UConn basketball’s 2025 Big East Tournament run ended at the hands of Creighton in the semifinals, but Hassan Diarra was not about to let the Huskies get disrespected on their way out. As the catalyst of the near-fight at the end of the game, Diarra has no regrets about confronting Jamiya Neal just before the final horn.
Diarra got into Neal’s face after the latter threw down a windmill dunk in the open court once the Huskies had already waived the white flag. Creighton was already up by seven at that point, therefore breaking one of the biggest unwritten rules of basketball.
After Neal’s dunk, UConn’s Diarra pushes Neal and words are exchanged. pic.twitter.com/C7upaurX6q
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 15, 2025
Neal apologized for the dunk after the game, but Diarra expressed no remorse for his responsive actions. The fifth-year UConn senior doubled down in his criticism, calling the dunk “disrespectful to basketball” in his post-game presser.
“They were already up with seven seconds left and he didn’t want to dribble the ball out,” Diarra said after the game. “He went in for a fancy dunk. I just felt it was disrespectful to the game of basketball.”
Hassan Diarra on Jamiya Neal’s dunk at the end of the game:
“I just felt it was disrespectful to the game of basketball.” pic.twitter.com/YpKmHCFwtb
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 15, 2025
Diarra accounted for 11 of UConn’s 62 points in the loss, the third-most on the team. Though he hit just four of his 11 shots, he went 3-for-4 from deep. He added six rebounds, one assist and one steal in his final Big East Tournament game.
The Huskies struggled offensively for the entire game, shooting just 42.6 percent from the field. Only three players reached double figures — Liam McNeely, Solo Ball and Diarra — with none surpassing 13 points.
UConn basketball awaits Selection Sunday with loss to Creighton
The loss ended UConn’s pursuit of back-to-back Big East Tournament titles. While that goal is no longer within reach, the two-time defending national champions still have a shot at a rare three-peat in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies now await their seeding in March Madness on Selection Sunday.
Losing to Creighton dropped UConn to 23-10 on the year and third in the Big East. While still nearly a lock for a top seed, they will not enter the tournament as highly lauded as they were in 2023 and 2024. Instead, Dan Hurley’s team projects to land somewhere within the No. 3 to No. 6 range.
Selection Sunday will not commence until 6 p.m. ET on March 16, after all the conference championship games conclude. The ensuing March Madness tournament will begin the following Tuesday, March 18, with the opening First Four matchups.
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