With 1:51 left in the first half, Illinois tied UConn at 23-23. By the time they scored again, the Huskies were up by 30 points.
THE FULL UCONN 30-0 RUN ‼️
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 31, 2024
Unbelievable. @UConnMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/T0Tbl2JlLV
Connecticut has been quite dominant in the last two NCAA Tournaments, winning its last 10 games by double digits. In this year's tourney, they've beaten teams by an average of 27.8 points, with victories by 30 points and 25 points this weekend in Boston.
Illinois was a strong opponent, the Big 10 tournament champion and the No. 10 team in the country going into March Madness. By Ken Pomeroy's rankings, Illinois had the second-best offense in college basketball. UConn held them scoreless for over nine straight minutes spanning the first and second halves.
The biggest factor was 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan, who recorded 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in just 22 minutes of play. During the first half, Illinois only managed to score four points when Clingan was on the court. It didn't score for the first 5:25 he was on the court in the second half, either.
Donovan Clingan with his defining sequence of a truly dominant performance pic.twitter.com/SYnOIV9371
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) March 30, 2024
After a stunning blowout loss to Creighton ended its 14-game win streak on Feb. 20, UConn has been on a tear. Following the game, head coach Dan Hurley said, "Coaches did a bad job coaching, players did a bad job playing."
Since then, the Huskies are 11-0, including a Big East championship. They've won those games by an average of 21.3 points. In the only two relatively close games, against Marquette and St. John's, UConn still led by double digits late in the second half before its opponent caught up.
One sign of how dominant UConn has been is that Andrew Hurley, a four-year walk-on and the coach's son, has gotten into all four March Madness games so far. Saturday, Hurley even got an assist — the first of his college career.
ANDREW HURLEY DIME ALERT pic.twitter.com/rr952weKiM
— CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) March 31, 2024
That's how good this Huskies team has been. Even the coach's kid is putting up numbers.
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