BOSTON — The last time the college basketball world saw Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins against Michigan, they were part of a UConn team that fell short in the national championship game. Demary was dealing with a high-ankle sprain and scored only two points, while Mullins struggled en route to a 4-for-17 shooting night.
Neither player was eager to repeat their performance in Friday night’s title-game rematch at TD Garden, with the star guards guiding UConn to an 85-77 win over the Wolverines.
Demary, who said he never watched the April loss to Michigan, 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%.
“Obviously they beat us back in April and obviously I had a chip on my shoulder because — it’s not the same team, but that was still the team that knocked my guys and I away from winning that national championship. So obviously there was a chip on my shoulder and I wanted to get a win for the guys that wasn’t able to play in this game tonight.”
While UConn coach Dan Hurley said Friday’s game wasn’t necessarily an opportunity for a “get back,” the Huskies were able to exact some level of revenge while also staking their claim as a national championship contender once again. After a 9-0 run to end the first half gave UConn a 13-point lead despite rampant foul trouble, the Huskies spent much of the second half in cruise control. The lead ballooned to as many as 18 points before a late surge in the final minute provided the final eight-point margin.
Hurley was happy with the win but was left bemused at the late Michigan run.
“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 afterward. “We’re great at that.”
When UConn was in control, however, the Demary-Mullins backcourt was at the heart of nearly everything positive for the Huskies. Mullins opened UConn’s scoring with a 3-pointer, then hit two more long-range shots before the under-12 timeout. Demary was fantastic in the first half, entering the break with 17 points, the most first-half points by a UConn player against a ranked opponent in the past 15 seasons, according to ESPN Research.
Demary won the head-to-head showdown against Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau, the Most Outstanding Player at last season’s Final Four. Cadeau finished with eight points, three assists and four turnovers on 3-for-11 shooting before fouling out.
“There’s a human-nature element of Silas Demary’s performance tonight,” Michigan coach Mike Boynton said. “He’s a great player. I’m not sure there’s anybody more motivated coming into today’s game considering the outcome, but also his individual performance, in the national championship game. I’ve got a lot of respect for a guy who just puts his head down. I didn’t hear him talking about it all summer. Obviously he just went to work and I’m sure when this game showed up on the schedule it was one he had circled in whatever bright color motivates him.”
Meanwhile, Mullins, a projected lottery pick who bypassed the NBA draft last spring to return to UConn for his sophomore season, shined in front of a long list of NBA personnel on Friday. He finished with 23 points on 12 shots, going 10-for-11 from the free throw line. That followed a season-opening performance against Gardner Webb in which he had 20 points.
After Michigan’s Trey McKenney (23 points) singlehandedly brought Michigan to within striking distance midway through the second half, Mullins made four straight free throws to push the lead back to 16 and effectively end the Wolverines’ hopes.
“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. “I feel like we’re always gonna be tested, night in and night out, and I think we’re always looking for that challenge and we’re always gonna be up for the challenge.”
In the opener, it was transfer additions Nik Khamenia (Duke) and Na’Jai Hines (Seton Hall) providing the complementary production. Against Michigan, it was freshman Colben Landrew, the Georgia native already drawing interest from NBA teams. Landrew had 14 points and 8 rebounds off the bench, scoring seven points in the final 2:12 of the first half to give UConn breathing room.
“He’s a stud,” Hurley said. “There’s not that many freshmen in the country that are better than that guy, and that guy’s gonna look a lot different in January. … He thinks he’s the best player on the court, and I think at a lot of points this year, he’s gonna be.”
Because of the early foul trouble — UConn committed 13 first-half fouls and four of its five starters committed two first-half fouls — Hurley was forced to utilize his depth. In addition to Landrew, freshman Junior County and Stanford transfer Oskar Giltay also provided useful minutes. And there will be more reinforcements in the coming weeks, as two-year starter Solo Ball looks poised to return following wrist surgery.
If Ball returns to the form he showed as sophomore, when he earned All-Big East honors and shot 41.4% from 3-point range, a fourth Final Four in five years doesn’t seem out of the question.
It was only the second game of the season, and both teams are still works in progress. On Friday, though, UConn showed it’s a bit more ahead of schedule than the reigning champions.
“As I’ve said for two months now, this team isn’t defending a national championship,” Boynton said of a Michigan team replacing its head coach and three lottery picks. “They’re trying to establish their own legacy. I think today was a great step forward.”
Said Hurley: “I think you saw two teams that are gonna be a lot better teams down the road.”
