The UConn Fast Break - 3/24/2023
Good times for UConn basketball.
Welcome to this week’s Fast Break, and thank you for being a subscriber. Both UConn hoops teams are heating up!
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Huskies cruise into Elite Eight
On Thursday night, Arkansas hung around with UConn for about eight minutes, but from then on, it was all Huskies as they rolled to the Elite Eight.
Despite fasting in observance of Ramadan, Adama Sanogo grabbed 18 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes, while Jordan Hawkins led the way with 24 points, breaking a two-game streak of scoreless first halves.
Hawkins didn’t have the 3-point shot working early, so he was aggressive in getting to the rim. He also got to the free throw line nine times, hitting each one. Alex Karaban was grabbing rebounds and was perfect from the field.
The offense was clicking on all cylinders, scoring 1.28 points per possession with 57.4 percent shooting from the field, while Arkansas was down at 31.7 percent from the field. It was utter domination, and not characteristic of a Sweet 16 game.
UConn is now one win away from the program’s sixth Final Four, with only 3-seed Gonzaga standing in the way. The Huskies and Bulldogs face off on Saturday night at 8:49 p.m. on TBS.
Weekly Rewind
Men’s Basketball
Razorbacks run over - It was a beatdown from start to finish over Arkansas. | Podcast, Notes & Quotes
Sweet Sixteen bound - UConn crushed St. Mary’s 70-55. Once again, a big second half made the difference. | Photos, Podcast, Notes & Quotes
Goodbye Gaels - The Huskies defeated Iona 87-63 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after an incredible second half. | Photos, Podcast, Notes & Quotes
No Stopping Sanogo – Adama Sanogo has been more than impressive on the court for the Huskies during their time at the Big Dance.
Sanogo and Clingan lead the way for UConn - The two big men have come up huge for the Huskies and their success in the NCAA tournament.
Women’s Basketball
Sailing to Sweet Sixteen – The Huskies advanced to their 29th straight Sweet Sixteen after beating Baylor. | Photos
Catamounts Crushed – As expected, a beatdown of Vermont in the first round. | Photos
Chasing Perfection – Our thoughts on UConn’s dominance in the Big Dance.
Aubrey Griffin pushes UConn to Sweet Sixteen ($) – Griffin’s stellar performance against Baylor helped guide the Huskies to another Sweet Sixteen.
Huskies see a familiar face in Baylor ($) – The Huskies faced a former grad assistant Chloe Pavlech against Baylor.
Caroline Ducharme finds her groove ($) – Though the beginning of the season was rough for Ducharme, she’s playing like herself now.
Many Vermont players idolized UConn ($) – Many Vermont players shared their respect and appreciation for UConn’s program growing up.
Aaliyah Edwards’ dominance continues ($) – Edwards had a career-high of 28 points in the Huskies’ first-round win against Vermont.
Baseball
Home opener victory - UConn beat UMass in its first game at Elliot Ballpark this season. | Photos
Aztecs vanquished - The Huskies closed their west coast swing with a 3-1 series win over San Diego State as the Storrs nine are starting to heat up.
Webster’s giving away a trip for two to the men’s college hoops finals in Houston, TX, April 1-3. For a chance to win, just fill out your Big Goals Bracket!
No purchase necessary. Ends 3/25.
Highlights
It’s always impressive when the ball travels the length of the court and it never touches the floor. Alex Karaban delivered the long ball, Andre Jackson lobbed it up, and Donovan Clingan finished it off with the slam, to the delight of Bill Murray.
Memory Lane
The last time UConn men’s basketball was in the Sweet Sixteen was 2014, when the Huskies invaded Madison Square Garden for a battle with No. 3 Iowa State. Behind a passionate crowd in UConn’s second home, Shabazz Napier led his team to a pair of emotional victories.
Look back at our game stories from the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight that year, in addition to a behind-the-scenes look from UConn’s YouTube channel!
UConn, Great Pic
UConn men’s and women’s basketball played the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Albany, New York and Storrs, Connecticut.
Our own Ian Bethune made the 135-mile trip back and forth twice to be there for all four games over four days.
Parting Thoughts
While we’ve all been focused on men’s and women’s basketball, UConn baseball has quietly gotten hot and has now returned to the Northeast.
After splitting their first two weekend series, the Huskies have now won three straight weekends, including a sweep over Florida Atlantic. The Storrs nine has won 10 of its last 12 games after starting 3-3, including a victory over UMass in its home opener.
The bats have been hot, as Dominic Freeberger (.394/.506/.592) has driven in 21 runs already and the Huskies are hitting .285 as a team with 7.7 runs per game. On the mound, Jack Sullivan (3-1, 3.80 ERA) has been a solid weekend starter, while Brady Afthim, Devin Kirby and Garrett Coe have been effective out of the bullpen after a slow start for the pitching staff.
UConn’s first home series is this weekend against Rutgers, with a Friday doubleheader followed by a single game on Sunday. The UConn Blog and the Hook C Baseball newsletter will have all the coverage, with even more content once basketball season ends.
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