March Madness

The UConn Huskies won all six of their NCAA tournament games by an average of 20.0 points, the 4th largest margin since 1985

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UConn Huskies Champs pic

From the beginning of the tournament, it was clear that the UConn Huskies were the team to beat. They dismantled all their opponents on the way to their fifth national title in program history in the last 25 years. The Huskies were led by head Coach Danny Hurley who has cemented his status as one of the best coaches in college basketball at the moment. For just the fourth time in tourney history since 1985, UConn won all six of their NCAA tournament games by an average of 20.0 points per game. 

UConn had a 12-point lead at halftime last night, but San Diego State did not let up in the second half. They cut the Huskies’ lead to six points with less than seven minutes to play. However, UConn’s stifling defense and elite range from deep was too much for the  Aztecs who were appearing in the program’s first National Championship game.

This was the school’s first title since 2014 and they have now won a championship in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. They joined UNC as the only program to ever win a title in four straight decades.

The UConn Huskies are your 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champions

In the end, it was multiple scoring droughts by SDSU last night that killed their chances of pulling off the upset. The Aztecs did not score a field goal for over 11 minutes straight and UConn took advantage of that. San Diego State did get a few attempts at the free-throw line in that extended scoring drought, but not enough to match the shooting of the Huskies.

Adama Sanogo scored 17 points and had 10 rebounds on his way to winning the Most Outstanding Player of the Tourney. He dominated every game for UConn and was a presence on the glass. Jordan Hawkins scored 16 points and had four assists while Tristan Newton had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Newton controlled the Huskies’ offense all night and the senior left it all on the court.

The UConn Huskies are just the second #4 seed to ever win the NCAA tournament and join the 1997 Arizona Wildcats. It was one of the more dominant tournament runs in recent memory. Villanova’s run in 2018 is the only one comparable.