Is UConn still in March Madness 2023? Current status and qualification for Sweet 16 explored
UConn advanced to its 19th Sweet 16 in the program's history.
Led by coach Dan Hurley, the Huskies look like one of the best teams in the NCAA Tournament.
It is the first time Hurley, who has coached the Huskies since 2018, has advanced past the first round of the tournament with UConn.
UConn started the season off strong, rising to No. 1 in the country off a 14-0 start. They lost to Marquette in the Big East quarterfinals. The Huskies received the No. 4 seed in the West region, playing their first games in Albany, New York.
They took down coach Rick Pitino and No. 13 seed Iona Gaels in the first round 87-63. The Huskies started slow and used a huge second half to dominate. Star forward Adama Sanogo had a huge showing with 28 points on 13-for-17 shooting.
Sanogo had another huge game in the second round as Connecticut pulled away from No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s 70-55. It was an ugly first half but the Huskies offense found its flow and Sanogo had 24 points and eight rebounds.
UConn shot 44% from 3-point range against Iona and 45.5% from downtown against Saint Mary’s.
UConn will face the Arkansas Razorbacks in the West region semifinals
UConn (27-8) now moves on to the West region semifinals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. They will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks (22-13), the No. 8 seed.
Arkansas beat No. 9 seed Illinois 73-63 in the first round. Coach Eric Musselman led the Razorbacks to a stunning one-point win against No. 1 seed and defending national champion Kansas 72-71.
It will be a tough matchup for UConn. The Huskies are fourth in KenPom and third in adjusted offense. However, Arkansas is tough defensively ranked 15th in adjusted defense. They held Kansas to 71 points and Illinois to 63. They hold opponents to 67.4 points per game.
Arkansas has advanced to the Elite Eight in the past two NCAA tournaments. Musselman has never fallen short of the Elite Eight during his time at Arkansas.
The Sweet 16 matchup tips off at 7:15 p.m. ET on CBS and streams on March Madness Live.
UConn opened as -3.5 point favorites with a total of 140. UConn is -165 on the moneyline.