UConn slows down Michigan, but physical play can't make up for poor shooting in title game loss
UConn executed coach Dan Hurley's game plan in Monday night's national championship slugfest against Michigan. The Huskies were physical, controlled the pace and held the Wolverines' potent offense in check. Not for fabulous freshman Braylon Mullins, not for record-breaking forward Alex Karaban, not even for Malachi Smith, who missed a layup with 7 seconds left that might have kept hope alive in Storrs, Connecticut.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — UConn executed coach Dan Hurley's game plan in Monday night's national championship slugfest against Michigan. The Huskies were physical, controlled the pace and held the Wolverines' potent offense in check. But this time, the big shots that propelled them to the cusp of a third national championship in four seasons simply didn't fall.
Not for fabulous freshman Braylon Mullins, not for record-breaking forward Alex Karaban, not even for Malachi Smith, who missed a layup with 7 seconds left that might have kept hope alive in Storrs, Connecticut. Instead, UConn came up short in a 69-63 loss, its first in seven title game appearances, thwarting its chance to become the first team since the UCLA dynasty of the 1960s and 1970s to win three crowns in such quick succession. UConn picked the wrong time to shoot a season-low 30.
9% from the field and a dismal 27. 3% from 3-point range. The Huskies were even worse in the second half: 28.
9% from the field and 4 of 18 from beyond the arc. Maybe UConn didn't have enough fight left after it survived the tourney's top seed, Duke, in the regional semifinals and won a 71-62 bruiser against Illinois on Saturday night. It was UConn's first loss after the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2011, ending a 19-game winning streak in the toughest parts of the bracket.