NEW YORK — It was an ugly win in the truest sense of the word, but the UConn Huskies will take it.
Despite an awful first-half performance in which they played as if there were a lid on the rim, the top-seeded Huskies beat No. 3 and defending champion Marquette, 73-57 before 19,812 at Madison Square Garden, to capture the program’s eighth Big East Tournament title and first since Kemba Walker worked his magic in 2011.
“It’s just an amazing group of Huskies,” coach Dan Hurley, the Jersey City native and former Seton Hall guard, said on court. “You’ve got players who have accomplished everything you can in college basketball…
“They’ve won the national championship, the regular season Big East, and now they’ve got the Big East Tournament championship. But we ain’t done.”
Donovan Clingan, the 7-foot-2 projected NBA lottery pick, went for 22 points and 16 rebounds as the Huskies won for the 21st time in 22 games. Tristen Newton added 13 points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. UConn (31-3) won despite Alex Karaban and Cam Spencer combining for just 10 points.
The victory combined with a 28-point blowout loss by Houston to Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game should be enough to make the Huskies the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Field of 68 will be seeded on Sunday (6 p.m., CBS).
“We’ve been the best team in college basketball,” Hurley said. “Obviously March Madness next week, who knows what goes on there, but we’ve clearly been the best program in the country this year.”
Hurley’s club has now wrapped up Big East regular-season and tournament titles, two of their three major goals. They are seeking the ultimate prize again: to become the first team since Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators in 2006-7 to repeat as national champs.
The Huskies are expected to begin pursuit next Friday as the No. 1 seed in the East Region in Brooklyn before potentially moving on to the…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply