LAS VEGAS — Forget the casinos, the UConn men’s basketball team won big at T-Mobile Arena and cashed its ticket to the Elite Eight with an 88-65 win over eighth-seeded Arkansas in the West Regional semifinal Thursday night.
It will be the 12th Elite Eight appearance for the Huskies, who will take on the winner of Thursday’s second game between No. 2 seed UCLA and No. 3 Gonzaga on Saturday for a chance to get back to the Final Four.
Jordan Hawkins caught fire in the second half for the third straight game and finished with a game-high 24 points, while Adama Sanogo put together a steady 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Alex Karaban, in one of the best all-around games of his career, didn’t miss a shot on his way to 11 points (5 of 5 from the field) and seven rebounds.
