The University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball team continues to steamroll the competition in winning their first two games of this year’s NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies will battle San Diego State tonight at TD Garden in Boston for a chance to advance to the Elite Eight on Saturday and if victorious would face the winner of the other evening matchup between Iowa State and Illinois for a chance to move on to the Final Four.
The Huskies, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, extended their NCAA Tournament winning streak to eight games by defeating No. 16 seed Stetson 91-52 last Friday and No. 9 Northwestern 75-58 on Sunday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in the East Region.
“Just obviously impressed with the performance,” Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley said after a dominating win over Northwestern. “You know, just really attacked them in the paint. Obviously the injuries that they have sustained during the year changed the total complexion of that team. That team, you know, with those two guys that they lost, we’re not playing them today; they are probably a 5 seed or a 6 seed.
“We were obviously thrilled with the performance,” Hurley continued, “and to get that separation, you know, while going 3 for 22 from three. And a handful of those were contested but obviously we didn’t shoot it great, and to still win by that margin, obviously it spoke to our defense and obviously the 20 assists on 29 field goals.”
Senior guard Tristen Newton, who leads the team in scoring (15.3) and assists (6.2) emphasized that his Huskies, last year’s champion, are locked in on their sole objective of repeating.
“We have a big picture that we want to get to and we have to take it one step at a time,” he said. “Getting to the Sweet 16 is another step to our main goal, and it feels good.”
The Florida Gators, led by former head coach Billy Donovan, were the last program to win back-to-back NCAA tournaments in 2006 and 2007.
UConn’s foundation is built on Hurley and his staff, and is fortified with as many as five projected picks in this year’s NBA Draft according to website NBADraft.net, including two certain first rounders: 7-2 sophomore center Donovan Clingan and 6-6 freshman guard Stephon Castle, who is one of five Huskies averaging double figures in points.
Clingan imposes his size and skill on both ends of the court, including last Sunday, when he scored 14 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked eight shots.
Sharpshooting 6-4 senior guard Cam Spencer is the team’s second-leading scorer at 14.4 points and just under 44% from three-point range. Alex Karaban, a 6-8 sophomore forward and Connecticut’s third-leading scorer, and Newton are the other three potential draft picks.
Hurley has proven that he is adaptable and connects with the rhythm of his team from game to game, allowing the versatility of the group to dictate how he mixes and matches his lineups. Six different players have led UConn in scoring in 35 games.
Anything is possible in a one-game, single elimination setup that is the NCAA Tournament. UConn is not unbeatable. But outclassing Hurley and the Huskies will require their opponent to play their best basketball.