by UConn built a 16-point lead late in the first half, only to see the Aztecs (32-7) cut the lead to five with 5:19 remaining. But Jordan Hawkins (16 points) responded with a 3 to spark a 9-0 run and the only drama left was whether UConn would cover the 7 1/2 point gap and go 6 of 6 with double-digit wins.
UConn set the stage for this one with an 11:07 stretch of the first half during which coach Eric Henderson’s Aztecs didn’t make a basket. Unable to get over or out of the way of this tall, long UConn team, they missed 14 straight shots from the floor. Keshad Johnson scored 14 points for San Diego State, which fell a win short in this, its first trip to the Final Four.
They went from leading by four to trailing by 11, and when they didn’t get shot blocked (Alex Karaban had three and Sanogo had one) or upset on the inside, they fell short, a telltale sign of a team that was out of jumpers after that one. grueling 72-71 win over Florida Atlantic two nights earlier.
UConn fan Bill Murray was one of the few celebrities on hand to watch the Huskies go five for five in title games in one of the most unexpected Final Fours in history. This marked the last Jim Nantz would call after 37 years behind the microphone.
He’s had plenty of UConn stories to tell, though this certainly wasn’t the most dramatic.
Even with that brief bout of uncertainty midway through the second half, UConn never let the Aztecs, who overcame a 14-point semifinal deficit, start thinking about last-minute drama.
This was a strictly built-for-2023 squad, replenished by coach Dan Hurley, who went to the transfer portal to find more outside shots after back-to-back first-round exits in the tournament.
And yet, there was something decidedly old-school about the way the Huskies went about business early on.
They didn’t even think much of 3-point shooting early on, instead skipping post passes to Sanogo and wearing down SDSU as they built up the early lead.
The Aztecs were too good a team to give up and a too-chased defense is what sparked the late run to five. A team built on defense only shot 32% from the floor.
And after their late run, they started to burn out and Hurley and company hugged on the bench before the buzzer.
UConn’s latest coronation makes Hurley the third coach to bring a trophy to Storrs, Connecticut. He joins Jim Calhoun (1999, 2004, 2001) and Kevin Ollie (2014).
