There will be no introductions needed when the East Regional Final gets underway in the nation’s capital.
No. 2 seed UConn and No. 1 seed Duke have been shaping the modern era of college basketball for decades. The two blue blood programs have attained 11 national championships since 1990. The Huskies’ six and Blue Devil’s five are the most in the country over that span.
Their sustained excellence has produced some of the sport’s most memorable matchups when they collide. Long before UConn head coach Dan Hurley stepped into this rivalry himself, he watched it unfold with his own eyes. Now, he’ll be a part of it.
Sunday will be the first time the two teams have met in the NCAA Tournament since 2004. The Huskies defeated Duke in the Final Four, 79-78. UConn would go on to win its second championship over Georgia Tech. Unbeknownst to anyone, the future coach of the Huskies was looking on in the crowd.
“I was in San Antonio, sat next to my brother for that Duke-UConn game, that classic semifinal game,” Hurley said.
He also recounted the other side of the rivalry – the losses. Hurley was in attendance for the 1990 meeting in the Elite Eight matchup, when Christian Laettner’s buzzer-beater sent the Huskies home.
Hurley will help write the next chapter of the rivalry, which will feature two of the most dominant players in this year’s tournament.
Tarris Reed Jr. has given UConn backbone throughout the tournament. The junior center delivered one of the greatest individual tournament performances of all time, posting 31 points and 27 rebounds in the first round against Furman.
He was integral to closing out the Huskies’ win over Michigan State on Friday night, sinking four clutch free throws down the stretch. Hurley has said in the past that the team goes as far as Reed takes it.
“When he plays at the level that he’s capable of playing at, we can beat any team in the country,” Hurley said. “He’s as good as any center in the country.”
Cameron Boozer is a walking double-double. His physicality and athleticism paired with an ability to play on the perimeter make him a matchup nightmare for any team. The consensus top five pick posted 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Blue Devils’ win over St. John’s.
“He’s a threat pretty much from everywhere,” Hurley said. “You can’t take everything away, so we’ve got to pick and choose.”
Containing Boozer will require a collective effort from UConn.
“It’s a five-man issue on defense,” Alex Karaban said. “You’ve got to make everything difficult for him.”
UConn advanced to the regional final after weathering a second-half comeback against Michigan State on Friday. The Huskies shot out of a cannon at the start of the game, hanging a 19-point lead on the Spartans in the first 10 minutes.
Michigan State managed to erase the deficit and even took a 47-46 lead in the second half.
Alex Karaban led a shooting barrage that saw five different Huskies knock down threes. Karaban knocked down three of his own as UConn finished the game shooting nearly 43% from deep. The rejuvenation came after the Huskies shot an abysmal 26% from three in the opening weekend of the tournament.
“I feel the most confident, probably felt in my entire career. Really, just riding the hot hand, I have right now,” Karaban said. “I feel coaches are putting me in great positions. Teammates are having a lot of trust in me to take the shot.”
His surge has come at the perfect time. Karaban is averaging 22 points per game since the start of the tournament and has become a steady scoring presence alongside Reed.
While Reed and Karaban have provided reliable performances, Solo Ball could be the X Factor the Huskies needs to make a push for a seventh national title.
Ball was stuck in a demoralizing shooting rut throughout the playoffs. He was 1-of-11 entering the Sweet 16. Ball finally found his stroke against the Spartans, knocking down two three-pointers which helped UConn build a 19-point first half lead.
If the Huskies can continue to rely on Ball, it will make their offense much harder to contain for Duke.
“He works hard. He works on the shots in practice. He’s making the shots in practice. So really, there’s no shortage of confidence when it comes to Solo,” Karaban said.
Duke entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. The Blue Devils have won 23 of their last 24 games, with their last loss coming on Feb. 7 against North Carolina. Duke is one of just three teams in the country ranked top six nationally in both KenPom’s offensive and defensive ratings.
The Blue Devils thwarted a potential Big East Tournament Championship rematch in the Elite Eight when they defeated St. John’s on Friday. Duke dominated the Red Storm in the paint, both outrebounding and outscoring them inside by a margin of 12 but still found itself trailing at halftime.
Isaiah Evans led the comeback with a team-high 25 points backed by four three-pointers. An array of circus shots from Evans helped erase a double-digit second-half lead.
The Blue Devils have also received support from the return of two key pieces: Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II. Foster is Duke’s veteran starting point guard, while Ngongba bolsters Duke’s front court behind Boozer.
Foster had yet to appear in the tournament while dealing with a fracture in his foot. He came off the bench on Friday to score 11 points. Foster made his biggest impact by hitting key shots down the stretch.
“To have a guard with his experience, two-way player, excellent defender, great decision-maker, shooting I think over 40 percent from 3, calming influence…just such a lift,” Hurley said.
UConn’s starting point guard, Silas Demary Jr., has also been battling through injury to stay on the court. Foster will once again be coming off the bench for Sunday’s game
“We’re marveling at what Silas is doing, and I know Jon [Scheyer] feels the same way,” Hurley said.
Tipoff is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. on Sunday and can be watched on CBS.