Seventeen national championship banners will metaphorically hang over Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday night, when the sport’s first blue blood and its modern standard collide for the first time in over 30 years.
No. 2 seed UConn and No. 7 seed UCLA will meet in the NCAA Tournament second round in what Head Coach Dan Hurley says will be a “great brand matchup.”
The only time these storied programs have ever faced off was in the 1995 Elite Eight. UCLA already had 10 championships under its belt, while the Huskies had yet to break through to their first Final Four.
A career-high 36 points from future Hall of Famer, Ray Allen, was not enough to advance UConn to its first National Semifinal in program history. The Huskies fell 102-96, as the Bruins went on to win their NCAA-record 11th national championship.
Things are different now. UConn has established itself as the sport’s new flag bearer, capturing six national championships since that game. UCLA has appeared in just one tournament championship in that same time frame, when it lost to Florida 73-57.
But history won’t determine the outcome on Sunday night.
UConn reached the second round on the back of an all-time performance from Tarris Reed Jr. The Huskies’ center posted 31 points and 27 rebounds against No. 15 seed Furman in the opening round of the tournament. It was just the sixth time in tournament history that a player scored at least 30 points and 25 rebounds, and the first since 1968. The 82-71 winadvanced UConn to its fourth straight appearance in the second round.
“He’s a top two or three center in the country,” Hurley said. “When he plays like that, we can win any game against any team in the tournament.”
UConn’s starting point guard Silas Demary Jr. was questionable to play against the Paladins and was eventually ruled out before the game. He went down in the Big East Tournament Championship game with a low ankle sprain last week.
Demary was listed as questionable on the NCAA Player Availability report, along with Jaylin Stewart who has been sidelined with a knee injury.
The Huskies are in the midst of a postseason shooting slump, hitting just 24.7% from three across their last four games. UConn made just five threes on 20% shooting in the win over Furman. The slump does not seem to worry the Huskies’ skipper.
“I would be a lot more concerned if we weren’t generating really good shots,” Hurley said. “We’re generating looks that we’re more than capable of making… it’s like the law of averages.”
Alex Karaban knocked down four of the Huskies’ five triples, three coming in the second half to help keep UConn ahead. The performance cemented him as UConn’s all-time three-point leader. Karaban scored 22 points on his way to jumping to No. 8 among program scoring leaders.
The redshirt senior agrees with Hurley that the shooting struggles will work themselves out.
“We have confidence in our teammates to let it fly and never hesitate,” Karaban said.
UCLA began its tournament run with a 75-71 win over No. 10 seed UCF. The blueprint to the Bruins’ success came from 16 forced turnovers, which allowed them to dominate in transition. Eric Dailey Jr. led the scoring effort with a career-high 20 points. The Bruins led by as many as 14 points before the Knights surged back into the game in the second half.
The Bruin’s offense focuses on creating space around its guard play. They boast the No. 19 three-point shooting percentage in the country at 37.9%. UCLA has three players averaging over 42% from three, and a fourth shooting 39.8%.
“They’re dangerous because they’re all making threes,” Hurley said. “They can roll you and drive you… take you into the mid-post and create double teams.”
Donovan Dent is the primary ball handler in the Bruin’s offense. His 7.5 assists per game rank No. 4 in the country. He stood out in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament when he posted a triple-double against Rutgers.
Demary’s perimeter defense could make his availability a deciding factor in the contest against a UCLA team that places so much emphasis on its guard play. Hurley has emphasized all season how important his defensive presence is as the team’s “ball hawk.”
UCLA is also dealing with a question mark in its depth chart, as Tyler Bilodeau is questionable for Sunday. He suffered a knee sprain in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals on Mar. 13. He did not play in the team’s win over UCF and has been marked questionable for Sunday.
The stretch-big is the team’s leading scorer and three-point shooter. He gives the Bruins two different looks at center along with Xavier Booker, a more traditional big man.
“They have a very good and tall, elite front court,” Reed said. “They have fives that can really step out and shoot it… [for us] it starts on the defensive end and setting the tone early.”
Bilodeau is averaging over 17 points per game on a 46% clip from three this season. Booker made the start in his place on Friday night, when he posted 15 points and eight rebounds.
A trip to the Sweet 16 is on the line when two of the most accomplished programs in the sport square off on Sunday.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. and will be available on TBS.