BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Connecticut men’s basketball team is now just four wins away from repeating as national champions.
The top-ranked Huskies cruised to a 75-58 victory over No. 9 Northwestern on Sunday night to advance to the Sweet 16, where they will play the winner of San Diego State-Yale. Dating back to last season, UConn has now won 29 of its last 30 games against nonconference opponents and all 29 wins came by double digits.
Last season, the Huskies won their six games in the NCAA Tournament by an average of 20.0 points, the fourth-largest average margin of victory since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Through two games this year, UConn is beating its opponents by an average of 28 points.
Talk about dominance.
UConn’s big three of Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer and Donovan Clingan accounted for 45 points. Clingan finished with a 14-14 double-double to go along with an astonishing eight blocks, while Newton posted a game-high 20 points and 10 assists.
“We have a big picture that we want to get to and we have to take it one step at a time,” Newton said. “Getting to the Sweet 16 is another step to our main goal, and it feels good.”
The Huskies were in such control of Sunday night’s game that there was zero doubt about its outcome … even though UConn shot 3-of-22 from beyond the arc (13.6 percent). It didn’t matter one bit, especially with the ease with which its players could score inside. Fifty-two of UConn’s 75 points came in the paint.
“We are bulletproof,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “Elite offense, elite defense. Didn’t love the offensive rebounding and didn’t love the second-half defensive rebounding but 20 assists, seven turnovers, one player had 14-14-8, point guard had 20-10. It’s tough to lose when you have that (type of) quality.”
Connecticut is trying to become the first team since Florida in 2006 and 2007 to win back-to-back national championships.
“They have all the ingredients to win another championship,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. “There’s no question about it.”
Required reading
(Photo: Elsa / Getty Images)
