BOSTON — The No. 1 ranked UConn men’s basketball team, the top overall seed in March Madness, will encounter a familiar foe in the Sweet 16 of the East Region on Thursday night.
The Huskies (33-3) face off against No. 5 seed San Diego State (26-10) in TD Garden at 7:39 p.m. on TBS/TruTV in a rematch of the 2023 National Championship game, which the Huskies won 76-59 in Houston.
UConn will look to make it three consecutive NCAA Tournament victories over the Aztecs, who they beat 74-67 in the 2011 Sweet 16 behind star guard Kemba Walker’s 36 points.
Just like that 2011 squad, these Huskies are led by an AP First-Team All-American point guard, Tristen Newton, who averaged 16.5 points in UConn’s first two tournament wins against Stetson and Northwestern. Newton scored 19 points in last year’s title game victory over SDSU.
UConn’s 7-2 center Donovan Clingan is, however, the team’s most important player and enters the Sweet 16 on top of his game. Basketball pundits across the country say Clingan is playing the best basketball of his career, after he stuffed the stat sheet in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Against Stetson, Clingan was an overwhelming force, scoring 19 points with eight rebounds and four assists. He followed that performance with arguably the best game of his life against Northwestern, as he nearly recorded a triple double by scoring 14 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking eight shots.
UConn will need Clingan to continue to play at a high level, as Aztecs senior 6-9 forward Jaedon Ledee averaged 21.5 points per game this year and is on a tear in the NCAA Tournament. In the first round against No. 12 seed UAB, Ledee scored 32 points and snagged eight rebounds. He followed that up by scoring 26 points and grabbing nine rebounds in SDSU’s blowout victory over No. 13 seed Yale.
Last year, in the National Championship game, LeDee scored just seven points in 18 minutes during the Aztecs’ 17-point loss to the Huskies. He will surely come out with a point to prove on Thursday, as he looks to capitalize on a rare second chance in March Madness. UConn’s backup center Sampson Johnson, a junior, must also play well.
For the Huskies, who shot just 3-22 from three-point territory against Northwestern, it will be critical to find a rhythm from distance. While shooting 13.6% from three didn’t hurt UConn in the Round of 32, a repeat performance will be detrimental as the competition increases.
On Thursday, UConn will lean on First-Team All-Big East Guard Cam Spencer, a fifth-year sharpshooter. Spencer had an off day in the Round of 32, scoring just 11 points with one three pointer made against Northwestern. The Huskies can ill afford another quiet performance from Spencer against San Diego State.
Sophomore forward Alex Karaban must also improve for the Huskies after scoring just nine points with five rebounds against Northwestern. In last year’s title game, he contributed only five points against SDSU, and he will look to at least double or potentially triple that total at the Garden on Thursday.
UConn freshman Steph Castle, the Big East’s Freshman of the Year, has separated himself as one of the best defenders in the country. He made a statement against Northwestern, holding star senior guard Boo Buie to nine points in the Round of 32; Buie entered averaging 19 points per game. Any offense Castle contributes is a plus.
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Beyond LeDee, no SDSU player averages more than 9.8 points per game. Just like last year’s Aztecs team, this year’s version struggles on offense but plays incredible defense.
UConn, the top-ranked offense in the country, must score efficiently, early and often if it hopes to survive the test that will be SDSU.
While playing on a neutral court, the Aztecs are flying across the country to compete two hours from the Huskies’ campus in Storrs, Conn. UConn is confident that their fan base will take over the TD Garden similarly to how it overruns Madison Square Garden in New York each year.
SDSU will have a tough task keeping up with UConn on Thursday, but in the month of March, anything is possible. Nevertheless, if the Huskies play their game, limit LeDee and shoot the three ball effectively, they should book a ticket to the Elite 8 on Saturday.
Prediction: UConn 71, SDSU 64.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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