At the final media timeout of the second half, UConn head coach Dan Hurley emphatically walked out to midcourt, pointed to the ground, looked into the sea of UConn blue and white fans, and yelled two simple words.
“Our s—.”
Above him, the jumbotron read 71-42 with 3:33 remaining in the game.
“I finally felt safe,” Hurley said on the reaction after the game. “I’m always concerned that something bad could happen.”
“It was a chance to celebrate with them because our fan base and our organization right now, it’s us against the world of college basketball, and I wanted to celebrate with them a little bit,” Hurley added.
The celebration was on at Storrs North. Fans erupted into cheers, spurred on by Hurley’s impassioned words, and players embraced in the huddle. The Huskies knew they were just moments away from their second straight trip to the Final Four and seventh in program history.
“It didn’t feel real to know we were four minutes away -- or less than four minutes away from going to the Final Four,” freshman guard Stephon Castle said postgame. “It’s something you dream of.”
“At that moment, we all kind of took it in and realized that we’re going to go to the Final Four,” Cam Spencer added. “As a kid, you grow up watching March Madness and watching the Final Fours. To have an opportunity to go play there and win a couple of games is very special. It means the world to all of us.”
The tone at that moment was a drastic change from a little over an hour before.
At the 1:50 mark of the first half, a Marcus Domask jumper tied the game at 23 a piece. After the Domask jumper, Terrence Shannon JR. clapped his hands and picked up UConn guard Tristen Newton defensively around midcourt. On the wing, Luke Goode rallied a section awash in Illinois orange, urging them to make some noise.
The Illini were feeling good about themselves.
Despite their leading scorer, Shannon Jr. – who was averaging 31.2 points per game in the postseason entering Saturday night – shooting 1-of-7 and the team as a whole shooting 10-of-35 (28.5%), Illinois held its own against the defending champs, trailing by just five at the half.
Those good feelings didn’t last.
On the back of 7-foot-2 Center and projected lottery pick Donovan Clingan, the Huskies boat-raced Illini in the second half, outscoring them 49-29 en route to a 25-point win, setting a record with their 10th straight double-digit tournament victory, breaking the previous mark of nine by Michigan State from 2000-01
“Well, I didn’t expect that,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said after the game. “I thought we were in a good spot at half… We obviously came out in the second half and got blitzed. We got some decent looks… It kind of felt like we were doing some of the things we’ve always done, but Donovan made good blocks.”
Powered by a 30-0 (!) run, the Huskies built their lead to as many as 31 points in the second half, turning their defense into offense. They registered double the assists (14) that Illinois had made field goals (7).
“I don’t know what they were thinking,” Hurley said his team’s second-half performance. “But our defense is elite. Our offense is elite. We rebound the ball. These guys play every possession like it’s the end of the world. Kimani and Luke prepare these guys with scouts at a quality level that any head coach in the country would be proud to put forth. Those two guys are amazing.
“We’ve got NBA-level players that are just willing to share and have created an unbelievable culture. We’re going to be tough to beat.”
Over that stretch, the Huskies looked closer to the Harlem Globetrotters than an NBA team, completely dominating the Illini on both ends of the floor.
“Really in the second half, the way we were moving the ball on offense and how we were playing for one another really just opened up opportunities to dominate in the post and find cutters cutting and getting open shots,” Clinigan said postgame.
“One thing about this team is we always play for the guy next to us. We’re not worried about our stats. We’re not worried about ourselves. We’re worried about the person next to us, worried about the team, and worried about walking out with a W.”
Once again, UConn displayed why they are still on top, with their defense setting the tone, holding the high-powered Illinois offense to a season-low 52 points. Illinois’ previous low was 64 (two times). The Illini averaged 84 points a game this season.
Connecticut improved to 35-3 with the win, setting the program record for wins in a season. This win came with confetti and a trophy, as the Huskies were crowned regional champs.
The Huskies will now head out west to Glendale, Arizona, to take on either fourth-seeded Alabama or sixth-seeded Clemson. Neither program has ever made the Final Four.
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