UConn’s Stifling D Meets Alabama’s Torrid Offense in Final Four

(Image: March Madness)

UConn is two games away from back-to-back NCAA men’s basketball championships, and the Huskies have history on their side as they prepare to face Alabama in the second national semifinal Saturday night.

UConn (35-3), the top-ranked team in the nation, is 10-1 in Final Four and championship games all-time. No program has a better mark. The Huskies own a 69-32 record in the NCAA Tournament, and they won both their meetings with the Crimson Tide.

UConn is in its seventh Final Four after dominating its four opponents in the NCAA Tournament. In wins over Stetson, Northwestern, San Diego State and Illinois, the Huskies won by an average of 27.8 points per game.

Donovan Clingan was named East Region Most Outstanding Player after the 7-foot-2 center averaged 15.8 points and 10 rebounds.

The Huskies overcame lengthy delays flying in from the East Coast and had to modify their planned schedule Thursday, when all four teams practiced for the first time since getting to Arizona.

“Who doesn’t deal with problems with the airlines?” coach Dan Hurley said. “I mean, people deal with it during the holidays. It’s something that you’ve just got to get through. But it sucked.”

While all five of UConn’s starters average in double figures, led by Tristen Newton (15.0 points per game) and Cam Spencer (14.4 ppg), the Huskies can be just as dangerous on defense. The Huskies haven’t allowed more than 58 points to an opponent since March 15.

In their Elite Eight win over Illinois, the Huskies went on a 30-0 run by not allowing a point for more than 9 1/2 minutes of game time spanning the halves.

“If we play elite offense, elite defense and beat you on the backboard, we’re tough to beat,” said Hurley, who was named the Big East Coach of the Year in his sixth season at the helm.

Alabama (25-11) is in its first Final Four, and the Crimson Tide have also played strong defense to get to within two wins of a national championship. Alabama leads all NCAA Tournament teams in blocked shots per game with six, and tournament opponents have made only 32 of 111 3-point shot attempts against the Tide (28.8 percent).

Coach Nate Oats is 8-3 in tournament games at Alabama, after the program won just six in the 24 seasons before Oats took over.

“I like where our guys’ heads are at. Obviously we’re big underdogs, we know that,” Oats said Friday before Alabama took the court for the public practice attended by scores of fans. “UConn is very good. They’ve been running through the competition. But I don’t think our guys are scared. I think our guys are confident in their abilities.”

Alabama’s floor leader is point guard Mark Sears, whose 21.5 points per game power a Crimson Tide offense that leads the nation in points per game (90.6). Alabama has scored 100 or more points in 10 games this season.

Sears is shooting 43.4 percent from 3-point range this season. His 25 games with 20 or more points set the program record.

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    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

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    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

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    Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

    Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.

    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

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    Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer

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    Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.

    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

    Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.

    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

    “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

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