HOUSTON – This wasn’t a national championship game. It was a coronation.
It was another one-sided NCAA Tournament game in which Connecticut and its opponent didn’t look like they belonged on the same court for extended stretches.
Another contest in which the Huskies always had an answer.
Another 40 minutes that made you wonder how UConn was a No. 4 seed and not a No. 1, and how it looked so mediocre during a January swoon in which it lost six times in eight games.
Connecticut center Donovan Clingan (32) celebrates after scoring against San Diego State during the first half of the national championship game on Monday.AP Connecticut guard Jordan Hawkins drives to the basket against San Diego State during the second half of the men’s national championship.AP
Really, Monday night was apropos of this tournament: It was Dan Hurley’s Huskies and everyone else.
Connecticut was dominant for 30 minutes, then made plays in the clutch to hold off dogged No. 5 San Diego State to win its fifth national championship and first since 2014, 76-59, at NRG Stadium.
It won each game of the tournament by double figures, joining select company of elite teams.
Russo will not be at Monday’s championship game because he is having commissioner Rob Manfred on his MLB Network show, “High Heat.”
“Plus, sitting around for two days is annoying,” Russo said.
As for Tim, whom Russo has spoken about on-air since he was a toddler, he has always wanted to be a coach.
Chris Russo and his wife Jeanne with their son, UConn graduate assistant Tim Russo.Chris Russo Chris Russo and his wife Jeanne with friend Doug Smith and Tim Russo’s friend Ryan McAleer at the Final Four on Saturday.Chris Russo
He went to Division II Tampa, where he worked his way up from mopping floors as a manager to watching film with the coaches.
Tim graduated in May 2021 with a sports management degree and will receive his masters from UConn.
Now, he is part of Hurley’s staff in the national championship game.
Tim Russo with Jim Nantz at the Final Four.Chris Russo
The funny thing is Tim doesn’t even have the most famous father among those on the Huskies sideline.
UConn assistant coach Luke Murray is the son of actor Bill Murray.
HOUSTON — It’s now been five games of this. Five games of routs. Five games of blowouts. Five games in which Connecticut hasn’t broken a sweat, five games in which the opposition has looked like it didn’t belong on the same court.
It was more of the same Saturday night.
Fifth-seeded Miami, coming off impressive wins over No. 1 Houston and second-seeded Texas, was overwhelmed.
It was never really in the game over the final 30 minutes, as the fourth-seeded Huskies cruised to a 72-59 national semifinal victory and booked a title game meeting with No. 5 San Diego State Monday night.
This run is starting to become reminiscent of Villanova’s title in 2018, when the Wildcats won their six tournament games by an average of 17.6 points.
In five games, Connecticut is winning by 20.6 points per contest.
It entered the Final Four the overwhelming favorite, and it certainly looked the part in the nightcap.
UConn players on the bench celebrate during their 72-59 Final Four win over Miami.USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Adama Sanogo continued his fantastic tournament, producing 21 points and 10 rebounds, and when Miami converged on him, UConn made them pay from the perimeter, hitting nine 3-pointers.
Undersized and too thin up from, the Hurricanes had no answer inside, out-rebounded by nine and outscored in the paint, 38-24.
Their three-headed guard monster of Isaiah Wong, Jordan Miller and Nijel Pack were held in check.
They scored 34 points on an inefficient 30 shots. Miami was held to a season-low 59 points.
When speaking to TBS reporter Allie LaForce following the Spartans’ thrilling 98-93 overtime loss to the Wildcats at Madison Square Garden, Izzo tipped his hat to Kansas State but remarked of “lucky plays” in the same breath.
“Give them credit. They banked in two shot-clock threes. They made some big plays but some of those plays weren’t big plays, they were lucky plays. I didn’t think we played our best. I think some of it was them, I think some of it was us, but boy, we bounced back in that second half,” Izzo said when asked about the final minute of the game.
Allie LaForce speaks to Tom Izzo following Michigan State’s Sweet 16 loss to Kansas State.Twitter
With just under a minute to go in overtime, Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell launched the ball from center court and connected with teammate Keyontae Johnson for an epic alley-oop to give the Wildcats the edge.
Kansas State’s Ismael Massoudthen hit a clutch two-point shot after a lengthy review over an out of bounds call with 15 seconds to go in overtime.
Nowell, the Wildcats’ fifth-year senior, then put the game away after stealing the ball from the Spartans in the final seconds for a layup.
In what was an unforgettable night from Nowell, the Harlem native recorded 19 assists – an NCAA Tournament record – and 20 points, including an incredible three-pointer on a hobbled ankle.
“I wasn’t going to let an ankle injury stop me from advancing to the Elite Eight. … I’m from New York City. I’m tough,” Nowell said postgame.
While some took to social media afterward to celebrate Kansas State’s Elite Eight berth, others dissected Izzo’s words.
Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell (1) shoots the ball against Michigan State in their Sweet 16 matchup on March 23, 2023.Getty Images
“Bad look for Izzo. 1 or 2 plays don’t define a game. You got beat bud,” one user tweeted.
Another remarked, “Wow, bringing that backhanded compliment from the left shoulder.”
Despite the heartbreaking end to the Spartans’ March Madness run, Izzo lauded his team’s effort.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo during the Spartans’ Sweet 16 matchup against Kansas State on March 23, 2023.Getty Images
“I’ve been part of a lot of wins, I’ve been part of a lot of losses, tough losses, but I’ve never been prouder of a team because we really didn’t have it tonight, and yet, we still found a way to battle back, and I was proud of our guys,” said Izzo, whose team advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins over USC and Marquette.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — He has grown up to be Ivy League Freshman of the Year, and the ones who best remember when and how a young boy’s basketball obsession began will be at the KFC Yum! Center on Friday night cheering Caden Pierce and Princeton on against Creighton, with an improbable South Regional berth in the Elite Eight on the line.
He is the father who played tight end at Northwestern. His wife, Stephanie, is the 5-foot-11 mother who played volleyball at Northwestern. Their 24-year-old son, Justin, plays basketball overseas in Montenegro. Their 22-year-old son, Alec, was a rookie wide receiver for the NFL Colts last season.
Their 18-year-old son, Caden, is now a 6-6 forward averaging 30.2 minutes, 8.3 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds for Princeton.
“We would drag him along to all of his brothers’ games,” Greg told The Post. “At age 4, he would take that ball during timeouts at halftime and shoot 3-pointers and make it, and slowly work his way back as far as he could physically throw a ball and make a lot of these shots during breaks in halftimes. He just had that hand-eye coordination really early. The crowd would encourage him to just throw these shots up as like a 4-, 5-, 6-year-old.”
Stephanie: “We would go to see Justin and Alec’s basketball games, and he’d always have a ball with him, and every single time there was a timeout or anything on the floor he’d go out and shoot. He was tiny, tiny, tiny. He’s the smallest I’ve ever seen be able to shoot on a 10-foot hoop. He could somehow use his body and could maneuver and throw the ball up and make a 10-foot basket. And the refs would, like, stop and watch him and pet him on the head. He was obsessed with it, really.”
Caden Pierce slams home a dunk during Princeton’s 78-63 win over Missouri in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.Getty Images
Caden’s favorite player growing up in Glen Ellyn, Ill., was Derrick Rose. “We would play on the front driveway all the time,” Caden recalled. “Usually my dad would be the fourth player. Sometimes we’d switch up the teams, but I was the weakest one at that point.”
He never stopped playing. “We played a lot of two-on-two during COVID, during quarantine with some of our neighbors, some of our friends. We weren’t really supposed to during quarantine, but we got the cops called on us a couple of times because of breaking the quarantine rules,” Caden said with a smile, “but we were saying we were playing with another brother.”
Caden Pierce celebrates after Princeton’s win over Missouri.Getty Images
Greg and Stephanie encouraged their boys to be active.
“Athletics had been such a huge part of my family growing up,” Caden said. “Both my parents played in college, both my brothers played in college, and beyond even. So just seeing how hard they all have worked has just inspired me and it’s made me who I am today.”
Justin was at William & Mary for three years before grad-transferring to North Carolina. “He went to North Carolina thinking he was gonna make the tournament, but it ended up being that COVID year,” Alec told The Post by phone.
So forgive Justin for living vicariously through his baby brother. Who somehow grabbed 16 rebounds against Missouri in the second round in Sacramento.
“He’s super kind and he’s super sweet and his teachers would always compliment him on just being a very kind person in class and very smart,” Stephanie said. “But then he’s looking pretty tough out there, he’s looking pretty fierce, and he’s going up and he’s attacking and coming down with those rebounds and fighting. He’s a different kid when he’s out playing than in real life.”
Caden Pierce’s brother, Alec, is a wide receiver for the Colts.USA TODAY Sports
Caden led Glenbard West to the Class 4A IHSA State championship a year ago. He was a two-time All-State selection.
“I think I kinda just embody toughness,” Caden said. “I think grittiness, doing the dirty work. And then selflessness, I think I just kinda do whatever the team needs me to do, whether it’s some games giving up some scoring opportunities and crashing the offensive glass, or some other games knocking down shots.”
He is proud to play on a brotherhood Princeton team that is not scared of anyone.
Alec: “Me and my brothers, we used to always watch the tournament growing up, and it was like something that we always loved watching, and something you always dreamed to be in. My older brother never got a chance to play in it — it’s really cool watching my youngest brother be able to live out that dream.”
Greg: “Cade was always like the little guy coming around to all those things for the older boys. We’re all here for him. It’s like his time.”
Stephanie: “The fact that both the big brothers have to get to sit there and cheer for their baby brother when his whole entire life was spent watching them do everything, I think is really, really special.”
“It’s a dream come true,” Caden said. “I think I can speak for the whole team, but it’s why I got into basketball, just playing in March Madness in general, watching it on TV, seeing “One Shining Moment” at the end of the tournament every year, it’s a true inspiration for me and I think the whole team.”
LAS VEGAS — Julian Strawther hit a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left to answer a 3-pointer by UCLA’s Amari Bailey, lifting Gonzaga to a wild 79-76 NCAA Tournament win over UCLA Thursday night in the Sweet 16.
The Bruins (31-6), the West Region’s No. 2 seed, stormed back from an eight-point deficit in the final 1:05 and took a 76-75 lead on Bailey’s 3-pointer with 12.2 seconds left.
The Zags (31-5) brought the ball up the floor and Strawther stepped into a 3-pointer, sending Gonzaga fans to their feet.
Gonzaga’s Malachi Smith stole the ball from UCLA’s Tyger Campbell, but Strawther only hit 1 of 2 free throws at the other end, giving the Bruins a chance.
Campbell’s 3-pointer at the buzzer hit the back of the rim, sending the Zags rushing off the bench and into the Elite Eight against UConn on Saturday.
Strawther’s shot, off a drop pass, was reminiscent of the one Villanova’s Kris Jenkins made to clinch the 2016 national championship.
Julian Strawther makes a game-winning three point basket against the UCLA Bruins.USA TODAY Sports Gonzaga guard Malachi Smith reacts after their win against the UCLA Bruins, sending the Bulldogs to the Elite Eight.USA TODAY Sports
It’s the second time Gonzaga has beaten UCLA on a last-second shot in the NCAA Tournament. Jalen Suggs crushed the Bruins the last time, hitting a running 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Zags to the 2021 national championship game.
The flurry of a finish started off more like a prize fight, each team taking its turn landing blows in a game of wild swings. UCLA led by 13 at the half, but Gonzaga led by 10 with 2:30 left in game. Then UCLA didn’t make a shot for more than 12 minutes, and still but rallied to lead 76-75 with 13 seconds left.
Jalen Suggs celebrated making the game winning basket against UCLA during overtime in a men’s Final Four game in 2021.AP
The Zags were led by Drew Timme, who had 36 points for his record 10th NCAA Tournament game with 20 points.
Gonzaga also turned up the defensive pressure after UCLA’s hot-shooting first half and led by eight, but Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored on a three-point play and a layup to cut it 74-71 with 45 seconds left. Timme then missed two free throws, setting up Bailey’s shot.
Thankfully for the Zags, Strawther was on the mark with his long 3-pointer, sending them to the Elite Eight for the fifth time under coach Mark Few.
After two rounds defined by shocking upsets, three of the four favorites in Thursday’s opening night of the Sweet 16 are vulnerable to a late scare or even an outright upset.
The Huskies have been one of the most dominant teams in this tournament, beating Iona and Saint Mary’s by a combined 39 points ahead of Thursday’s matchup with Arkansas.
That’s nothing new for Danny Hurley’s group, which ranks fifth in average scoring margin (+13.8) despite facing one of the toughest schedules in the country.
That hasn’t been a deterrent for this team, especially over the last month.
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UConn ranks No. 1 in T-Rank across its current 8-1 run thanks to its elite offensive rebound rate (41.6 percent) and two-way dominance inside.
It’s one of just three teams (Houston, Texas) to rank in the top 15 across the entire season in offensive efficiency (third) and defensive efficiency (14th), per KenPom.
Danny HurleyGetty Images
Arkansas deserves credit for outworking Kansas on the boards on Saturday, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds — tied for its third-most all year — to pull off the second-round stunner.
But the Razorbacks will be hard-pressed to exert their size advantage against the Huskies and superstar center Adama Sanogo (6-foot-9, 245 pounds), who is playing like the single-most dominant force in college basketball.
Since 2021, the Huskies are a perfect 19-0 when Sanogo scores at least 20 points, as he’s done in each of the last two rounds.
If the Hogs can’t slow him down on Thursday, this one won’t be close.
Damion Baugh’s 3-pointer at the buzzer for TCU on Sunday night didn’t beat Gonzaga but it did cost a plenty of bettors by making the final score 84-81.
Of vital importance to the gambling world, Gonzaga were 4.5 point favorites.
At Circa Sports in Las Vegas, fans reacted as if the shot had won or lost the game — as it did mean winning or losing for their wallets.
Some gamblers could be seen with their arms raised in triumph, while others put their hands on their heads in disbelief.
Hunter Sallis had made two free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining to give No. 3-seeded Gonzaga an 84-78 lead.
Baugh, who had 15 points and eight rebound in the game, let the ensuing inbound pass cross midcourt before picking it up and nonchalantly hitting an unlikely 3-pointer.
ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, who does a “Bad Beats” show tweeted, “Ohhhhh! What a 3 from TCU! Magnificent execution. #SignificanttoSome.”
Jordan Schultz, NFL insider for theScore, tweeted, “Maybe the worst Bad Beat I’ve seen all year. Insane TCU cover.”
Gonzaga advances to play play No. 2 UCLA in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, while TCU is heading home.
“Basket counts, IT DOESN’T MATTER…”
🗓️ 17 years ago today: Chris Duhon covers the spread for Duke (+2.5) bettors at the buzzer in the Final Four vs. UConn
One of the most infamous bad beats in NCAA Tournament history came in 2004, when Duke’s Chris Duhon hit a long 3 at the buzzer in a 79-78 Connecticut win in which the line was 2.5 points.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Pure, unadulterated joy, entertainment and — oh yes, don’t forget this — exhilarating and thrilling surprise.
That is what Fairleigh Dickinson brought to the Big Dance, playing with three players who were on a Division II team last year and their former D-II coach on Friday night against one of the bluest of blue bloods of the NCAA Tournament.
The Knights, seeded 16th in the East Region, were two days removed from advancing to the bracket of 64 via a play-in First Four win and the smallest team in Division I basketball this season, but they stood tall against the biggest team in the land, No. 1 seed Purdue.
FDU did everything it came to do on a magical night, delivering a stunning 63-58 first-round victory over Purdue in a quintessential David-vs.-Goliath matchup in front of a sellout crowd at Nationwide Arena, earning a Round of 32 matchup with Florida Atlantic on Sunday.
Most of the people in the building had little idea what FDU was or where it’s from. By midway through the second half, however, chants of “FDU! FDU! FDU!’’ were raining down onto the hardwood, and they could be heard all the way back to North Jersey.
The likes of those 40 minutes are why everyone is riveted to March Madness every year. We can’t take our eyes off it, because nights like the Knights’ are always possible.
“What a night,’’ FDU coach Tobin Anderson said afterward, still breathless. “Incredible win for us. Incredible win for our program, our school. Hard to put it in words right now. It just happened, right?’’
“We showed why we belong here,’’ FDU’s 5-foot-8 guard Demetre Roberts, one of the three players Anderson brought with him from Rockland County’s St. Thomas Aquinas College, said after scoring 12 points and dishing out four assists.
“I can’t even explain it,’’ said forward Sean Moore, another of the players Anderson brought to FDU. “I’m shocked right now. I can’t believe it. It’s crazy. But it feels amazing.’’
The New York Post back page for Saturday, March 18, 2023.
Amazing is what Moore, a native of suburban Columbus who had family in the double digits watching from the stands, delivered. He led the Knights with 19 points, the biggest of which came on a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give FDU a 61-56 lead with 1:03 remaining.
“Our goal is to hang around,’’ Anderson said before the game. “Hopefully you get to a point where it’s a four-minute game, six-minute game, eight-minute game, and you have a chance.’’
This is exactly how FDU and Anderson, who just 10 months ago took over a team that went 4-22 last season, did it. They followed the blueprint right down to the final detail.
Sean Moore #11 of the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights celebrates with the team after beating the Purdue Boilermakers.Getty Images
With eight minutes remaining, they led 52-49. With six minutes remaining, they led 54-53. With two minutes remaining, they led 56-53.
The Knights (21-15), who were 25-point underdogs, led for 25:42 of the game, compared to just 11:36 for Purdue (29-6).
The FDU win was only the second time in NCAA Tournament history a No. 16 seed upset a No. 1 seed, after UMBC beat Virgnia in 2018. Sixteenth seeds are now 2-150 all-time against No. 1 seeds since the men’s tournament expanded to 64 teams.
Fairleigh Dickinson didn’t even win the NEC Tournament, losing to Merrimack by one point in the title game. Merrimack, however, couldn’t play in the NCAA tourney because it’s still completing its four-year transition from Division II.
After beating Purdue, Anderson said he had people sending him “Miracle hockey speeches and Hoosier speeches all day long’’ to deliver to his team. He didn’t need those. He actually shows his players videos before games as motivational tools, often related to boxing. Before the game Friday, he had something different in mind.
“Today, they showed us a video about a lion,’’ said 6-6 forward Ansley Almonor, who did an amazing job defending Purdue’s 7-4 All-American center Zach Edey, who finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds, but didn’t attempt a shot in the final nine minutes. “What makes a lion the king of the jungle? It’s not his speed, it’s not his smarts, it’s just his mentality. We needed to have a lion’s mentality to go out there and be the king of the jungle, go out there and be the better team. And that’s what we did.’’
Anderson had a feeling his team’s pressing style would make Purdue uncomfortable, and he was spot on.
“My dad was a big boxing fan,’’ he said. “Styles make fights. And our style, I thought, hurt them a little bit.’’
Before the game, Purdue coach Matt Painter was transparent when asked what his players had learned from their devastating loss to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the 2022 Sweet 16.
“That Saint Peter’s played harder than we did,’’ Painter said.
Purdue played hard Friday night. Here’s the thing, though: It’s impossible to imagine any team playing harder than FDU did.
“They earned it, they played better than we did, they coached better than we did and we have to sit in it, we gotta to face it,’’ Painter said.
“I think people see now that we do belong’’ Anderson said. “Here’s the thing: We’re getting better, too. We’re definitely getting better. And that’s an exciting thing.’’
“You ain’t come this far to only come this far,” the message read that likely ignited a spark in the Paladins to upstage the Cavaliers in a game that ended in a poor pass and a late 3-pointer in Furman’s favor.
With Virginia up by two and a timeout to spare, Virginia’s Kihei Clark inbounded the ball with seven seconds to go, lobbing it to two teammates down the court only to land in the hands of Garrett Hien for a steal.
Hien tossed it to his teammate JP Pegues, who drilled a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds to spare, putting Furman up by one point.
The Cavaliers failed to answer in a 3-point attempt, costing them the game.
A detailed view of the shoes of Jalen Slawson of the Furman Paladins.Getty Images
Slawson was caught in a viral moment in the tunnel after the game, saying in disbelief, “He just freaking threw the ball!”
The fifth-year 6-foot-7 forward, like many, remained in shock in the aftermath of the game.
Slawson finished the game with 19 points, going 6-for-10 from the field, along with 10 rebounds and 4 assists.
Jalen Slawson of the Furman Paladins dribbles the ball against Kadin Shedrick of the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.Getty Images
He has averaged a career-high 15.8 points this season.
Furman continues its hot streak, winning seven consecutive games, and given Slawson’s message, the Paladins are not ready to let off the gas.
The Paladins are set to face San Diego State, which knocked out Charleston 63-57, in the round of 32 on Saturday at 12:10 p.m. EST and Slawson is expected to continue sporting the inspirational message in the next matchup.
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