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BOSTON (AP) — Thirty points in a row — that’s a big deal.
The NCAA Tournament streak that UConn is producing is also quite impressive.
current national champion scored 30 straight points capped a return to the Final Four by defeating Illinois 77-52 on Saturday night – a March Madness record 10th consecutive double-digit win for the top-seeded Huskies.
Donovan Clingan had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots, and UConn scored the first 25 points of the second half to turn a five-point lead into a blowout. The Huskies, who reached their fifth national title last year, are on their way to their sixth straight: Their NCAA Tournament wins this year have come by 39, 17, 30 and 25 points.
“We’re going to be tough to beat,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “It was a special level of basketball that we were playing.”
Actor Bill Murray, whose son, Luke, is a Huskies assistant coach, watched the game from a courtside seat and took video of the post-game celebration, where his grandchildren were showered with confetti. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Larry David The Huskies (35–3) were also part of a heavily partisan crowd called “Stormers North” for East Region games played nearly 90 miles away from campus.
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UConn, which won the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden and advanced to the Sweet 16 in Brooklyn, will now get on a plane for the first time in nearly a month and head to the Final Four outside Phoenix. It will face the West Region champion, Alabama or Clemson.
The Huskies, who set a school record for wins in a season, are the first defending champions to return to the national semifinals since Florida won back-to-back titles in 2006 and ’07.
“It’s not really about winning No. 6 or trying to keep moving forward,” Hurley said. “It’s this time of year, you love your team and you can’t imagine what it would be like to not get up the next day and still not coach your team. That’s what you learn when you win like we did: It’s really about the work, the journey, the process.
Marcus Domask scored 17 points — 15 in the first half — for Illinois (29-9) and was the star terence shannon jr, Was limited to eight points on 2-of-12 shooting. Shannon, who scored 29 points on Thursday night Sweet 16 win over Iowa State and played most of the season while facing rape charges in Kansas, scoring in double figures in 41 consecutive games.
Illinois, which had the most efficient offense in the country this season, shot 25% (17 of 67) and scored a season-low 52 points.
But the bigger problem for third-seeded Illinois was the 7-foot-2 Clingan.
The Fighting Illini (29-9) managed just four points in the first half when Clingan was in the game, with the Connecticut native recording nine points, six rebounds and three blocks before the break. Overall, they were 0 of 19 on contested shots by the Klingons.
“We were getting the same shots we always get and Clingan missed some of them,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “He’s good. I mean, doesn’t everyone have him at or close to the (NBA) lottery? He does a great job of protecting the rim.
The Illini had several long scoring droughts, falling behind 9–0 and failing to score before the first media timeout; He was subbed out again between the under-12-minute break and the 8-minute break, missing 11 consecutive shots. Nevertheless, they trailed only 28–23 at halftime.
That’s when things really fell apart.
Illinois missed the first 14 shots of the second – 17 in a row overall. The 30–0 UConn run lasted the last 1:49 of the first half and the first 7:19 of the second half.
“I was not expecting that. But a lot of credit to UConn,” Underwood said. “I thought we were in a good position in the half, especially after the slow start. … We obviously came out in the second half and got on offense.”
By the time Clingan took the break with 14:35 to play, the Huskies led by 23. On the next Illinois possession, Samson Johnson – who subbed for Clingan – intercepted Shannon under the basket and finished the fast break on the other end. A layup that gave UConn a 48–23 lead.
Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins said, “It felt like no shots were going in. And it seemed like they were getting out in transition and scoring every time.” “You look up, and you’re still 23.”
The national semifinals are April 6 in Glendale, Arizona. Neither of the Huskies’ potential opponents – fourth-seeded Alabama or sixth-seeded Clemson – have ever made the Final Four.
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