UConn blasts Illinois in the Elite Eight and is on the verge of an all-time dominant American sports story

The Huskies haven't been challenged in an NCAA Tournament game in two years .

By Matt Norlander Mar 31, 2024 at 1:59 am ET• 6 min read

BOSTON — Seldom in this sport — and in this beloved, bold, beautiful bracket of a tournament — have we seen a team this ferocious. This laughably dominant. I'm talking of the Connecticut Huskies, who are redefining the borders of our imagination with each passing game.

Rarely have we ever watched a regional final go from seemingly close to so preposterously non-competitive like what happened Saturday night in Boston.

For nearly 20 minutes, Illinois was fooled into thinking it had a hope of a shot against No. 1 overall seed Connecticut in the East Regional final. Then the second half started, the dam burst, the ground caved in on Illinois as UConn scorched off a historic 30-0 run that strapped it to a rocket headed for a second straight Final Four, cruising at the speed of sound.

The final: Huskies 77, Fighting Illini 52.

UConn's historic NCAA Tournament tear continues.  

The game went from 23-23 with 1:23 remaining in the first half to 53-23 in favor of the Huskies with 13:17 to go in the game. They played the final 13 minutes out of obligation, nothing more. A tsunami landed off the Boston shore on this evening and Illinois was ripped away as a result, punted out of this bracket.