UConn Hoops: Huskies win title rematch, advance to Elite Eight
Just under one year ago, Dan Hurley and his UConn men’s basketball team stood atop the college basketball world. They had just finished a relatively easy game against San Diego State in the national championship, the cherry on top of their historically great March Madness run. Even though that loss was a year ago, those wounds still sting for the team on the wrong end.
“They took us down last year, so we definitely want some revenge back a little bit,” said SDSU’s Lamont Butler pregame.
And they got their chance. On Thursday, the teams met once again, this time on a smaller stage. The occasion? That would be the Sweet 16, with the winner emerging just one win away from a second consecutive trip to the Final Four.
As upset as the Aztecs may have been that Connecticut crushed their title hopes last year, they couldn’t do much about it. UConn showed up to the TD Garden in Boston, just an hour and a half from their campus, and put on a dominant performance. The Huskies didn’t just win, they destroyed SDSU 82-52, ending their season for the second straight time.
“It’s extremely tough,” Karaban said regarding the difficulties of finishing a team’s season twice in a row. “I knew in that locker room that they had a sense of revenge and they wanted to get back what they lost last year. They were desperate out there, they wanted to beat us. Beating a team in two times in a row in March Madness is tough, you don’t see it often.”
As for Hurley, he was pleased with the way his team competed.
“Obviously thrilled with the performance,” Hurley said postgame. “Just playing against [coach] Brian's [Dutcher] teams, it's always an honor to play San Diego State. They've been one of the best college basketball programs in the country for the last several years, the job he's done there. It's incredible. Couldn't have more respect for their players, how they show up.”
Perhaps the most jarring mark on the stat sheet was the one that characterized the way the game was played. Connecticut outrebounded San Diego State 50-29, establishing and rubbing in their effort and supremacy on the interior. UConn’s 3-point defense didn’t hurt either though, as they held the Aztecs to 23% from deep.
Though the Huskies dominance started on the glass, Cam Spencer led the team’s efforts, especially in the opening half. He scored 16 of his 18 points before the team headed to the locker room, serving as a steady hand before many of the other Huskies settled down. Along with that, Spencer’s 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals made a huge difference in big moments. He stepped up when the Huskies needed him, helped by the drive of being one of the few players without a 2023 championship ring.
“I think everybody is very hungry,” Spencer said. “Obviously the team had great success last year, but it's a different group. A lot of those returners came back wanting to go do it again and help the new guys experience a national championship. I think that is just a part of the UConn culture, and I'm happy to be at UConn, and happy to be a part of it.”
The only other starter without a title is freshman Steph Castle, who had one of the most complete games of his career. He notched 16 points and grabbed 11 boards, looking ready for his time down the stretch. Some of Castle’s body language showed a nervous freshman in the early moments, but he recovered swiftly. The guard has been an elite defender all year and offensive games like this are really what takes him and the Huskies to that next level.
“[In the first half,] I just saw that I kind of missed out on a couple of opportunities to kind of grab some offensive rebounds, kind of make some more plays for my teammates,” Castle noted. “The second half I just tried to make up for those and just try to do whatever I can to win my matchup and help my teammates.”
His mentor, Tristen Newton also had a solid game. Riding a nice second half, Newton had 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 dimes. It wasn’t Newton’s loudest outing, but he gave the team what they needed, when they needed it.
Connecticut’s first deficit of the tournament came bright and early, as Jaedon LeDee put through a deuce on the Aztecs’ first possession. That lasted for all of 23 seconds though, as Clingan dropped in a layup. After that, the Huskies didn’t trail again.
Karaban hit a three and so did LeDee, not necessarily a staple of the latter’s game. The teams traded buckets and were tied twice more, but Karaban’s second triple put UConn ahead once and for all. Karaban’s presence in the early moments helped calm the team and he got to do so in front of family and friends just over a half hour from his home in Southborough, MA.
“It was special,” Karaban mentioned of his early production. “It was definitely something I was very excited about. It felt really good to make those two threes at the TD Garden, it’s something I’ll never forget. At the same time, it’s a big game for us and we wanted to go out there and win. And I’m glad we won.”
Though they led for the rest of the game, it took one of their runs to put together a comfortable lead. They leaned on some super-senior leadership to get there, with Newton and Spencer scoring all of the Huskies’ points in their 12-2 run.
All of a sudden, the single point advantage had ballooned out to 11. San Diego State did their best to dig out of their hole, which was tough to go against Spencer. The grad student scored 7 of his 16 first half points after the under-four timeout, keeping UConn’s lead to nine.
It didn’t take long for the Huskies to build on a strong first half, with Castle and Clingan putting together six straight points. But then came an absolute onslaught from Connecticut. Diarra put through two layups and lined one up from distance, pushing their lead up near 20.
“I just wanted to be aggressive and make the right play out there,” Diarra reflected on the spurt. “I thought we did a great job and coach put us in a great position in the second half. Defensively we were locked in and offensively, we got on the glass.”
A few possessions after that three, Clingan got a pair of dunks and Newton drilled another from downtown to add insult to injury. By the time the game had finished, the Huskies emerged with a 30-point triumph.
And in typical Hurley fashion, he wasn’t calm and ready to soak in the moment until 13 seconds left. That’s because he has another superstition that involves his son that dates back to last year’s tournament run.
“With about 13 seconds left I allowed myself to enjoy it, as I screamed to get the ball to Andrew's hands so he could dribble out the clock,” Hurley said. “That's been another superstition. ‘Get him the ball, please.’”
The Huskies’ next chance to let Andrew run out the clock will come this Saturday at 6:09 p.m., when they’ll play the winner of Iowa State/Illinois. On the line is a ticket to Phoenix, AZ and the Final Four.
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