Another blowout sends UConn to Elite Eight
Jordan Hawkins scored 24 points for UConn and the Huskies are one step away from the Final Four after an 88-65 rout of Arkansas in a West Region Sweet 16 matchup Thursday in Las Vegas.
The fourth-seeded Huskies (28-8) will play the winner of UCLA or Gonzaga in an Elite Eight game Saturday. Arkansas’ season ended at 22-14.
The UCLA-Gonzaga game ended too late for this edition.
UConn played like a team capable of winning its fifth NCAA Tournament title and first since 2014. The Huskies have outscored their three March Madness opponents by 62 points.
They won their first two games by outscoring Iona and Saint Mary’s by a combined 86-49 in the second half.
UConn surged early against Arkansas with a 14-point run and took a commanding 46-29 lead into halftime.
The Huskies never trailed and led by as many as 29 points when they went up 62-33. Arkansas answered with a 10-point run in just 27 seconds, but the outcome was never in doubt.
UConn, which has won nine of its last 10 games, shot 57.4% compared to 31.7% for Arkansas.
The Huskies dominated inside, outrebounding the Razorbacks 43-31 and outscoring them 42-24 in the lane.
Adama Sanogo scored 18 points, Alex Karaban had 11 and Nahiem Alleyene 10 for UConn.
Sanogo, who also had eight rebounds, has scored 71 points in 75 minutes so far in this tournament.
Anthony Black led Arkansas with 20 points, Ricky Council IV had 17 and Nick Smith Jr. 11.
Arkansas, which was seeded eighth, was in the Sweet 16 for the third year in a row.
The Razorbacks also reached the Elite Eight the last two years, and a third consecutive appearance would have been a first in program history.
Houston getting healthy: Top seed Houston expects to be healthier for its Midwest Region semifinal game against No. 5 Miami on Friday in Kansas City, Missouri.
Marcus Sasser, who has dealt with a groin injury for the last two weeks, and Jamal Shead, who has played through a knee injury, both said Thursday that they’ll be ready to play against the Hurricanes.
“I’ve just been doing a good job getting treatment, massages, stretches,” said Sasser, who missed all or parts of three of the last four games for the Cougars. “I’d say I’ll probably be around 90% by Friday, so I’ve been getting healthy.”
Shead, who suffered his injury in the first-round win against Northern Kentucky, said he’ll be ready, too.