Dominant UConn victory cements program's place among all-time greats
UConn completed a dominant NCAA Tournament run on Monday with a 76-59 win against San Diego State. Every Huskies win in this tournament came by double digits.
They built a 56-41 lead when Joey Calcaterra shot a deep three from the top of the three-point line and then withstood a valiant Aztec comeback attempt.
After Darrion Trammell came up with a steal and layup to cut the lead to six, San Diego State crept a bit closer by cutting the lead to 60-55 with five minutes remaining. That's when Jordan Hawkins nailed a huge three to give UConn some breathing room. After the bucket, the Huskies went on a 13-4 run to close out the game.
While not a traditional blueblood, UConn played its way into that tier of elite college basketball programs with its most recent national title.
Per CBS Sports, the Huskies are the first team to win every game in its championship run by 10 or more points since Villanova in 2018. North Carolina (2009), Duke (2001) and Michigan State (2000) are the other teams to win each of its tournament games by double-digits.
Since 1999, no other program has more national titles than UConn's five. Duke and North Carolina both have three and Florida, Kansas and Villanova each hold two apiece.
UConn's win also shares an odd similarity with LSU's win in the women's NCAA Tournament. The Huskies entered the tournament as No. 4, becoming the first team four-seed to win the men's tournament since Arizona in 1997. The Tigers' championship was the first by a three-seed since Tennessee, also in 1997.
Back then, UConn was two years away from its first NCAA Tournament title. Few could have predicted the program was on the precipice of an unrivaled run of greatness. With an emphatic ending to their latest championship run, there's no doubt just how far the Huskies have come.
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