GLENDALE, Ariz. — Eventually, the 3-point shots stopped falling.
When this happened, Connecticut could smell blood.
Alabama was trying to hang on, to do what no one so far in this NCAA tournament has been able to do: give the defending national champions a game.
But as the shots stopped falling and the Huskies continued to pound them in the paint, the Crimson Tide looked like a team beaten by the under-four media timeout.
Coach Dan Hurley’s team was too powerful, too deep, too relentless in how hard it played.
It wasn’t an explosion, but the match was no longer in doubt either.
No. 1 UConn was on its way back to the national championship game after that comprehensive 86-72 win over Alabama, setting up a back-to-back showdown against national player of the year Zach Edey and fellow No. 1 Purdue. Monday evening.
The Huskies moved closer to winning back-to-back titles with their 11th consecutive double-digit tournament victory.
It wasn’t Illinois, San Diego State or Northwestern, teams that barely had a chance.
Alabama actually led for much of the first half.
The Crimson Tide were hitting their 3 and weren’t intimidated like so many other opponents have been in the tournament over the past two years. It didn’t matter.
Connecticut methodically defeated the SEC opponent with its array of two-way weapons and didn’t have to sweat the final minutes. It was firmly under control.
As expected, Alabama had no answer for center Donovan Clingan, who controlled the paint on both ends with 18 points, five rebounds and blocks on the floor.
Freshman Stephon Castle picked the perfect time for his best offensive game of the year, tying a career high with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban each added 14 and Tristen Newton notched 12 points and nine assists.
Mark Sears led Alabama with 24 points and Grant Nelson had 19 points and 15 rebounds.
Alabama did so much in the first 20 minutes.
He made 8 of 11 3-point attempts. He was hanging with Connecticut on the glass and even shooting 50 percent from the field.
However, the Crimson Tide still trailed by four at the break.
It led by five midway through the first half, but UConn responded with a 10-2 score and held the advantage at the break. Castle was a surprising offensive weapon, scoring a team-high 13 points. Sears made all five of his shots for 11 points for Alabama.
At halftime, the Huskies came out hot, quickly increasing their lead to eight points.
Alabama responded with seven straight points, but the defending national champions cut the advantage to eight.
The Crimson Tide came roaring back again, sending a message: UConn had a game on its hands.
When Nelson scored in the lane, it was 56-all with 12:41 left to determine Purdue’s opponent in the title game.
Hurley then went to Samson Johnson, his fastest center, to combat Alabama’s speed.
Johnson helped spark an 8-0 run that included his own dunk and four points from Castle.
A few possessions later, Newton added a 3-pointer, pushing the lead to nine with 8:09 left.
New York Post
