Here’s what Rhode Island basketball took away from an exhibition vs. national champs UConn

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Monday night set something of a baseline standard for the University of Rhode Island men.

The first 23 minutes of this exhibition against Connecticut offered some encouragement. There should be enough here to improve upon what at times was a frustrating 2023-24 campaign.

Going the distance and actually beating the Huskies is another matter entirely. There have been few in the college basketball world who have been up to that task recently, and even this revamped UConn roster looks formidable.

The Huskies eventually pulled away for a 102-75 victory at Mohegan Sun Arena, capturing an exhibition played on behalf of Coaches vs. Cancer. Javonte Brown enjoyed a breakout night against his old team, pacing URI with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Rams lost contact early in the second half and were eventually smothered by a program that’s clicking on all cylinders at the moment.

“Being able to see that crowd, being able to see those lights and see how we function against that caliber of team – it was probably the best thing we can do right now,” URI coach Archie Miller said. “There were some real positives.”

UConn connected on its last six shots to take a 44-40 lead into the locker room. The Huskies didn’t stop from there, opening 14-for-19 after the break to put this one away. Liam McNeeley’s layup with 9:53 left gave UConn a 78-57 advantage, and remaining suspense was gone.

“I feel like we jelled pretty well,” Brown said. “We’ve been talking about this opportunity since we stepped on campus.”

Brown was the highlight for URI in the opening half. He collected 12 points, five boards and his lone steal – the takeaway helped the Rams cap a 10-0 run. David Green buried a 3-pointer from the left corner and URI enjoyed a 29-26 lead with 6:39 left.

“(Brown is) a big piece of what we’re doing,” Miller said. “We’ve got to get better using him. We’ve got to get him the ball more – I thought we missed him two or three times.”

The Huskies found a different gear inside the final 4:31, the kind of offensive efficiency that’s raised the ceiling on what they can accomplish annually. UConn’s final six buckets were layup, dunk, layup, back-to-back open 3-pointers from the left wing and a Samson Johnson poster dunk with 0:49 left. That momentum continued after the break while the Rams stumbled to a 4-for-18 start from the field.

“Against a team like UConn things around the basket are hard,” Miller said. “Our offense got stagnant. That led to just constant transition defense.”

Sebastian Thomas (head) sat this one out while recovering from a practice injury. The guard entering his second stint with URI required some stitches and hasn’t been on the floor over the past week. Always Wright (shoulder) will take a medical redshirt alongside Damone King and Moek Icke, who will use traditional redshirts and debut in 2025-26.

“Our team is in a good place,” Miller said. “The way we need to prepare, the way that we’ve practiced, the way we’ve put this group together – we have good familiarity with good chemistry.”

Solo Ball and Aidan Mahaney offered two examples for the Huskies of how to build a competitive roster in the modern college landscape. Ball was a touted recruit who played sparingly as a freshman. He clearly didn’t waste time sulking on the bench – a game-high 18 points, five rebounds and no turnovers in 20 minutes spoke to his growth and development as a player. He started in the backcourt alongside Hassan Diarra and should be a key piece as UConn searches for a threepeat.

“Just credit to my teammates and my coaches for believing in me and giving me confidence,” Ball said. “That was keeping me going.”

Mahaney arrived as a transfer from Saint Mary’s and took all of a half to settle in. He netted 12 of his 17 points in the final 20 minutes, including a handoff 3-pointer out high and a hard drive left for a finish at the rim. The Huskies opened up a 66-49 cushion with 13:05 to play and had the strong crowd of 7,953 fans rocking.

“You’ve got to earn it every single day,” Mahaney said. “They demand everything out of you.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Connecticut men’s basketball beats Rhode Island, 102-75, in exhibition