Largest NCAA Tournament Halftime Lead: Dan Hurley's UConn makes history as Huskies thrash Stetson 52-19
No. 1 UConn was dominant in their first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Stetson. How dominant? The Huskies held a 33-point halftime advantage, leading 52-19. It was the largest halftime edge in UConn NCAA Tournament history, and the second-largest in the last 20 years.
UConn rolls all over Stetson
The Huskies scored the first eight points against No. 16 Stetson. Just over eight minutes in, UConn led 21-4. The lead reached 20 with 9:29 left in the half and crossed 30 at the five-minute mark (41-10). But historically, the Huskies were still a bit behind Chicago's Loyola Ramblers.
Here's the list of the top 10 largest halftime NCAA Tournament leads:
10 Largest NCAA Tournament halftime leads
#10. UConn 48, Chattanooga 20 (2009)
The Huskies' prior first-half best actually could have been much worse. UConn won the game 103-47, meaning the second half's +28 margin equaled the first half's margin. Three UConn players reached 20 points and the Huskies held No. 16 Chattanooga to 25.8% shooting.
#9. UConn 52, Stetson 19 (2024)
A strong entry to the list, UConn was dominant once again... but not so dominant as to make coach Dan Hurley happy. Maybe it was pure coachspeak, but Hurley claimed dissatisfaction with the final minutes of the half. All five UConn starters had at least a dozen points and while UConn eased up late in its 91-52 win, that first half made a big statement.
#8. Kentucky 60, Wake Forest 26 (1993)
This was a Sweet 16 game for No. 1 Kentucky against No. 4 Wake Forest. Kentucky hit its first eight 3-point attempts in grabbing a 34-14 lead. Kentucky's Jamal Mashburn had 23 points... all in the first half.
#7. Duke 62, UConn 27 (1964)
In this regional final, the Huskies found out how the other side of dominance goes. Duke was led by All-American Jeff Mullins, who scored 30 points in the game. The Blue Devils went on to the Finals before losing to UCLA.
#6. Gonzaga 53, Fairleigh Dickinson 17 (2019)
This was the one bigger halftime edge than UConn's in the last 20 years. As is typical of many games on this list, this was a No. 1 vs. No. 16 game. Gonzaga let off the gas, winning the second half just 34-32. The Zags had five players in double figures, led by Rui Hachimura with 21.
#5. Kansas 60, Prairie View 24 (1998)
Poor Prairie View was just 13-16 heading into this 1 vs. 16 game. Prairie View missed its first nine shots and had no answer for Paul Pierce (25 points) and Raef LaFrentz (20 points, 15 rebounds). But Kansas was eliminated from the Tournament two days later in a shocking loss to Rhode Island.
#4. UCLA 55, Wyoming 18 (1967)
This one is fairly easy to explain – it was Lew Alcindor's first NCAA Tournament game. Alcindor, who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, may have been the best player ever at the time. He had 29 points and 10 rebounds. The Wyoming Cowboys had undoubtedly never seen anything like him.
#3. Duke 52, Winthrop 15 (2002)
This game took only a few minutes to be finished. Duke hit 12 of its first 13 shots and led by 30 points 12 minutes into the game. At halftime, Jay Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy had a combined 45 points. Winthrop shot 0-for-13 from 3-point range for the game.
#2. Kentucky 63, Rider 24 (1993)
Rider took a 3-2 lead in this game... and then Kentucky went on a 19-2 run. Kentucky ended up with nine players with seven or more points. Jamal Mashburn led the way with 17. This Kentucky team lost in the Final Four to Michigan, but it has two spots on this list.
#1. Loyola Chicago 61, Tennessee Tech 20 (1963)
The Loyola Ramblers liked to run. They didn't have a shot clock or a 3-point shot, but they didn't need it. Loyola won the game 111-42, the largest margin in NCAA Tournament history. All five Loyola starters reached double figures. This win was no fluke. Loyola won the NCAA Tournament that season, beating Cincinnati and Oscar Robertson in overtime, 60-58.