Defending champ UConn rips Illinois with 30-0 run
In the first half, it looked like it might be possible.
For 20 minutes, Illinois played defending champion UConn better — and closer — than any of Huskies' previous three NCAA Tournament opponents. The Illini trotted into the locker room trailing just 28-23.
Then, it happened — UConn scored the first 25 points of the second half over a 7-minute, 41-second span, part of a 30-0 run that cratered the Illini's hopes reaching their first Final Four since 2005. The Huskies won 77-52 on Saturday night in Boston.
“I didn't expect that,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “I thought we were in a good spot at half, especially after the slow start . ... We obviously came out in the second half and got blitzed.”
It was the second largest loss in the NCAA Tournament for the Illini, trailing only a 76-47 defeat to Kentucky in the 1949 Final Four.
Donovan Clingan scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds and five blocked shots for UConn, which pulled away by scoring the first 25 points of the second half. The Huskies, who cruised to their fifth national title last year, seem inexorably headed for a sixth: Their NCAA Tournament wins this year have come by 39, 17, 30 and 25 points.
UConn, which won the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden and advanced to the Sweet 16 in Brooklyn, will now get on an airplane for the first time in almost a month and head to the Final Four in Glendale, Ariz. It will face the West Region champion, either Alabama or Clemson.
South Region NO. 4 DUKE 54, NO. 1 HOUSTON 51 >>
Kyle Filipowski and Duke got pushed around again in the NCAA Tournament. This time, the Blue Devils responded to set up a Tobacco Road showdown in Dallas for a spot in the Final Four.
The 7-foot sophomore center had 16 points and nine rebounds, Jeremy Roach scored all 14 of his points after halftime, and Duke advanced to the Elite Eight with the win over top-seeded Houston, which played the final 26 minutes late Friday night without All-America point guard Jamal Shead after he turned his right ankle.
Even with Shead on the bench, the fourth-seeded Blue Devils (27-8) had to overcome a physical defense that has been one of the best in the country all season. They won despite a season low in points.
“Any questions about their mental toughness or their heart, I think they answered those tonight,” second-year coach Jon Scheyer said.
Duke was ousted in the second round a year ago when Filipowski, Roach and the Blue Devils were bullied in a 65-52 loss to Tennessee, their fewest points last season.
“This game right here was that same type of game. Just a great, gritty team and their culture. Just seeing the togetherness, how we didn't quit out there tonight, that really shows the growth from last year,” Filipowski said. “We remember how upset we were from last year, and we didn't want to repeat that again.”
They didn't, and will play in the South Region final today against an Atlantic Coast Conference rival, No. 11 seed North Carolina State.
The Wolfpack, the only double-digit seed left in this NCAA Tournament, beat No. 2 seed Marquette 6758, their eighth win in a row in a streak that included a 74-69 victory over the Blue Devils just two weeks ago in the ACC Tournament.
“It's going to be crazy. A rematch of the ACC Tournament,” Roach said. “They're on a crazy run.”
L.J. Cryer scored 15 points for Houston and J'Wan Roberts had 13. Shead finished with two points on 1-of-5 shooting with three assists and two steals.
The Blue Devils trailed 16-10 when Shead exited, and never led until Tyrese Proctor's two free throws made it 21-20 with 2:46 left in the first half. They never trailed again.
Midwest Region NO. 2 TENNESSEE 82, NO.3 CREIGHTON 75 >>
Dalton Knecht had 24 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, and Tennessee moved within a victory of its first trip to the Final Four, beating Creighton in a Midwest Region semifinal in Detroit.
Zakai Zeigler added 18 points for the second-seeded Volunteers. When Tennessee lost last year in the regional semifinals for the second straight season, Knecht was at Northern Colorado and Zeigler was out with a torn knee ligament.
Coach Rick Barnes' Vols (27-8) have matched the longest NCAA Tournament run in school history and hope to get farther than their 2012 team that lost by one point to Michigan State in the Elite Eight.