Days after cruising past Arkansas in the Sweet 16, UConn continued its romp through the men’s NCAA tournament in dominant fashion.
The Huskies earned the school’s first trip to the men’s Final Four since 2014 by crushing Gonzaga 82–54 in the West regional final on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
UConn, which took a 39–32 lead into halftime, dominated the Bulldogs in the second half, outscoring the No. 3 seed 43–22 over the final 20 minutes. Dan Hurley’s squad shot a blistering 35.5% from beyond the arc (11-for-31), led by five threes from sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins, who scored a game-high 20 points.
UConn also dominated Gonzaga on the defensive end, holding the Bulldogs to a paltry 2-for-20 (10%) from deep, while forcing nine turnovers. On the block, Huskies forward Adama Sanogo owned the paint with an impressive stat line of 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
UConn has been arguably the most dominant team in the men’s NCAA tournament so far, with an average 22.5-point margin of victory. In earning their sixth Final Four trip in school history, the Huskies are peaking at the right time. Following the fourth consecutive impressive victory in the tournament, oddsmakers in Las Vegas (who watched it first-hand) made the squad the new overwhelming betting favorite to win it all at +115.
The Huskies will head to Houston as the second team to punch their ticket to the 2023 men’s Final Four and will await the winner of Sunday’s Elite Eight matchup between No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Miami.
