Friday night inside Boston’s TD Garden, the fourth-ranked UConn men’s basketball team controlled the floor against No. 16 Michigan from the opening tip to the final buzzer, capping off a massive slate that left the BIG EAST conference standing at 18-1 in non-conference play.
According to the official daily release from bigeast.com, the league’s Friday sweep featured four separate victories, highlighted by a matchup of the 2026 NCAA title game in Boston. While the Huskies fended off Michigan to secure an 85-77 win, three other conference programs notched decisive victories across the region.
Xavier dispatched Eastern Michigan 76-53 at home, fueled by a scorching second-half shooting performance where the Musketeers hit 70.4% of their field goals while holding their opponents to just 20.6% after the break. Villanova cruised past Holy Cross 95-66 behind 22 points from Devin Royal and a collegiate double-double from freshman Luigi Suigo, who recorded 16 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocked shots. Meanwhile, Marquette turned heads back home at the Al McGuire Center, dismantling Detroit Mercy 93-32 in front of a student-only crowd to notch the program’s largest margin of victory since a 67-point win (94-27) vs Ripon on Dec. 4, 1951.
At TD Garden, UConn guard Braylon Mullins kept up his scoring pace by pouring in 23 points, marking his second consecutive game clearing the 20-point threshold. Silas Demary Jr. added 21 points and seven rebounds without committing a single turnover, earning Hall of Fame Series Boston MVP honors for the second consecutive season as the Huskies pushed their lead to as many as 18 points before Michigan managed to narrow the gap.
The conference’s early-season dominance will face its next major test on Saturday night as the inter-conference battles continue. Providence is set to face Nebraska at Mohegan Sun Arena, while Georgetown prepares to host Maryland at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
