Saturday night, the UConn Huskies came out with stagnant energy and the Golden Eagles took full advantage of it. At the start of the game, the Huskies struggled offensively to find a rhythm and relied on getting to the free-throw line to create points. In contrast, Marquette came out with tons of energy and applied pressure early on the Huskies. Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, this game consisted of a tale of two halves.
“You play elite offense, you play elite defense and you’re a great rebounding team and you play harder than the opponent, it doesn’t give them a lot of places to go,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said.
In the first half, although the Huskies managed to take the lead on a buzzer-beater shot to end the half, 26-24. However, the Huskies eventually began to lock in and held the Golden Eagles to a scoring drought for nearly four minutes. Ultimately, the Huskies managed to prove they’re the best team in the country by dominating in all facets. Defensively they began creating turnovers and dominated the rebounding nearly controlling each possession, therefore making it difficult for Marquette to gather any real rhythm. Nearly beating the Golden Eagles by 20 in a championship outing, 73-57.
“We’ve been the best team in college basketball,” Hurley said. “Obviously, March Madness next week, who knows what goes on there, but we’ve clearly been the best program in the country this year.
What’s Next for UConn?
For the first time in Huskie history, they’re the No.1 seed heading into the March Madness tournament. Last season, they entered as the No.4 seed and won the entire tournament. Next weekend, the road to another March Madness championship begins in Barclays Center. The Huskies are attempting to become the first team since Florida in 2007 to repeat NCAA titles.
“MSG, Big East Tournament, there’s nothing like it,” Hurley said. “There’s just no comparison anywhere to what this place is like.”