Following their fifth national championship win, where they dominated the NCAA Tournament by an average margin of nearly 20 points, UConn basketball continued their dominance in the 2024 March Madness with a ninth consecutive double-digit victory last weekend.
Their victories in this tournament have been by margins of 39, 17, and 30 points.
“We suck at winning close games, so you’ve got to go with the alternative,” UConn coach Dan Hurley humorously remarked via Joe Arruda of Hartford Courant.
UConn heroes
“We tried to make it like Storrs North,” Stephon Castle said, “They showed up for us.” Castle played a crucial role with 16 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 1 seeded Uconn basketball, propelling them to the Elite Eight with an emphatic 82-52 triumph over San Diego State. This matchup was a rematch of last year's championship game.
Cam Spencer contributed 18 points, while Tristen Newton chipped in with 17 points and seven rebounds for the Huskies, who improved to 34-3.
Seven-foot center Donovan Clingan, who was limited to 23 minutes due to foul trouble, contributed eight points and grabbed eight rebounds during the game.
With a virtual home crowd at TD Garden, located about 90 miles from UConn's Storrs, Connecticut, campus, the Huskies surged to a double-digit lead early in the second half. They extended their advantage to 20 points with approximately seven minutes remaining and reached a commanding 30-point lead in the closing minutes, prompting both teams to substitute their bench players.
Even Hurley's son Andrew Hurley made an appearance in the game with 1:44 left, drawing cheer from the crowd.
Jaedon LeDee tallied 18 points, 15 of which came in the first half, for the fifth-seeded San Diego State basketball. This performance followed their historic Final Four appearance, marking another impressive Sweet 16 run for the school.
Same opponent same result for UConn basketball
For the second consecutive year, the Aztecs (26-11) faced off against UConn, but once again fell short. Meanwhile, UConn (34-3) is now just three wins away from achieving the rare feat of becoming the first team since Florida in 2006 and 2007 to repeat as NCAA champions.
In the 2011 Sweet 16, Kemba Walker's UConn Huskies triumphed over Kawhi Leonard's San Diego State team, paving the way for UConn to win their third national championship. Similarly, UConn emerged victorious in last year's championship game with a score of 76-59 against the Aztecs.
UConn captured their fifth national championship title last year winning 76-59, over San Diego State.
The Huskies are set to face the victor of the East Region semifinal clash between No. 2 Iowa State and No. 3 Illinois, with a coveted Final Four berth in Glendale, Arizona, at stake.
“The way the defending champs have fared in recent history, it’s kind of been against the odds in terms of the season we’re having, following up the national championship with an even better season. Winning the Big East regular season by multiple games and setting a program record now for wins on the season and winning the Big East Tournament and now getting to an Elite Eight,” said head coach Dan Hurley.
“This team has defied what past champions have done and taken this program to a completely different level.”
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