Final 4 Defensive Statistics: Miami and UConn
The Miami Hurricanes and Connecticut Huskies will battle in the Final Four.
While much has already been made of their offensive prowess, the abilities of both defenses could very well determine the winner. In fact, Miami just showed what defense can do.
The Canes held Texas to 5 of 15 from the floor during the final 10 minutes of the Elite 8 matchup. Prior to that point, the Horns were shooting very well and making tough shots. Miami’s defense went to another level to turn the momentum – and the score – in its own favor.
It was 68-58 with 9:44 to play. Then, Hurricanes guard Isaiah Wong fed forward Norchad Omier the ball for a layup-and-1. At that point, the Canes went up by a point, 73-72. That play happened with 5:26 to play in the game.
The key: Miami’s defense held Texas to only four points during that 4 minutes and 18 seconds of action. Down the stretch, the Canes continued their defensive effort and won 88-81.
As for UConn, they completely wiped out Gonzaga’s offense for a key stretch during their Elite 8 Matchup. Gonzaga trailed 39-32 at halftime to UConn, and the Huskies smothered the Zags with their defense en route to a 17-5 run to open the second stanza. At that point, UConn led 56-37.
Even up 19, the Huskies never relinquished their defensive pressure. That’s also why Gonzaga never got going offensively and lost 82-54, scoring just 22 points during the second half.
Here are the raw defensive numbers for both teams. Keep in mind, however, that both of them can be elite defensive squads for long stretches of time. Each of these squads proved that during their last contests.
(National Defensive Ranking)
Defensive Averages
Points Allowed: Miami 71.9 (231), Connecticut 64.4 (34)
FG Percentage Defense: Miami 44.6% (236), Connecticut 40.4% (20)
3-Point FG Percentage Defense: Miami 33.4% (154) Connecticut 29.7% (12)
Rebounding Margin: Miami +2.9 (87) Connecticut +9.4 (2)
Blocked Shots: Miami 3.2 (168), Connecticut 4.8 (20)
Steals: Miami 7.3 (84), Connecticut 6.3 (196)
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