On the ensuing possession following the opening tip, San Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee knocked down a jumper from the free-throw line. It was UConn’s first deficit of the tournament, but it didn’t last long.
In a rematch of last year’s National Championship game, the Huskies showed they’re still at the top, rolling to an 82-52 win, trailing for just 28 seconds. The 30-point victory marked Connecticut’s ninth consecutive NCAA tournament victory by double digits, tying the record set by Michigan State from 2000-01.
For a little while, Dutcher’s Aztecs did hang around. Over a 5:51 stretch in the first half, UConn went ice-cold, missing 13 of its 14 field goal attempts, allowing the Aztects to cut the lead to four. A cold streak like that would cause severe problems for almost any other team, but not for the Huskies.
The rest was history.
The Huskies doubled up the Aztecs in the second half, outscoring them 41-21, leaving Mr. Supersticion himself, coach Hurley – who disregarded the red M&M’s when he had his eight along with his Bulletproof coffee pregame – worrying about just one thing – making sure his son, Andrew Hurley, had the ball to dribble out the clock.
“With about 13 seconds left I allowed myself to enjoy it, as I screamed to get the ball to Andrew’s hands so he could dribble out the clock. That’s been another superstition. ‘Get him the ball, please,’” Hurley said postgame. “Then just to be able to go and hug my wife, Andrea, who she has to put up with me, and she’s got to deal with my socks and underwear and everything after this.
The Huskies have so many different ways to hurt you. There really aren’t any holes in their roster, which was on full display Thursday night.
Spencer finished with 18 points, Tristen Newton added 17, and Stephon Castle added 16 as UConn punched its ticket to the Elite Eight. It became the first reigning champion to reach the Elite Eight since Florida defended its title in 2007.
“We just have people that just are desperate to win more,” Hurley said. “We have winners. We have “we” guys.
On the other hand, LeDee was San Diego State’s only hope. The senior forward finished with 18 points, eight boards, an assist, and three steals.
Not only did UConn have the talent advantage, but they also had the geographical advantage — something Hurley has been thinking about since he cut down the net last April.
“We’ve manifested Brooklyn to Boston since April last year when we won the championship,” Hurley admitted after practice Wednesday. “We’ve worked incredibly hard over that time period to earn the opportunity to play in front of hopefully a 60 percent UConn type of crowd.”
And they did. TD Garden was flooded in white as fans made the roughly 90-minute ride to cheer on their Huskies.
“It means a lot just to be able to travel with our fans,” Castle said postgame. “We travel very well. I feel like it gives us kind of a boost, a little bit of an advantage. Our coach said before we tried to make it like Storrs North. They showed out for us, and it was definitely electric in there tonight.
“We had to win a s--- ton of games to get that,” Hurley interrupted.
The Huskies will have this advantage again on Saturday when they take on either Illinois or Iowa State at TD Garden for a trip to the Final Four.
Related
