UConn's Dominance

It’s just not supposed to be this easy. It’s not supposed to be easy at all. In fact, winning the NCAA tournament is supposed to be one of the hardest things to pull off in sports. And doing it back-to-back is supposed to be even harder than that. Just don’t tell that to UConn, because they still can’t even find a competitive game.

Right now, UConn is making one of the hardest things there is look like the easiest thing there is. Seriously, they can’t find anyone to play them tough in the NCAA tournament over a two year span… and that’s just ridiculous. That's unheard of.

Last night’s title game rematch from a year ago was never really in doubt just like that title game last year was never really in doubt just like none of these husky tourney games are seemingly ever in doubt. And I have a ton of respect for Coach Dutch and his Aztecs, and there's no shame in not being able to match up to the Huskies because nobody can match up to the Huskies.

It’s now 9 straight tournament dubs for UConn, by a combined average of 22.8 points. Their average margin of victory in this tournament is 28.7 points. They’ve trailed in this tournament for 28 total seconds. It’s outrageous. It’s stupid, really. 

After the game last night Hurley explained the crazy dominance like this

Yeah coach somehow I doubt that. I don't doubt you, not at all, not ever, but I doubt that you suck at winning close games. Granted, I have no idea since you never play in a close game. That's what you actually suck at, finding a competitive game in the tournament. Because in your own words, you just keep blowing teams out of the tournament.

He said that after their second round win over Northwestern and people actually had an issue with it. Like the dude is too confident. The dude has too much swagger and is too cocky. Apparently he needs to be nicer about kicking everyone’s ass for two straight years. You know what I say to that take… errrrrr. 

That’s a terrible take. I don't like that take. And I don’t get how anyone can criticize the dude’s approach right now considering that dude's approach is working so well that nobody can even give these dudes a game.

I love everything about Dan Hurley: and UConn. Well, everything except this incessant underwear talk. I already politely asked on Monday that we cool it with the red dragon boxers. But of course, as soon as dan Hurley found a mic after the game last night, he did this.

Dan Hurley is totally right, his wife does deserve way more run. Because that woman is a saint. That woman tending to this dude’s underwear is the real MVP. I'm tired of the amount that I have to hear about this guy's drawers, imagine how much this woman has to hear about this guy's drawers. It must be non-stop... Any more Hurley red dragon boxer content and it’s gonna turn me into that shrieking Grand Canyon fan.

So Dan Hurley and his Huskies and his red dragons will now continue their search for a competitive game in the elite eight. And they might finally actually find one there, because Illinois is no joke. And the Illini are, in theory, exactly the kind of team that’s built to hang with UConn. Let’s put it this way, if anyone is built to hang with the huskies, it’s these dudes. even if they’re already listed as 8 and a half point dogs. 

But let me try to make an argument for them at least hanging: for them at least not getting blown out like everyone else who steps on the floor with the Huskies. The Illini have the #2 offense in the country, after, of course, UConn, so in theory, they have the firepower to try to match up. Illinois is also incredibly experienced. And they have the jungle karma behind them as well. They check a lot of boxes.

Let me put it this way, they’re one of the best Illinois teams ever for a reason. And maybe most importantly, they play without fear, as my guy Brad Underwood explained last night.

If anyone can push UConn, it just might be these dudes. I'm just not sure anyone can push UConn, but these dudes might finally spell danger for the Huskies. 

Except in this case danger might be spelled “d-a-I-n-j-a” as in Illinois forward Dain Dainja, who was awesome off the bench last night. Illinois is just hoping that keeps up and that they can put UConn on the highway to the Dainja zone. 

And then there’s the other side of the bracket, playing out right up the road at crypto… we can call it the rogues and jano bracket. Because they were in attendance last night for a couple of incredible games. They got to see Clemson put in one of the best performances in program history to get back to the elite eight for the first time in 44 years. And they also got to see North Carolina completely forget how to play basketball.

Not gonna lie that was a shocking end to a couple of epic Carolina careers for R.J Davis and Armando Bacot. Two Tar Heel legends who basically just had the worst possible ending to their all-time great Carolina careers. 

Considering I threw down on these dudes, I definitely did not expect to see Bacot blowing a critical dunk and blowing repeated layups in crunch time of a game of that magnitude. And I definitely did not expect to see RJ Davis put up a 4 for 20 in a game of that magnitude. I just never expected the heels to melt like that. 

Just like I never expected a west regional final between Alabama and Clemson. The tide and the tigers playing each other in a basketball game with the final four on the line… that’s something else. 

They shouldn’t even have that game in the crypt underneath that disgraceful ears banner. They should move the game to the rose bowl, where an Alabama v Clemson matchup actually belongs. Winner gets an auto berth into the college football playoff. Loser has to sit through a Nick Saban lecture about how terrible college sports are now.