UConn basketball dismantled San Diego State 82-52 to earn a berth to the Elite Eight.
The TD Garden in Boston, Mass. was the “Storrs North” that UConn basketball head coach Dan Hurley hoped it would be during his press conference on Wednesday. Many anticipated the rematch of last year’s National Championship, but the Huskies ran away with it.
Takeaway #1: The “War on rebounding”
UConn hoops graduate assistant Rich Kelly spoke with me before the game and said that there was one thing that Hurley’s squad was focused on heading into this one: Rebounding.
SDSU was +4 in the rebound margin this year. All but three Aztec losses saw opponents outrebound SDSU, and those three exceptions were all single-digit games. Kelly said UConn basketball wanted to dominate the glass.
And dominate the Huskies did.
UConn had a 50-29 advantage on the boards, 21 of those 50 being offensive. Those 21 offensive rebounds led to 12 second-chance points for the Huskies.
“Offensive rebounds can often demoralize a defense and give confidence to an offense,” said Kelly, postgame. “We capitalized on both.”
Hurley & Co. did exactly what they set out to accomplish.
Takeaway #2: UConn did UConn things
It’s just that simple. There isn’t much else to say.
I have been harsh on the Mountain West this season, and I still maintain that I do not believe the conference deserved six bids. But I will not criticize the Aztecs for losing to a UConn team that has been a national title favorite for much of the season.
Jaedon LeDee was terrific, finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds. Micah Parrish did his part as well as the only other Aztec to finish in double figures.
It’s just tough to compete with a UConn basketball team that saw six players finish with 8+ points.
UConn’s ball movement, as it has all season, was tremendous. The team totaled 17 assists to SDSU’s 9.
The two teams met last year in the National Championship game. The two teams have gone in opposite directions since.
That isn’t a fault of San Diego State, more so a credit to UConn.
Takeaway #3: UConn should repeat As National Champions
Yes, I know. The “Media’s Curse.”
The Huskies have too many tools. They make good teams look bad, they make bad teams look worse. Tonight was not an accurate representation of their dominance, as they faced an overmatched San Diego State team.
But I honestly don’t see any other team left in the field beating them.
Sure, Cam Spencer led the Huskies in scoring with 18 points, but Stephon Castle was right behind him with 16. We haven’t even mentioned Tristen Newton, UConn’s best player and Wooden Award finalist. This team does not rely on one player; They rely on a brilliant offensive scheme that gives opponents matchup nightmares.
Look at the rest of the field. Purdue’s success relies heavily on Zach Edey’s performance, as Edey is an unstoppable force in the paint. Illinois needs that spark from Terrence Shannon Jr. Houston, while I believe they are a close second in the running at this point, needs Jamal Shead to be the leader that he is in order to win games.
UConn basketball is just built different. Yep, I said it.
UConn’s next game – Saturday at 6:09 p.m. vs. Illinois
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