The UConn basketball team continued its dominance on Saturday as they cruised past Illinois basketball in the Elite 8. The Huskies are now going to the Final Four for the second season in a row. A big reason for the blowout win on Saturday was the play of Donovan Clingan for UConn. He only played for 22 minutes, but he took advantage of every single second that he was on the court.
Donovan Clingan finished the game 9-13 from the floor for 22 points. He also added 10 rebounds, one assist, five blocks and three steals. He was everywhere on the court on Saturday and he was doing it all. The Fighting Illini simply didn't have an answer for the UConn big, and the Huskies went on to win the game 77-52.
Clingan has been an absolute beast all season long, and he is projected to be a top-five draft pick when the NBA Draft rolls around. His performance on Saturday showed why he is going to be picked so early, and it certainly boosted his stock a bit.
“Another incredible defensive performance for Donovan Clingan, absolutely shutting down Illinois in UConn's 77-52 blowout win to advance to the Final Four,” Jonathan Givony said in a tweet. “22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 steals in just 22 minutes for the projected top-five pick.”
There were other parts of the game that didn't show up in the stat sheet, and Clingan probably could've been credited with another block or two. His stat-line was still absurd, and he was the best player on the court on Saturday.
“By the way, again the scorekeepers docked Clingan several blocks,” Givony added. “I counted 10 blocks in this highlight reel alone, not to mention another 10 or so shots he changed without blocking. He was a game high +29 in 22 minutes. Illinois could not score against him all game.”
UConn is headed back to the Final Four
With the big win over Illinois basketball, UConn basketball punched their ticket to the Final Four. Last season, the Huskies went all the way and won the national title with one of the more impressive runs that we have ever seen. They won every single game by double digits, and they have done the same thing this season. The NCAA Tournament success that this team is having right now is extremely impressive.
The Huskies will take on the winner of Alabama and Clemson who are doing battle on Saturday night. It looked like Illinois might be the team to finally give them a good fight, but that didn't happen. Perhaps the Tigers or the Crimson Tide can give them a battle, but UConn looks like by the far the most dominant team in this tournament. Watching the rest of their run is going to be exciting.
UConn basketball is looking to become the first school since Florida to win two straight national titles. The Gators did it back in 2006 and 2007, and the Huskies are now just two wins away from getting it done. We'll see if anyone can knock them off, but they are certainly the heavy favorite to cut down the nets on April 8th.
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