NCAA Tournament - UConn’s dominance on display in monster win over San Diego State
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz and Krysten Peek analyze the Huskies' victory over the Aztecs, diving into what makes UConn such a dominant program.
Video Transcript
JASON FITZ: For the second consecutive year, San Diego State season comes to an end at the hands of Connecticut by way of a blowout 30-point win for the top-seeded Huskies. And let's be honest, the defending national champions look virtually unbeatable. She's Krysten Peek. I'm Jason Fitz for Yahoo Sports. KP, this was a master class. This was watching beautiful basketball, and I'm looking around, saying, I don't know how you even beat this team.
KRYSTEN PEEK: Absolutely. I mean, you look at UConn, this is a business trip for them every time they hit the court. Cam Spencer was the only one doing anything in the first half, and Dan Hurley had to make some adjustments. But the way they came out in the second half, they looked like a completely different team. And I think at this point, it's muscle memory. UConn knows they're the best team in college basketball. There are no cracks in how they can convert offensively and their rotation on defense.
So to see Cam Spencer, the transfer from Rutgers really show his leadership. He finished with 18 points. It just really set the tone for UConn's first challenge in this tournament, particularly in the first half. And kudos to San Diego State for holding Donovan Clingan to 8 points in the paint. Jaedon LeDee did an excellent job on him. But like I said, you take one thing away from UConn, they're going to find a way to beat you someplace else.
JASON FITZ: Yeah, I mean, let's acknowledge here. This was a 4-point game with a minute 49 to go on the first half, and the final margin was 30. And then, to throw some more numbers at you, the ninth straight double-digit win in the tournament for Connecticut, that's the longest streak since Izzo and Michigan State did it back in 2000, 2001. They're now the first reigning national champion to go back to the Elite Eight since Florida did it in '06-'07.
And I say all that to say one important thing. As much as I usually end these with a funny comment, there's nothing funny about what Connecticut's doing right now. They are dominating. And I think it's high time that we start to have a real conversation about if this is becoming one of the best two-year runs we've ever seen in tournament history. Connecticut isn't just winning. They are blowing everybody out. For the rest of the tournament, you got to look at it and say, even if they don't bring their best and we do, it might not be enough to keep it close. This is absolute dominance. Tip of the cap to what Connecticut has done.
