UConn romps again into Closing 4 with blowout of Illinois at NCAA event

BOSTON — Late within the first half of Saturday’s East Regional last between No. 1 seed UConn and No. 3 Illinois, the Huskies’ dominant march towards back-to-back nationwide championships appeared in peril. Not simply their streak of double-digit wins, however staying alive within the NCAA event.

The Preventing Illini had fought again from an early deficit to tie the rating with 1:49 left till halftime.

Lower than eight minutes of recreation motion later, UConn led by 30.

The Huskies ran off 30 straight factors, an onslaught not seen this late within the NCAA event lately, en path to a 77-52 victory to advance to their second straight Closing 4. UConn will face the winner of Saturday night time’s West Regional last between Alabama and Clemson.

The 30-0 run was UConn’s largest since Dan Hurley took over as coach in 2018.

“30-0 is loopy,” Tristen Newton, UConn’s All-American level guard mentioned.

“It was a particular degree of basketball that we had been enjoying,” Hurley added.

Coming into Saturday’s recreation, one of many key tactical questions was how UConn would defend smooth-shooting heart Coleman Hawkins and whether or not Illinois may make the most of its 5-out offense to tug 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan away from the basket and open driving lanes.

It shortly turned obvious Illinois had no answer in coping with Clingan. The projected lottery decide scored the primary seven factors and produced a virtuoso defensive efficiency.

“What he did to them on the rim defensively spooked them,” Hurley mentioned. “And clearly they’d no solutions for him on the offensive finish.”

Clingan’s presence within the paint was not possible to beat. He was formally credited with 5 blocks, however that may have been one or two quick. Illinois merely could not rating on the rim; the Illini missed eight of their first 10 layups and shot simply 28.6% from 2-point vary within the first half. Illinois star Terrence Shannon Jr. shot 2-for-12 and utterly stopped driving to the basket halfway by means of the second half.

“Would not everybody have him projected within the lottery or near it?” Illinois coach Brad Underwood mentioned of Clingan. “We talked advert nauseam about spacing them. … Give him lots of credit score. Acquired an elite man again there.”

In Clingan’s first 17 minutes on the ground, Illinois managed simply 4 factors. In line with ESPN Stats & Info analysis, Illinois went 0-for-19 on subject purpose makes an attempt contested by Clingan.

He completed with 22 factors, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and three steals in 22 minutes.

“When he is in there, he is such an enormous presence. He is gonna block photographs, he is gonna actually make all the pieces powerful. That is precisely what he did,” sophomore ahead Alex Karaban mentioned. “He did the very best job he did of walling up. He did not get in foul bother for us, the place in different video games he might need. However he simply went vertical each time he blocked it. It is simply an enormous confidence increase. This actually was considered one of his greatest performances.”

UConn did not make the most of Illinois’ early struggles, with an surprising defensive slog breaking out between the 2 greatest offenses within the nation. The Huskies missed their first 10 3-point makes an attempt and had solely two made photographs exterior the paint.

Newton did not make a shot within the first half, going 0-for-6. Whereas Shannon struggled, Southern Illinois switch Marcus Domask stored the Illini within the recreation, making a pair of early 3s after which utilizing his measurement to attain over smaller defenders within the submit.

Again-to-back baskets by Domask late within the half tied the rating at 23, however UConn scored the ultimate 5 factors for a 28-23 lead on the break.

“We weren’t nervous in any respect,” Newton mentioned. “We all know what kind of labor we put in and the way straightforward it’s for us to attain. We knew it was gonna begin flowing. And we simply knew when it began flowing, the sport was going to be over.”

The Huskies opened the second half by scoring the following 25 factors, placing the sport nicely out of attain and persevering with a dominant two-year NCAA event run. UConn has received its previous 10 NCAA event video games by at the very least 13 factors, changing into the primary crew to win that many by double-digits. The Huskies have trailed for under 28 seconds on this 12 months’s event and have overwhelmed their 4 opponents by a median of 27.8 factors.

Additionally they turned the third crew in NCAA event historical past to win by 25-plus factors in every of its two video games instantly main as much as the Closing 4, becoming a member of 1993 Kentucky and 1955 La Salle.

Within the 80 second-half minutes UConn has performed on this 12 months’s NCAA event, the Huskies have led by double digits for 76 minutes and three seconds.

“Our protection is elite. Our offense is elite. We rebound the ball. These guys play each possession prefer it’s the tip of the world,” Hurley mentioned. “Kimani [Young] and Luke [Murray] put together these guys with scouts at a high quality degree that any head coach within the nation could be proud to place forth. These two guys are wonderful.

“We have NBA-level gamers which are simply prepared to share and have created an unbelievable tradition. We will be powerful to beat.”