Saturday's men's NCAA Tournament takeaways: UConn looks unbeatable

After being tied 23-23 late in the first half on Saturday, UConn went on an incredible 30-0 run to put the game away.

That was not against some random automatic bid team from the NEC or a mid-major conference champion that just got hot at the right time and stole a tournament bid.

That was against one of the best teams in the country -— the Big 10 conference champion — in an Elite Eight matchup. If that team does not have a chance against the Huskies, and if last year's runner-up (San Diego State) did not stand a chance, then is there anybody remaining in this field that does? 

We'll find out in a week, but UConn looks like a team on a mission.

They have won 10 straight tournament games by double-digits. 

Illinois could not do anything offensively

UConn and Illinois were the two most efficient offensive teams in the country this season. Only one of them showed it on Saturday. 

Illinois picked the worst possible time for one of its worst offensive games of the season, shooting just 25.4 percent from the floor and only 26.1 percent from three-point range. 

It took them nearly eight minutes to record their first point of the second half. In total, the Illini went more than 10 minutes without scoring.

Everybody had to know UConn was going to score. Illinois doing nothing was a real shock.

Return trips to the Final Four are rare for defending champions

UConn is the first national champion to return to the Final Four in the following season since the 2007 Florida Gators.

That Florida team is also the last men's team to repeat as national champions.

UConn is looking to join them with back-to-back titles.

Overall this is UConn's seventh trip to the Final Four. It has won the championship in five of its previous six appearances. 

Alabama won it behind the three-point line

Alabama had to erase a 13-point first-half deficit to earn its Final Four spot, and it did so by raining three-pointers for most of the second half. That has been a big part of the Crimson Tide's approach this year as they attempted an average of 30 3-pointers per game this season, the fourth-most attempts in the country. 

Alabama did not stray away from that on Saturday, attempting 36 3-point shots. 

The Crimson Tide not only had the shot volume, but they also had the efficiency, making 16 of them for a 44.4 percent night from behind the arc. Even by their standards, that was an impressive showing as uit significantly topped their 36.8 percent mark from the regular season.

Mark Sears (7 for 14) and Jarin Stevenson (5 for 8) were especially dominant from three-point range and played a huge role in taking over the game in the second half. 

Clemson lost it at the free-throw line

As cliche as it might be to say, you have to make your free throws,  especially in big moments in big games. That is probably going to be the big regret that Clemson takes away from this game.

The Tigers were just 8 for 16 from the line on Saturday, and that is a performance that can be too much to overcome when the margin for error this late in the season is so slim.

Even a couple more made shots from the line would have given them a better chance in the closing minutes.

Starters Ian Schieffelin, Jack Clark and PJ Hall were only a combined 5 for 13 from the line. 

It was a shocking performance by a team that was one of the best free-throw shooting groups in the country (78.7 percent, 10th) during the regular season.