BOSTON (AP) – University of Alabama and the rest of the Southeastern Conference football fans are about to find out what Big East basketball is all about.
The Crimson Tide, who have won 18 NCAA football championships but have never advanced to the men's basketball Final Four, will face top-seeded UW in the national semifinals on April 6. The Huskies have a chance to win back-to-back NCAA championships. This marks the Big East's sixth championship in 13 years. The Big East is a league that prides itself on its basketball pedigree, even as football money has upended other college sports.
“The Big East is a monster,” UW coach Dan Hurley said after the Huskies (35-3) defeated Illinois 77-52 on Saturday night. This was the Huskies' March Madness record 10th consecutive double-digit win.
“Iron sharpens iron,” Hurley said. “The league is preparing us for these nonconference games. … In the Big East, you're going to play beasts and monsters every night, but the Big East is preparing us for a team like Illinois. He prepared us for this.”
UW defeated three Big Ten teams this season, defeating Indiana University in the regular season and Northwestern University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies did not play an SEC team this year, but went 3-0 against the Huskies last season, including an 82-67 win over Alabama on Nov. 22, 2022.
“It's going to be tough to beat us,” Hurley said. Scored 30 points in a row In the game against Illinois State, he broke open a game tied at 23-all in the final two minutes of the first half. “The basketball we were playing was at a special level.”
Donovan Clingan recorded 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots for University College, which won its fifth national title last year, and appears relentlessly aiming for its sixth championship.
This year's NCAA Tournament wins have been by 39 points, 17 points, 30 points, and 25 points.
Actor Bill Murray, whose son Luke is an assistant coach with the Huskies, watched the game from a courtside seat and captured video of the postgame celebration, where his grandchildren were showered with confetti. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Larry David He was also part of a highly partisan crowd that the Huskies (35-3) called “. Storrs North ” for the East Regional game held about 90 miles from campus.
After winning the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden and advancing to the Sweet 16 in Brooklyn, UW will board a plane for the first time in almost a month and head to the Final Four outside Phoenix. The University of Alabama is 89-82 win over Clemson Late Saturday night.
The Huskies, who set a school record for wins in a season, became the first defending champions to advance to the national semifinals since the University of Florida won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.
it is UConn still has potentialtoo.
“It's not about trying to get sixth place or trying to win back-to-backs,” Hurley said. “At this time of year, you love your team and yet you can't imagine what it's like to coach a team without waking up the next day. That's when you win the way we won. It’s something you learn and it’s really about the work, the journey, the process.”
The Fighting Illini (29-9) had just four points in the first half when Clingan was in the game, and the 7-foot-2 Connecticut native had nine points, six rebounds and 12 rebounds before intermission. Recorded 3 blocks. Overall, Clingan attempted 0-of-19 shots.
“We were making the same shots we always do, and Clingan erased some of them,” University of Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “He's very good. I mean, isn't everyone projecting him into the (NBA) lottery, or something close to that? He does a great job of protecting the rim.”
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AP March Madness Bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket And scope of application: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
