For the first time in school history, the UConn Huskies have reached back-to-back Final Fours.
The top-seeded Huskies continued their March Madness dominance since last year’s national championship with a 77-52 win over third-seeded Illinois.
With the game tied at 23 with less than 90 seconds left in the first half, it looked like the Huskies (36-3) had finally won the game.
UConn then went on a 30-0 run. That’s right – 30-0.
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Cam Spencer, 12, of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates a basket against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half of the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament at TD Garden in Boston on March 30, 2024. (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
During that period, the Huskies made 12 of 15 from the floor, while Illinois missed 16 consecutive shots. Ultimately, UConn led by 31 points with 11:48 left and pulled within another game early.
In the past 10 March Madness games, UConn has defeated opponents by an average margin of 23.1 points. The Huskies are winning each game by at least 13 points. The closest game this season was his 75-58 victory over No. 8 Northwestern in the Round of 32. In this tournament, his average winning point difference is 27.8.
The 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan continued to be the man among the men around the glass, scoring a tournament-high 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. This was his fourth 20-point game this season and his second 20-10 game. Guard Cam Spencer added his 12 boards.
Donovan Clingan, 32, of the Connecticut Huskies makes a dunk against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half of the 2024 NCAA Tournament Elite 8 game at TD Garden in Boston on March 30, 2024. Ta. (Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photo via Getty Images)
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All four Huskies (Clingan, Spencer, Alex Karaban and Hassan Diarra) finished in double digits. Outside of Marcus Domask’s 17 points, Illinois’ next highest scorers were Terrence Shannon Jr. and Amani Hansberry with eight points each. Shannon averaged 23.5 points entering the game this season.
Illinois shot just 25.4% in the loss.
If there’s only one problem for UConn, it’s the team’s inconsistent 3-point shooting. The Huskies were 3-of-17 on Saturday and 3-of-22 in the round of 32. However, in the first round and Sweet 16, the UW made 9-of-24 and 10-of-26 from the field, respectively. All of this adds up to 22.9%, which is not ideal. However, the Huskies made up for it by making 63.8% of their 2-point shots in the tournament.
Donovan Clingan, 32, of the Connecticut Huskies makes a 3-point shot against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half of the Elite 8 NCAA Tournament game at TD Garden in Boston on March 30, 2024. . (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
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The Huskies will face the winner of Sunday’s matchup between No. 4 Alabama and No. 6 Clemson.
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