STORRS – Alex Karaban directed the reigning back-to-back national champion UConn men’s basketball team to a 92-56 season-opening win over Sacred Heart in Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday.

There was a sold-out crowd on hand as the Huskies unveiled their second national championship banner in as many years about a half hour before tip-off. The ceremony, essentially the same as it was last season, included video messages from the four starters who left the program for the NBA: Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer.

Karaban, the fifth starter who decided to pull from the draft and come back to star at UConn, did exactly that once the ball was tipped. He led the way with 20 points, seven assists, six rebounds and seven blocks, only missing two shots from the field.

“Alex played like an All-American, he played like a Big East Player of the Year type,” coach Dan Hurley said post-game. “He kept us organized. But in games like this, that’s what you’re supposed to do… You should be efficient like that.”

Freshman Liam McNeeley, returning to live action this week after dealing with a calf strain, air-balled his first 3-point attempt but all of the first game nerves seemed to have gone with it. The five-star forward made his next two from deep and recorded a double-double in his debut, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of assists.

“I’m super grateful and I feel very blessed to be here and have the opportunity to have my college debut at UConn,” McNeeley said. “I wasn’t really nervous, just really happy to get to play again because I’ve been sidelined with the injury, so I had some time off. Basketball is my joy, so when I get to play again, I was just so happy.”

The nerves were there for Hurley on Wednesday morning, never sure on opening night what his team is about to do on the court. He was most happy that the game was over, but the team’s 25 assists on 32 made shots, the 47-25 rebounding advantage, no offensive rebounds allowed, was pleasing also.

“We missed open people, we probably should’ve shot mid-50s and it probably should’ve been a 30-assist game for us,” he said, not thrilled with the team’s 13 turnovers but understanding mistakes come with opening night. “We’re gonna get better. We’re gonna get drastically better throughout the year.”

Karaban got the season started with a block on the defensive end and Samson Johnson put the first points on the board with a dunk after he stole the ball in the backcourt and went coast-to-coast. McNeeley converted a layup after another Karaban block and Solo Ball landed the first 3-point attempt of the season as UConn got its sold-out crowd going with a 7-0 flurry to start the game.

Ball made three more from deep and started his sophomore season with a 16-point effort.

Hassan Diarra returned to the sixth-man role he was awarded for last season and was first off the bench on Wednesday. His first made shot from the field was a fastbreak layup through traffic, following a steal from St. Mary’s transfer Aidan Mahaney, who started and was scoreless in 23 minutes played.

UConn’s defensive effort, a question mark entering the season after losing lottery picks Clingan and Castle, was strong in the first few minutes but Sacred Heart refused to go away, shooting 45.8% from the field in the opening period and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Karaban held things down inside with new career-high seven blocks – five in the first half – which he credited to being Clingan’s roommate the last two years. He put his upgraded leadership role on display toward the end of the first half as he knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and scored on a putback. He also assisted Tarris Reed Jr. on a dunk – his first official points as a Husky – and Ball on a 3-pointer with less than a minute before halftime.

UConn, having made eight of its 16 3-point attempts, went into the break with a 46-31 lead.

Karaban hit a 3-pointer to open the second half but both teams lulled after that. Reed, who picked up a pair of quick fouls in the first half, scored seven consecutive points midway through the second half – five at the free throw line – and was a force defensively to keep UConn’s lead growing. The Michigan transfer, who had just two points and two rebounds in the first half, finished with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double with two blocks and two steals in his Huskies debut.

“At halftime I was overthinking a little bit too much and I got in early foul trouble, but overall the team picked me up. Coach was saying ‘Just keep on going’ and a lot of the players were like, ‘Come on T, we need you in the second half,'” Reed said. “I knew it would start on the defensive end and rebounding and then from there it would translate to offense.”

UConn shot 46.9% from the field in the second half and finished the game with a 51.6% mark from the field, 13-for-31 from 3. Nine different Huskies were involved in the scoring column, with Mahaney finishing 0-for-3 from the field and sophomore center Youssouf Singare not attempting a shot in his limited time on the court.

Hurley said sophomore Jayden Ross, who didn’t play in the game because of a hurt ankle, would’ve been in the starting lineup if he was healthy.

“J-Ross has been just a rocket ship for the last two weeks. I mean, this guy’s looked like our best player at times, or one of… He just changes things for us, just a 6-7 athlete that’s making 3s and on the glass and getting to the rim. It’s gonna be interesting when he’s healthy where we go that way, because Solo looks pretty entrenched and it’s gonna be hard to get Liam out of the lineup, it’s gonna be hard to get Alex out of there and then we have the two centers… I don’t know how that’s gonna shake out when J-Ross is healthy.”

Sacred Heart, which opened its season Monday with a loss at Temple, fell to 0-2 on the year.

UConn will unveil another banner at the XL Center on Saturday before hosting New Hampshire at 8 p.m.