Current:Home > MarketsConnecticut continues March Madness domination as leaving legacy provides motivation-LoTradeCoin
Connecticut continues March Madness domination as leaving legacy provides motivation
View Date:2025-01-11 09:22:21
BOSTON — Give San Diego State credit for hanging with No. 1 Connecticut for 20 minutes, which is exactly 20 more minutes than the Huskies were challenged by No. 16 Stetson and No. 9 Northwestern in the first two rounds of the NCAA men’s tournament. While not worthy of a banner, to make the Huskies drop even a bead of sweat qualifies as a victory, relatively speaking.
But if UConn is a freight train, the Aztecs are a stalled car stuck on a track: strong enough to provide only a hint of pushback before getting blown into smithereens.
“When we’re playing at our best, it’s hard to beat us,” said sophomore center Donovan Clingan.
In a flip to the team’s first two NCAA men’s tournament blowouts, this one saw UConn tread water for the first half before turning things on in the second. Ahead 40-31 at the break, the Huskies hit a new gear coming out of the locker room and scored an 82-52 win to advance to Saturday’s Elite Eight matchup against No. 3 Illinois.
The Huskies had four players in double figures, led by Cam Spencer's 18 points, and were able to withstand an off game of sorts from Clingan, who battled early foul trouble, struggled finishing near the rim and had eight pounds and eight rebounds.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.
“We went into halftime, like, ‘We have to turn this up to another level.’ And we did that in the second half,” sophomore forward Alex Karaban said.
That the Aztecs hung around in this rematch of last year’s national championship game might’ve put an almost imperceptible, pinhole-size dent in the Huskies’ sense of invincibility without impacting what feels like the inevitable: UConn storming through this tournament to become the eighth program to win back-to-back titles.
Already, Thursday night’s win makes UConn the first defending champ to reach the Elite Eight since Florida in 2007.
"This team has defied what past champions have done and taken this program to a completely different level," UConn coach Dan Hurley said.
These blowout wins to open the NCAA men's tournament has largely placed a check on Hurley's emotions, which on game day typically cycle through three similar stages: angry, angrier and angriest.
"He doesn’t want any shortage of the culture," Karaban said. "If he sees slipups, he’s going to let you know. He’s brutally honest with everybody, which is why we all came here to play for him."
While leaving onlookers in awe of UConn's postseason dominance — the nine tournament wins in a row since last March have come by an average of just under 23 points, with none decided by fewer than 13 points — Hurley continues to search for ways to motivate a team that even amid this run seems capable of finding another gear.
"We suck at winning close games, so you have to go with the alternative," Hurley joked. "No, I think the group, we have killer instincts. We play every possession with great desperation.
"Obviously we're very comfortable in tournament play. We're hard to prepare for."
Through three tournament games, at least, Hurley and the Huskies have found their biggest competition in the mirror.
At halftime against Steton, Hurley told CBS the Huskies had to "grow up a little bit. The last couple of minutes I didn't like."
"Everything should be automatic this time of year," he said. "It's human nature, I guess, but just to throttle down like that late, that's not championship level."
This with UConn up 33 points, the largest halftime lead in tournament play in program history and the second-largest halftime in the past 20 tournaments.
Hurley then ripped into his team during a timeout against Northwestern, imploring the Huskies to play up to their standard as the Wildcats essentially played them to a draw in the second half. In the locker room at the break against SDSU, they stressed the need for more confidence on offense and a better job on the offensive glass.
Maybe UConn is aware of the fact it has thus far played opponents that finished the regular season in second place in the Atlantic Sun, fourth in the Big Ten and fifth in the Mountain West. In Illinois, the Huskies will find an opponent with the length and depth to strain the defending champs.
But the reverse is also true: Does either opponent really have what it takes to handle all that UConn brings to the table? Does anyone?
"Honestly, each opponent is different, so you have to have a different style for each opponent,” said senior guard Hassan Diarra. “We’re prepared for anything that comes our way.”
That tougher test awaits on Saturday and beyond, should the Huskies get back to the Final Four. But as the lopsided wins mount, what's become clear is that this is UConn's tournament to lose. The chance to make history might be the team's biggest motivator.
"These guys right now are leaving a legacy in a place that's hard to leave a legacy," Hurley said. "It's been a historical season in a tough place to make history. They're galvanized by that. It's special."
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Cavaliers' Darius Garland rediscovers joy for basketball under new coach
- Opinion polls show Australians likely to reject Indigenous Voice to Parliament at referendum
- Helicopter crashes shortly after takeoff in New Hampshire, killing the pilot
- The Asian Games wrap up, with China dominating the medal count
- 4 charged in Detroit street shooting that left 2 dead, 5 wounded
- Western Michigan house fire kills 2 children while adult, 1 child escape from burning home
- Inexplicable, self-inflicted loss puts Miami, Mario Cristobal at top of Misery Index
- Colts QB Anthony Richardson knocked out of game vs. Titans with shoulder injury
- 'He's driving the bus': Jim Harbaugh effect paying dividends for Justin Herbert, Chargers
- UK’s opposition Labour Party says if elected it will track down billions lost to COVID-19 fraud
Ranking
- Man accused of killing American tourist in Budapest, putting her body in suitcase: Police
- Two Husky puppies thrown over a Michigan animal shelter's fence get adopted
- The US will send a carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean in support of Israel
- Man arrested in Germany after the body of his young daughter was thrown into a canal
- How many dog breeds are there? A guide to groups recognized in the US
- In tight elections, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel seeks a new term to head Luxembourg
- Panthers OL Chandler Zavala carted off field, taken to hospital for neck injury
- US Senate Majority Leader Schumer criticizes China for not supporting Israel after Hamas attack
Recommendation
-
Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow's Son Moses Martin Reveals His Singing Talents at Concert
-
AP Top 25 Takeaways: Turns out, Oklahoma’s back; Tide rising in West; coaching malpractice at Miami
-
Shania Twain joins Foo Fighters at Austin City Limits Music Festival: 'Take it, Shania!'
-
Amtrak train crashes into SUV in Vermont, killing SUV driver and injuring his passenger
-
College football Week 12 expert picks for every Top 25 game include SEC showdowns
-
Eminem and Hailie Jade Are the Ultimate Father-Daughter Team at NFL Game
-
Sufjan Stevens dedicates new album to late partner, 'light of my life' Evans Richardson
-
Opinion polls show Australians likely to reject Indigenous Voice to Parliament at referendum