"They outplayed Connecticut": NBA legend Charles Barkley praises No. 3 Illinois' first half despite struggles against Dan Hurley's Uconn

During Saturday's Elite Eight matchup between No. 3 seed Illinois and No. 1 seed UConn, the halftime discussion on CBS caught eyes, led by NBA legend Charles Barkley. He was joined by Clark Kellogg, Kenny Smith, and Jay Wright.

UConn started the first half with a 9-0 scoring run, yet at 1:59 the scores were level at 23-23. Illinois was giving good competition to UConn so far with the first half ending at 28-23, only trailing by 5 points.

Despite that, Barkley didn't appreciate their play. Rather, he expressed disappointment, highlighting the missed opportunities and offensive struggles that prevented Illinois from taking the lead. He also discussed how UConn's center Donovan Clingans, who made 5 blocks, had intimidated Illinois with his blocks.

"I'm not going to give Illinois credit. They should be ahead in this game between missed layups and free throws. They outplayed Connecticut," said Barkley.

He added,

"Clingan's the only one playing great for them. Illinois got punched in the mouth. They should be ahead in this game. They missed at least four to five layups. He's got them so intimidated, you know, they're looking for him They're open sometimes but they're looking for him. You man, just lay the ball in. If he blocks it, he blocks it. But they are rushing. They missed so many layups. Illinois should be ahead in this game in my opinion"

Smith also echoed what Barkley said, agreeing that Illinois should have been leading the game at the end of the first half.

However, everything changed at the start of the second half. UConn made a dominant 25-0 scoring run (30-0 if added to 5-0 at the end of the first half), completely dismantling Illinois' defense and emerging victorious with a score of 77-52. It made Barkley change his opinion after the game as he said:

"That was impressive. They're not going to play down to the level of the competition... It's going to take a special team to beat these guys."

Star Performers for UConn in the Elite Eight Showdown

With a win over Illinois in the Elite Eight, UConn becomes the first team to reach the Final Four in the March Madness 2024. It doesn't come as a surprise as they were predicted as the potential winners this season with the best odds.

Their Elite Eight win was led by Donovan Clingan's 22 points, 10 points, and an assist. Cam Spencer was also very impressive on the court as he scored important 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. Alex Karaban. Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson also score 10, 11, and 10 points respectively to contribute to the team's victory.