Smith’s performance was a topic in the postgame press conference.
“Malachi just seems to be playing maybe his best ball of the year, and at the right time too because obviously Silas (Demery) may be not be 100%,” a reporter said to UConn coach Dan Hurley. “Can you talk about what he’s been giving you? Not scoring, but just about everything else.”
“That guy’s tough,” Hurley said. “Probably when his career is over and he’s done playing, he’s a future coach because he’s got such an incredible way about him. He’s a smart guy. He’s a real unifier with the group.
“We’ve got a lot of guys vying to be the most beloved guy in that locker room, and I think that’s why we’ve got such a great culture. It’s a locker room filled with great people.
“What’s impressed me about this team this year, you look at what we did in the non-conference. We were hurt — key injuries — and we had as good a non-conference performance as anyone in the country.”
Hurley mentioned injuries suffered by Braylon Mullins and Tarris Reed early in the season and, more recently, by Demery, who is “gutting it out” at 70%.
“Without Malachi, we’d be cooked,” Hurley said. “We might have lost the Furman game.”
In the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, Smith had 13 assists, six points and three turnovers. He played 32 minutes in each game.
UConn will play No. 1 seed Duke in the East Region final for a spot in the Final Four at 5:05 p.m. Sunday.
Smith is playing this weekend on the same court where he suffered an ankle injury as a freshman in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament semifinals. Dayton lost 68-64 to Richmond in 2022 after losing Smith.
Smith spent four seasons at Dayton. He had one more year of eligibility because he missed the 2023-24 season after suffering a knee injury in the first half of the first game. He entered the transfer portal in March 2025.
Smith averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 assists in 86 career games at Dayton. He averaged a career-best 10.4 points per game this season and started 31 of 33 games.
At UConn, Smith is averaging 3.5 points and 3.0 assists in 16 minutes per game. He’s one of three players who have appeared in all 37 games.
“Since he’s stepped on campus,” UConn forward Alex Karaban said after a second-round victory against UCLA. “he’s one of the best passers I have played with. Being so unselfish out there, he brings so much energy and plays with a spark. The way he plays really is a reflection of his personality — all the moves, the flashy passes and how tough he is defensively. We need Malachi if we want to reach our goals, and he’s done a great job stopping up so far.”
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