably disappointed in that,” Hurley said – but finished the game 6-for-13 from the field, 4-for-10 from beyond the arc.
“Solo might be the best shooter I’ve ever played with,” said McNeeley, who played with plenty during his illustrious high school career. “He’s got a burner. When he shoots it, I never think he’s gonna miss. I think the ball’s going in every single time he shoots it, I’m surprised when he misses. It’s rare.”
Ball has seen a jump from just 3.3 points per game, lost in the rotation of a super team last year, to 14.3 as a starter and UConn’s second-leading scorer this season. He went from shooting 38.5% from the field, 31.9% from the 3-point line and 69.6% from the foul line to 44.6% from the field, 43.1% from 3 – 13th-best in Division I – and 82.4% from the stripe.
Already on the NBA’s radar for his sweet shooting stroke, Ball’s potential as a playmaker and a defender is only starting to come to form.
“Solo’s just scratching the surface of what he’s going to be. I mean, 20 (points) on 13 shots, five rebounds, three assists, no turnovers. Solo’s got that Cuttino Mobley type of game,” Hurley said. “I just think that this guy’s gonna be one of the best guards in the country. Coming in here next year, I think you’re gonna see a huge jump to like 16-17 (points) a game and the efficiency is even gonna go higher.”
How Tarris Reed Jr.’s change in mindset keyed UConn’s comeback; more notes from Villanova win
Another Kodiak effort from Tarris Reed Jr.
Watch out, Tarris Reed Jr. is starting to find some consistency. The Huskies’ backup center made it easy for Hurley to keep him in the game Wednesday night, his instinctual play providing a number of highlights as he finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, dominating the frontcourt like he was supposed to against an injured Georgetown team.
It was the third 20-point game of the season for Reed and his first since the Dec. 18 overtime win over Xavier.
“The guy’s got instincts, he’s got talent. It’s a mindset, it’s a motor, it’s a relentless pursuit of competitive warrior-level (stuff) that he’s got to find about himself where every single night he shows up as the same exact person. He’s got to take that next step in his career,” said Hurley, who started Reed in the second half for the second game in a row.
“He’s trying. When we watch film as a group and he sees a rebound he could’ve got versus St. John’s, the head goes down. You see the frustration on his face, he wants to be that guy. It’s a switch that he’s got to flip, he’s got to become this maniac once the game starts. Slapping (…) his face or something, get himself going because he’s got great physical power, athleticism combination and nose for the ball on the O-glass.”
Reed had a stretch of rough games, but said he returned to reading his bible before keying UConn’s comeback against Villanova last week. He promised that routine would continue.
“I got back in my word, got back speaking with the Lord and have been strong ever since, been reading my Bible every morning,” he said. “I had to be reminded that I get my confidence from Him.”
UConn men’s basketball overcomes slow start, storms past Georgetown for crucial 93-79 win
Cooley: UConn is ‘pretty damn good’
“They’re pretty damn good. The thing is, the expectation when you win spoils people,” Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley said, providing his perspective on this UConn season after the reigning back-to-back national champions improved to 19-9 on the year and 11-6 in the Big East.
“There’s always the ebb and flow with teams. At some point, every team will have their chance. Right now, Connecticut has a really good run, but again, when you win at the level of which this program has won at the last two years, where else can you go? So, any type of setback, everybody’s like, ‘Oh, wow, the roof is falling in. Something happened, what’s going on?’”
Hurley: ‘You need a home crowd that is into it from the start’
UConn finished a perfect 8-0 at the XL Center for the second year in a row despite a pair of overtime games and a few double-figure deficits in the building. The crowd got into it as the Huskies stormed back on Wednesday, chanting throughout the game as if there was a quota that needed to hit before the end of the season.
“In critical moments, you need a home crowd that is just into it from the start. The environments that we go into on the road, you see what Marquette’s like for us and what Creighton’s like for us when we roll into town, what Xavier’s like for us, what the Garden was like for us. It is hostile and they are in it from the jump,” Hurley said. “When the crowd gets into it (in Hartford), it’s as good as those places.”
Originally Published: February 27, 2025 at 4:13 PM EST
