The UConn men’s basketball team has officially danced their way into a second straight National Championship appearance. Despite a “steel cage match” as head coach Dan Hurley would call it, Connecticut came out on top, winning their Final Four matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide in convincing 86-72 fashion.
Similar to the Huskies Elite 8 matchup against Illinois, the first half of Saturday night was razor-thin close; it saw seven lead changes and nearly three minutes where these programs were tied. Early on, it was evident that the Connecticut game plan was to establish themselves down low on both sides of the floor. At one point, Donovan Clingan was on pace to finish with 40 blocks, stuffing both Alabama big men Grant Nelson and Nick Pringle. Not only was he filling up the box sheet defensively, but the Bristol native also wreaked havoc offensively, finishing with 8 points on 3-5 shooting. Although that was not his most impressive feat, Clingan’s disruptive offensive presence also saw Nelson pick up two fouls early on, causing him to miss a chunk of time early on.
Despite Clingan’s hot start, UConn struggled to contain the Crimson Tide offense. Alabama shot the lights out early, finishing an absurd 8-11 from downtown. Second team All-America guard Mark Sears did not get off to the hottest start, failing to score for the first 7 minutes. However, once he did, he was lethal. Sears finished with 11 first half points, on a perfect 5-5 from the field.
Conversely, the Huskies couldn’t get going from three, a problem they’ve struggled with throughout the Tournament. The program finished 5-15 from three, yet they led by 4 points at the end of the half, largely due to Stephon Castle’s offensive performance.
The freshman guard got it done everywhere. He scored 13 points in the first half thanks to numerous offensive slams, tough layups and a pair of threes. This was a positive sign for Connecticut, as Castle is less known as a shooter than he is as a slasher, although he torched the Alabama defense when left wide open.
Despite the good feelings early on for Connecticut, there was concern early on for lead guard Tristen Newton.
The reigning Bob Cousey Award winner struggled to get it going scoring wise compared to what he is accustomed to, finishing with 6 points on 2-6 shooting. Despite his scoring struggles, Newton found other ways to make himself valuable, playing solid defense and walking away with 4 first half assists. Forward Alex Karaban put it bluntly about how impactful a player Newton is, even if he isn’t shooting like he is used to.
“He’s always looking to create for others and that is what makes him the best point guard in the country,” said the Huskies redshirt sophomore.
Despite Alabama’s scorching performance from downtown, head coach Dan Hurley expressed confidence that the tide was turning, no pun intended.
“Our identity is to be pretty relentless. We might not break you for 18 minutes, 25 minutes, but at some point, if what we’re doing at both ends and on the backboard is at a high level, it just becomes hard for the other team to sustain it.”
The second half for the Huskies was similar to the first. Castle kept finding ways to score, and the Crimson Tide were still hucking up threes, with one slight caveat: the threes were not falling.
Alabama finished the half 3-12 from beyond the arc, and the effects were palpable. The program needed to find other ways to score, and the offense leaned on Nelson, who kept up his solid first half with 12 second half points and 8 rebounds in 20 minutes of work. Sears also proved to be a thorn in Connecticut’s side, putting up 13 points of his own. Outside of that, Alabama’s scorers only combined for 7 points.
Clingan kept the momentum from the first 20 minutes rolling into the second half. The 7-foot-2 big man put up 10 points in 15 minutes of work. His performance was all the more encouraging because whenever the momentum had shifted back to the Crimson Tide, Clingan was there fighting and scraping in the paint for a tough bucket.
Additionally, Karaban stepped up his offensive performance in a big way, accumulating 10 points and 4 rebounds in nearly 20 minutes of work. His performance was massive, considering he only took one shot in the first half. The Husky starting forward noted that he was more so concerned with how he played on the other end of the floor, and his defense was a major reason why the final score was what it was.
What makes a championship squad historic is its ability to explode and go on quick, unseen runs, even in the toughest of environments. Connecticut’s ability to “pull away” was the deciding factor Saturday night. At the 12 minute mark, the program flared In a big way, going on a quick 8-0 run and never looking back from there.
That run put Alabama on the ropes and it seemed that no matter who had the ball for UConn they were finding the bottom of the net. Whether it was Newton cashing in a big three, or Clingan slamming in second chance points, the Huskies always had a player making game winning plays.
While the 14 point scoreline would say otherwise, Saturday’s Final Four victory was no easy task. This was the closest game the program has had in a while and throughout it, Connecticut faced significant adversity. They were without their crowd for the first time all tournament long and yet managed to make it through.
UConn is in tremendous shape and has made March Madness look easy throughout their run. The team’s latest win over the Crimson Tide is massive and sets them up for yet another National Championship appearance against the Purdue Boilermakers. The UConn Huskies are one step away from bringing the basketball capital of the world, Storrs, CT, its sixth National Championship in program history.