UConn guards Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins turned Friday night's rematch of the national championship game into a showcase, leading the Huskies to an 85-77 victory over Michigan at TD Garden.
The last time the two guards faced the Wolverines, in April's national title game, Demary played through a high ankle sprain and managed only two points while Mullins shot 4-for-17. There was no repeat this time. Demary finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Mullins led all scorers with 23 points.
"When I played them [in April], I was probably half the person I was able to be tonight," Demary said. "I think I was just able to come out here and play healthy, play my game and really showcase how effective I can be when I'm healthy at 100%." Demary, who said he never rewatched the April loss, acknowledged playing with a chip on his shoulder, saying he wanted the win for the teammates who were not able to suit up for the rematch.
UConn seized control late in the first half, closing the period on a 9-0 run to build a 13-point lead despite committing 13 fouls before the break, with four of five starters picking up two. The margin grew to as many as 18 points in the second half before a late Michigan surge in the final minute trimmed it to eight, a finish that left Huskies coach Dan Hurley more bemused than satisfied. "We're one of the best teams in the country [at] a game you should win by 15 and you win by eight," he said. "We're great at that."
Mullins opened UConn's scoring with a 3-pointer and hit two more from long range before the under-12 timeout, while Demary poured in 17 first-half points, the most by a UConn player against a ranked opponent in the past 15 seasons, according to ESPN Research. Demary also won his matchup with Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau, the Most Outstanding Player at last season's Final Four, who was held to eight points on 3-for-11 shooting with four turnovers before fouling out.
Michigan coach Mike Boynton credited Demary's response to the disappointing title game. "There's a human nature element of Silas Demary's performance tonight," Boynton said. "He's a great player." Boynton noted that Demary never talked publicly about the loss over the summer and simply went to work.
Mullins, a projected lottery pick who bypassed the NBA draft last spring to return for his sophomore season, delivered in front of a long list of NBA personnel, scoring his 23 points on just 12 shots and going 10-for-11 from the free throw line. After Michigan's Trey McKenney, who scored 22 points, pulled the Wolverines within striking distance midway through the second half, Mullins made four straight free throws to push the lead back to 16. He had opened the season with 20 points against Gardner-Webb.
"I feel like we're the best backcourt in the country, no matter who we go against, any given night," Demary said of himself and Mullins.
Freshman Colben Landrew provided the complementary scoring with 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench, including seven points in the final 2:12 of the first half. "He's a stud," Hurley said, adding that few freshmen in the country are better. With the starters in foul trouble, freshman Junior County and Stanford transfer Oskar Giltay also logged useful minutes, and help is on the way: two-year starter Solo Ball appears poised to return from wrist surgery after earning All-Big East honors and shooting 41.4% from 3-point range as a sophomore.
Both coaches cautioned that it was only the second game of the season for two teams still finding their footing. Boynton, whose Michigan program replaced its head coach and three lottery picks, said his team is not defending a championship but trying to establish its own legacy, calling the night a step forward. "I think you saw two teams that are going to be a lot better teams down the road," Hurley said.
