Notes & Quotes: Final Four and much more

After Illinois beat Iowa State on Thursday night, it set up an Elite Eight meeting with the top-seeded UConn Huskies, who had just crushed San Diego State by 30 earlier that evening.

“I wouldn't say it's necessarily intimidating,” Illinois senior forward Coleman Hawkins said on Thursday night of watching UConn dominate like that in person. “They've been playing great all year. I think they're well-coached…definitely have a higher level of respect for them and their culture.”

Understandably, as the members of a top-10 caliber team and winners of the Big Ten Tournament, the 3-seeded Illini had some reason to believe they could compete. They boasted one of the most explosive scoring units in the country and a crew of bigs that could contend with UConn’s strength and depth down low.

“We've played a lot of college basketball,” graduate guard Marcus Domask said. “I've played a lot of teams that are supposed to beat us… We'll figure out how to guard them and how to score… but they have to do the same for us as well.”

“It's just another game for us, really.”

For about 14 minutes on Saturday, that was true.

Otherwise, it was total domination.

UConn (35-3) immediately set the tone with seven straight points from Donovan Clingan and then an alley-oop finished by Samson Johnson to jump out to a 9-0 lead in the first four minutes. The Illini fought back to make it 13-10 and tied it up at 23 with 1:49 left.

As it has made a habit of doing, UConn revved up after a close start and put the game away.

Hassan Diarra knocked down a three set up by an offensive rebound from Alex Karaban. After a stop, UConn quickly sent the ball up-court and Tristen Newton drew a foul, hitting two free throws to give the Huskies a five-point lead at the break.

Then the foot hit the gas, and it stopped looking like an Elite Eight game.

The Huskies scored 25 unanswered to start the second half as the defense made stop after stop and their transition game flourished. They hit 70 percent of their shots in the second half thanks to all the lay-ins and dunks set up by their ability to move the ball and finish.

The Huskies are in the Final Four for a second straight season and the seventh time in program history. They’ll meet Alabama in the national semifinal on Saturday in Phoenix.

Another record-setting night

UConn won its 10th straight NCAA Tournament game by double digits, breaking the record of nine previously held by Michigan State in 2001, and set a program record with its 35th win. Illinois’ leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. was held to a season-low eight points on a 2-of-12 shooting performance as Steph Castle locked up yet another one of the nation’s best scorers.

Sophomore center Donovan Clingan scored 22 points with 10 rebounds, five blocks, and three steals to earn Regional MOP. Cam Spencer posted his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds and was also named to the All-Regional team along with Castle. Diarra added 11 points, while Karaban and Johnson had 10 apiece.

“We go into all these games believing it’s going to be a 40-minute battle,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said. “We were able to systematically break them down in the second half there.”

“These guys are awesome.”

A closer look at the victory:

What Went Well

Fuel on the Fire. A pregame Twitter post from former IU player Sam Harrington ticked off Hurley and the Huskies. Harrington tweeted “(Shannon) will be the best player on the floor Saturday. UConn doesn’t have a good answer for him.” and Hurley referenced other commentary on UConn’s ability to handle physicality.

Dan Hurley: “Statements like that are just asinine. You’re going against beasts and monsters every night in the Big East. The Big East prepared us for teams like Illinois.”

The Answer. Castle once again made a big difference defensively and was the main reason Shannon struggled on offense along with Clingan protecting the rim.

Hurley: “Steph just made it really, really tough on him. He chased him off the line. We did a great job in transition (on him). … There’s a reason why, in the basketball world, people are as high on Steph as they are…he’s got an incredible career in the NBA ahead of him.” 

Donovan Delivers. Clingan once again had a huge night. He made life miserable for the Illini in the paint, altering many shots that he wasn’t able to block. Illinois coach Brad Underwood’s plan was to continuously attack Clingan and it repeatedly failed. UConn finished with a 52-20 edge in the paint and a 45-36 rebounding advantage.

Brad Underwood: “I thought Clingan dominated the first half with his defensive abilities. We obviously came out in the second half and got blitzed. We got some decent looks … but Donovan made good blocks.”

Donovan Clingan: “Everybody dreams of this as a young basketball player and there’s only a certain percentage of people that make it to this level. Don’t take any moment for granted. Go out and give it everything you’ve got.”     

What Needs Work

Early Defense. UConn struggled early to stop Domask, who scored 15 of the Illini’s 23 first-half points. Illinois was finding some space early against the Huskies.

Hurley: ”We just had tremendous respect for Illinois. Brad and their program and the team, I obviously would have been thrilled just to get out of here with a win.”

Three-Point Shooting. The Huskies finished 3-of-17 from three and went 3-of-22 two games ago against Northwestern. They haven’t hit over 39 percent from three in the NCAA Tournament.

Hurley: “We didn’t shoot good. I mean we went 3 of 17 from three. We’ve obviously got to get that together.”

Misc. Notes

The Huskies are 3-1 all-time against Illinois. They are now 7-6 in Elite Eight games. … UConn is making its seventh trip to the Final Four (1999, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2023). … Clingan has blocked three or more shots 12 times this season and has 22 games with multiple blocks. … It was Clingan’s sixth double-double of the season and 10th of his career. … Alabama coach Nate Oats coached with Hurley’s brother, Bobby, at the University at Buffalo. … The Crimson Tide already knocked out another No. 1 North Carolina, in the Sweet 16 of the West Region. … The Huskies out-scored the Illini 52-20 in the paint… The 30-0 run for UConn was the best in program history since opening a game against New Hampshire in Dec. 1990 with a 32-0 burst.

Up Next

Saturday, vs. Alabama, in Phoenix, Time TBD

The Crimson Tide are ranked 12th in KenPom (3rd Offense, 104th Defense) after beating Clemson 89-82 on Saturday. They lost to Florida in their SEC Tournament opener after a 10-loss regular season that included a setback at Creighton, the only opponent they have in common with the Huskies.