New teams, new tournament, same result.

UConn crushed San Diego State 82-52 on Thursday night, ending the Aztecs’ NCAA Tournament run for the second consecutive year. The Huskies pulled away from SDSU in the second half of their national championship rematch from a season ago.

Here are 3 takeaways from UConn’s big win:

Second-half offense

This was a relatively close game at halftime by UConn’s standards, as the Huskies led 40-31 at the break. The single-digit lead wouldn’t last for long, however.

UConn kept its efficient offense moving in the second half as it scored 42 points on San Diego State’s top-10 defense. Led by Cam Spencer’s 18 points, 3 UConn players ended up scoring in double figures.

UConn was able to separate itself because of its defensive performance, however. It held SDSU to just 21 points after halftime. The Aztecs shot just 8-of-25 from the floor in the second half and also had 8 turnovers during that period.

A remarkable run of dominance

UConn has now won 9 consecutive NCAA Tournament contests going back to last year’s title run — and all of them have come by double-digits. The Huskies have also covered the spread in all 9 of those victories. Last year, UConn’s narrowest postseason win was its 13-point victory over Miami in the Final Four.

UConn’s average margin of victory over the course of this 9-game sample is 22.9 points.

This season, the Huskies have now won 3 Tournament games this year over Stetson, Northwestern and SDSU by an average of 28.7 points per game.

Looking ahead to the Elite Eight

This win means UConn is one step closer to history. On Saturday, the Huskies will find themselves in the Elite Eight for the second year in a row. UConn will face the winner of Illinois-Iowa State on Saturday.

Both Illinois and Iowa State are capable of causing issues for the Huskies — but in different ways. The Illini have the nation’s No. 1-ranked offense, per KenPom’s efficiency ratings. On the other side, Iowa State has the No. 1 defense in the country per KenPom’s ratings.

Regardless of who wins that game on Thursday night, UConn will likely be a significant favorite as it looks for its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament victory by 10+ points. Fans who wish to bet on that game can do so by signing up with one of Saturday Down South’s recommended sports betting apps.