Hurley: UConn ‘not entitled to nothing!’
Duquesne won’t let coach retire
The gang’s all here again. Well, almost.
Donovan Clingan and defending champion UConn aren’t the only team in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament looking to make a repeat run. With fifth-seeded San Diego State and No. 8 seed Florida Atlantic also in the bracket, it’s a Final Four reunion of sorts. The lone team missing is Miami, which didn’t make the NCAAs this year after reaching the national semifinals last season.
Fresh off their Big East Tournament title, Clingan and the focused Huskies (31-3) are the top overall seed in this event for the first time in program history. Trying to become the first team since Florida in 2007 to win back-to-back national championships, Connecticut begins its quest this afternoon against No. 16 seed Stetson (22-12) at Barclays Center, home of the Nets.
“This road is what we’ve been manifesting and talking about for a long time,” said coach Dan Hurley, who started pushing this squad just weeks after winning the 2023 crown. “It’s really easy to get seduced into thinking it’s going to be easy to do it again, or it’s going to be easy to make another run. Especially when we did it in such dominant fashion like we did last year.
“I’ve been tougher on the group throughout the season because I’ve just been trying to like root out any form of complacency or entitlement with this team,” he added. “You’re not entitled to nothing — especially this time of year.”
The selection committee didn’t make things easy on UConn, either.
The top four seeds in the East all won their power-conference tournaments last weekend, including second-seeded Iowa State (Big 12), third-seeded Illinois (Big Ten) and fourth-seeded Auburn (SEC). In fact, the bracket features 11 league tournament champs — four more than any other region.
Hurley, however, said playing under a constant microscope at UConn helps his team thrive under pressure. Fueled by All-America guard Tristen Newton, Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer and Big East freshman of the year Stephon Castle, the Huskies romped through the regular season much the same way they did the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed last year, when they won all six games by at least 13 points.
“We’ve done a great job of blocking out the noise, just because we have had a target on our back since June,” sophomore forward Alex Karaban said.
OMAHA — As his players celebrated around him after springing the first big upset of the NCAA Tournament, Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot joked that they had refused to let their retiring coach reach “the promised land” with their downto-the-wire win over BYU.
The promised land is a better description for the second round of the NCAA tourney anyway.
Dae Dae Grant scored 19 points, including four clinching free throws in the final 10 seconds, and the No. 11 seed Dukes held on after blowing a 14-point lead in a 71-67 victory over the sixth-seeded Cougars on Thursday.
Jakub Necas added 12 points and Jimmy Clark III scored 11 for the Atlantic 10 tourney champs, who won four games in four days there just to qualify for their first dance in 47 years, and now have their first win on the NCAA stage since 1969. The Dukes (25-11) will play third-seeded Illinois for a spot in the Sweet 16 on Saturday.
“I’m trying to retire,” the 65-year-old Dambrot said, “but if we keep winning games, they’re going to make me an old man.”
The sweat-it-out ending Thursday would age any coach in a hurry.
The Cougars (23-11) trailed, 46-32, in the second half before drawing even when Fousseyni Traore, who had struggled all game, slammed down the second of back-to-back baskets to knot the affair, 60-60, with 1:45 to go.
Clark was fouled at the other end and made two free throws for Duquesne, and when Traore missed a floater, he got to the line again. Clark only made the first of two foul shots this time but helped tie up a loose ball after the second, and on the next play, the slick guard broke down the defense for a layup and a 65-60 lead with 26.9 seconds left.
ILLINOIS 85, MOREHEAD ST. 69
Marcus Domask posted the NCAA Tournament’s first triple-double since 2019 and Terrence Shannon scored 26 points, helping No. 3 seed Illinois pull away from No. 14 Morehead State in Omaha.
Domask notched 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in his first career triple-double. It was the first triple-double in the NCAA tourney since Ja Morant accomplished the feat, and the 10th ever.
“It’s definitely a cool accomplishment to have my name up there with some of the greats, and so few have done it so far,” Domask said. “At this point in my career I’m past the personal accolades. At this point in March, it’s all about winning. That’s all I’m trying to do.”