Why UConn's Liam McNeeley isn't playing vs. Marquette

02/01/2025 08:53 PM

UConn men’s basketball ruled out star freshman Liam McNeeley from Saturday’s matchup against the No. 9 Marquette Golden Eagles.

McNeeley went through warmups, but won’t be available for the game, per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. He suffered an ankle injury against the DePaul Blue Demons on Jan. 1, missing the last seven games as a result.

Before the injury, he was averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 42.9% shooting from the field and 37.9% from beyond the arc for the No. 25 Huskies.

Next man up for UConn Huskies with Liam McNeeley out

With Liam McNeeley remaining out for at least one more game, the UConn Huskies will need their squad to continue standing their ground against opponents.

Since McNeeley’s injury, the Huskies went 4-3 without him. They were averaging 73.1 points in this stretch, getting past opponents by a margin of three points per game.

UConn entered Saturday’s matchup against the No. 9 Golden Eagles with a 15-6 overall record.  Despite sliding down the high ranks of the AP Top 25 due to multiple losses, they won seven of their first 10 games in conference play to remain high in the Big East standings.

Alex Karaban leads the way with 15 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals on 43.9% shooting overall and 38% from downtown. Solo Ball comes next with 14.6 points and 3.1 rebounds as the team’s best perimeter shooter with 60 made triples and counting, while Tarris Reed Jr. provides 9.7 points, seven rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

Following Saturday’s matchup against Marquette, the No. 25 Huskies will next face the No. 15 St. John’s Red Storm on Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. ET.

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