On to the Final Four: UConn men’s basketball throttles Gonzaga, 82-54

Mar 26, 2023 - 3:31 AM

UConn men’s basketball is heading to the program’s sixth-ever Final Four after taking down Gonzaga, 82-54, in the West Regional Final at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The first half started slowly but the Huskies pulled away after getting past a cold shooting start, particularly from behind the arc. Ultimately, they led for 17 of the first 20 minutes as Adama Sanogo got the scoring started early and then became a facilitator once he drew more defensive attention. He had five assists at halftime on his way to six on the night with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Andre Jackson showed why he’s such a force to be reckoned with, scoring eight while pulling down nine rebounds and dishing 10 assists. True to his nature, he was also making plays like this one to turn a would-be turnover into points. That was Alex Karaban’s second three of the day to get him to 10 at the break as he finished with 12.

The Huskies were up seven at the half, and the second half saw the Huskies break it wide open as many others started to get involved.

Jordan Hawkins’ 20 points on six threes led the way while three additional players (Tristen Newton, Nahiem Alleyne, and Joey Calcaterra) added eight points each. They won the battle of the boards 48-40 but the real story was a stifling Husky defense that set the offense up to do damage in transition, and a team that can seemingly handle anything.

It was another dominant performance but particularly special to happen in the Elite Eight. The Huskies won their West Regional games in Las Vegas by 23 and 28 points and are looking like the best team in the country heading into the season’s final weekend.

Next, the Huskies have a date with the winner of Sunday’s Texas-Miami matchup in the Final Four. Tip-off will be on Saturday, April 1st at NRG Stadium in Houston at a time to be determined.