It was a naibiter at Madison Square Garden for the SentinelOne Showdown between the UConn Huskies and the Illinois Fighting Illini as the rivalry between these two amazing College Basketball teams continues to grow.
With the fifth meeting being a memorable one with fans of both teams in attendance on a chilly day in the New York Area.
1495Sports had correspondent Maria-Isabelle Parada on hand to bring this look from the SentinelOne Showdown as well as interviewing fans that were able to attend the event:
Parada also did a Q and A with a UConn fan by the nickname UConn Ron that talked about becoming a fan of the Huskies and some of the adventures he has had with being a fan of the team. Ron a fan of UConn from the 70’s talks about his starting moments with his fandom, some of his adventures with the team and more:
Maria also got to interview Illinois fan Gregory on what brought him to NYC, on his being a fan of the team, about the budding rivalry with the team, what player on Illinois impressed him and more:
Some of the trends that were seen during the game was the fact that UConn was able to connect on three-point shots as the Huskies were an incredible 7-for-17 shootings at the conclusion of the First Half of play.
As for Illinois, they were able to see one of the senior leaders Kylan Boswell shine as he was able to have 25 points, nine rebounds and three assists in a stellar performance against the Huskies.
Boswell making a splash for Illinois during his Junior year, in scoring double figures 24 times, including each of the fight eight games of the season. Also was a big part of the squad in the NCAA Tournament and in the Big Ten Tournament.
UConn though for sure are cementing a claim in this year’s NCAA Tournament by defeating a #13 Illinois and were led by New York City-native Malachi Smith.
Smith was a super sub for the Huskies and scored 14 points along with a game-high nine assists in the game.
Also shining for the Huskies was Solo Ball as he led all scorers with 15 points, and he was followed by Alex Karaban with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Thus far the rivalry is one sided with the Huskies leading Illinois 4-1 in all games played, and the team has a tremendous record under Head Coach Dan Hurley in Madison Square Garden as the guys have a 78-68 record.
The Huskies are one team to for sure watch for not only in the BIG EAST Conference, but also a team to watch for in the NCAA and the schedule for them is about to get fascinating as they have non-conference tilts against Kansas, Florida, and Texas incoming.
As for Illinois they are going to continue to make noise in the NCAA Conference themselves, and hope to set themselves up for a rematch against UConn in the NCAA Tournament, but first they have to go through teams like Tennessee, Ohio State and Nebraska before entering into the ultra tough Big Ten Conference.
The folks at Madison Square Garden showcasing College Basketball in addition to NBA and a ton of other sporting and concert events are going to feature Nationally Ranked St. Johns next before having the Jimmy V Classic on December 9th.
For more information on the University of Connecticut fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here:
University of Connecticut Athletics – Official Athletics Website
For more information on Illinois fans are encouraged to click on the link here:
University of Illinois Athletics – Official Athletics Website
For more information on Madison Square Garden fans are encouraged to click on the link here: