Defending champion UConn looked like it might be in for a fight for most of the first half of Saturday’s Elite Eight game against Illinois. That quickly changed, prompting analyst Stan Van Gundy to heap rather effusive praise on the Huskies.
With 1:51 left in the first half, Marcus Domask made a basket for the Fighting Illini, tying the game at 23. UConn quickly retook the lead on a three-pointer from Hassan Diarra. Illinois had no answer — literally — for nearly an hour.
The Huskies led 28-23 at halftime, then held the Fighting Illini scoreless for the first several minutes of the second half. In the meantime, the UConn offense began to click, opening up a 53-23 lead. So, between Domask’s bucket to tie the game at 23 and Justin Harmon’s to finally get Illinois on the board in the second half, the Huskies went on a 30-0 run.
When Harmon made his basket, play-by-play man Kevin Harlan noted “It’s been fifty minutes in real time since Illinois has scored! Fifty minutes!” Van Gundy took it from there.
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“But the second and more important question we started the broadcast with,” Van Gundy said. “Can anyone compete with UConn? Let alone beat them? Is there anyone out there who can even make a game competitive with them?”
What’s interesting is that while the Huskies are the clear favorites, they have shown some vulnerability this season. UConn lost three regular season games, two of which were by double-digits.
But March Madness? That has been a much different story. Following Saturday’s 77=52 win, the Huskies’ average margin of victory in the 2024 NCAA Tournament is nearly 28 points, with no game closer than 17 points. A season ago, UConn won the national championship with an average margin of victory of 20 points in the NCAA Tournament and no team within 13 points.
So, to answer Van Gundy’s question, can anyone compete with UConn? We don’t know. But it sure doesn’t look like it.
