NCAA BASKETBALL: No. 6 UConn blasts Xavier in Big East tourney romp

NEW YORK — Solo Ball scored 19 points as No. 6 UConn led by double digits for most of the game, cruising to a 93-68 win over 10th-seeded Xavier in the Big East tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night.

The second-seeded Huskies (28-4) maintained a double-digit lead for the final 28:35 and advanced to the semifinals for the sixth consecutive season since rejoining the Big East in 2020-21. UConn will face either Villanova or Georgetown on Friday.

Ball, who shot just 34.1% over his final five regular-season games, made 5 of 12 shots, including four 3-pointers. Tarris Reed contributed 17 points and a season-high 14 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Reed’s three dunks and 8-of-12 shooting helped UConn secure a 40-28 rebounding advantage.

Alex Karaban bounced back from a two-point outing in Saturday’s loss at Marquette, adding 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting. The Huskies shot 57.4% overall, made 12 of 32 3-pointers, and dominated near the rim with 13 of 18 layups and six dunks, finishing with 22 second-chance points.

Filip Borovicanin led Xavier with a career-high 22 points, but the Musketeers were overpowered, losing all three meetings with UConn by a combined 80 points. Roddie Anderson III added 15 points, while Tre Carroll struggled, shooting 2 of 10 for 12 points. Malik Messina-Moore and Jovan Milcevic also had off nights, finishing with five and six points, respectively. Xavier shot 37.3%, made 9 of 28 3-pointers, and missed 12 of 33 free throws.

Karaban’s corner 3-pointer off an offensive rebound gave UConn a 22-10 lead with 12:28 remaining in the first half. The Huskies then went on a 12-1 run, including two dunks and three layups, before another Karaban basket extended the lead to 39-19 with 5:03 left. UConn led 50-30 at halftime after Ball made three free throws with 35 seconds remaining.

Xavier opened the second half with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 50-37 on Borovicanin’s free throws at the 16:59 mark. UConn steadily pulled away, reaching a 59-41 lead on dunks by Reed and Jayden Ross in 32 seconds. The Huskies regained a 20-point cushion when Ross hit a corner 3-pointer with 8:50 left, and extended the lead to 80-55 with 5½ minutes remaining after a one-handed slam by Reed and a corner 3 from Ball.

—Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media/Reuters