The No. 4 UConn Huskies advanced to the Elite Eight Thursday night, knocking off No. 8 Arkansas, 88-65, while making program history in the process.
According to CBS Sports, the Huskies’ 23-point margin of victory was the largest in the Sweet 16 or later in program history. The 2004 Huskies held the previous mark, defeating Vanderbilt by 20 points in the regional semifinal.
UConn ran away with Thursday’s matchup early, building a 17-point lead, 46-29, at halftime. The Huskies continued to pour it on in the second half, scoring 42 points en route to their third double-digit victory in the NCAA Tournament.
After three rounds, the Huskies have defeated No. 13 Iona by 24, No. 5 St. Mary’s by 15 and now Arkansas by 23.
Four Huskies finished in double figures on Thursday night, but Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo led the way, combining for 42 of UConn’s 88 points.
Hawkins finished with a game-high 24, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Sanogo was 9-of-11 from the field for 18 points, adding a team-high eight rebounds.
Now with a realistic shot to run the table, history is also on UConn’s side. The Huskies’ last two appearances in the Elite Eight ultimately led to them winning the national championship in 2014 and 2011.
UConn now awaits the winner of No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 UCLA on Saturday or Sunday.
