UConn showed exactly why it earned the top seed in March Madness after absolutely dismantling Illinois in the Elite 8.

Illinois was no match for the reigning national champion on Saturday. The Huskies have looked unbeatable in the NCAA Tournament so far and it was no different in Boston.

The smallest margin of victory for UConn so far this postseason was by 17 points against Northwestern in the 2nd round.  The Huskies started the tournament with a blowout win over Stetson and followed the Northwestern win with a 30-point win over San Diego State. UConn has breezed through its competition.

A 30-0 run in the 2nd half showed just how much of a gap there was between the 2 teams. Illinois struggled immensely on offense during the game, shooting 26.1% from 3-point range and 25.4% from the floor. 5 different players for UConn scored 10 points or more, including 2 players off the bench.

Fans from around the country came together on social media to talk about who could beat the Huskies. Some suggested that the trash talking girl from Geico’s March Madness commercial might be able to throw the team off its game.

Others talked about how the bright lights were too much for Illinois. The Fighting Illini looked like a solid team in the tournament before being shut down in all phases of the game by UConn.

Moving forward, UConn will remain the favorite to cut down the nets as national champs. ESPN Bet has the Huskies at -185 to win the title, and fans can track all the latest odds and line movement with SDS’s betting apps for real money.

Here are some of the reactions to UConn’s destruction of Illinois:

 

Another Final Four for the Huskies

The program qualified for back-to-back Final Fours for the 1st time in its history against the Fighting Illini. UConn will now await either Clemson or Alabama in the next round depending on who wins that game.

Alabama’s defense was in question leading up to March, but the offense has been much of the same. The offense was on full display against North Carolina as Grant Nelson came alive to punch his team’s ticket to the Elite 8. The Crimson Tide currently average 90.7 points per game.

Clemson has been on a tear lately as well. The Tigers most recently toppled 2-seed Arizona to secure a spot in an Elite 8 for the 1st time since 1980. Before that, Clemson took care of 3-seed Baylor.

This isn’t the 1st time that Alabama and Clemson have played this season. The two met earlier in the regular season with the Crimson Tide suffering a loss to the Tigers in Coleman Coliseum.

Even with how well Alabama and Clemson are playing, they might not have a chance if the UConn that just dominated Illinois shows up. UConn’s Final Four matchup will take place on April 6.