Quest for three-peat starts off strong as No. 3 UConn defeats Sacred Heart

It was quite the night in Gampel Pavilion as the No.

3 UConn Huskies raised another banner to the rafters commemorating last year's national title.

The Huskies took on the Sacred Heart Pioneers in the season opener, earning a 92-56 win after a slow first half.

The Huskies saw the debuts of transfers Aidan Mahaney and Tarris Reed Jr.

and prospect Liam McNeeley as they look to replace Donovan Clingan, Tristan Newton and Stephon Castle from last year's starting lineup.

The Huskies got off to a relatively poor start as they only led 46-31 at halftime.

But they eventually got things going and used a dominant second half to cruise to an easy victory.

Junior Alex Karaban and McNeeley were the stars of the show, combining for 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the field.

Alex Karaban against Sacred Heart tonight: 20 PTS 7-9 FG 5-7 3PT 7 BLK 7 AST 6 REB pic.twitter.com/dErQovKIZn Karaban tested the NBA waters over the offseason but decided to return for one more season and go for the three-peat in Storrs.

He is going to be seriously relied upon this season as he is one of the only players on the roster with serious knowledge of the system that head coach Dan Hurley runs.

Perhaps Hurley can use the relatively lackluster first half as a motivator and teaching point for his team, because he won't have much else to complain about as the Huskies asserted their dominance.

At the end of the day, UConn produced the kind of performance you would expect from a team looking to accomplish a three-peat.

The season continues for the defending back-to-back national champions when they host the New Hampshire Wildcats on Nov.

9.

Their first big test won't come until Dec.

4 against No.

8 Baylor, the first of three straight games against currently-ranked opponents..

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