UConn men heading back to NCAA championship game

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Apr. 6—GLENDALE, Ariz. — Considering the significance of its accomplishment, UConn had a subdued reaction to a national championship semifinal victory on Saturday.

After a hard-fought 86-72 win over No. 4 Alabama, the top-seeded Huskies shifted their focus to the next and final roadblock in their quest to become the first college basketball team in 17 years to repeat as national champions.

They’ll play No. 1 Purdue (34-4) in the program’s sixth national title game appearance at 9:20 p.m. on Monday at State Farm Stadium.

“We expected to be in this position,” redshirt sophomore Alex Karaban said. “We’re not celebrating. We came here for two wins. We didn’t come here just to win a Final Four game against Alabama. We want to win the whole thing.

“The returners know how special that feeling is to go out and compete for a national championship. … We’re not satisfied at all.”

Playing before 74,720 fans, UConn (36-3) survived its toughest tournament to advance after winning the previous four games by an average of 27.8 points.

The Huskies were locked in a 56-all tie with under 13 minutes remaining before gradually breaking free from the Crimson Tide (25-12), who cooled off from 3-point range, finishing 11 for 23 after making eight of their first 11 from beyond the arc.

Down the stretch, they sharpened their offensive execution and turned up the defensive pressure, closing the game with a 30-16 run. They extended their NCAA record of double digit tournament wins to 11 straight dating back to last season.

“We were able to wear them down playing a full 40 minutes,” said senior Hassan Diarra, who had a cut on his nose from catching an inadvertent elbow. “They’re a tough team. They stuck with us until the last media timeout. That’s where we separate ourselves.”

Like it has done all season, UConn passed around the scoring baton.

Playing in his first Final Four, freshman Stephan Castle took the baton first, scoring 13 of his career-high tying 21 points in the first half. He helped stabilize…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/uconn-men-heading-back-ncaa-035900472.html

Author : The Day, New London, Conn.

Publish date : 2024-04-07 03:59:00

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