BROOKLYN, NY — Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley made it clear that if the Huskies wanted to defend their national title and bring another banner to Gampel Pavilion standout center Donovan Clingan would have to have a dominant tournament run.
Hurley said Clingan would have to have a performance like Adama Sanogo, who’s elite performance last season allowed the Huskies to run through the NCAA Tournament in historic fashion.
Despite the high expectations, nothing has changed for Clingan. The Bristol native has been “sticking to the script” by taking it one game at a time and understanding that it’s just another game.
“Really it's sticking to the script, focus on the next game, don't get too far ahead of yourselves,” Clingan said. “Don't be complacent where you're at and just keep focusing on your next opponent.”
The next opponent for UConn will be in the Sweet 16 against San Diego State in what will be a rematch of last year’s national championship. San Diego State defeated Yale 85-57 in the second round to advance.
The Huskies advanced to the coveted round after dominating the first two rounds. UConn rolled past Stetson 91-52 and then cruised past the Northwestern Wildcats 75-58 in the second round at the Barclays Center.
Clingan led the team with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists on a 9-11 shooting night against Stetson and then followed that up by recording a double-double and five blocks in just the first half against Northwestern.
He finished the second round matchup with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks, a career high.
Cingan said his prior experience in the NCAA Tournament has allowed him to play with confidence and play efficiently. He credits the leadership of Sanogo from last year with his ability to be able to take over and be the guy this season.
“He prepared me for everything, the way that we battle against each other every day in practice and how hard he plays, and just watching him on the floor and seeing the role that I have to step into when he came off the floor,” Clingan said. “So just playing behind him and seeing how dominant he was and everything that works for him definitely helped me…coming into this tournament.”
He said he’s just trying to carry on that role of being as dominant and as impactful as he can be to help the team win. It’s something All-American guard Tristen Newton has also seen from the big man.
“Donovan has grown in so many aspects of the game,” Newton said. “He's a great leader for us and he dominates the paint and plays great defense. So the role that Adama had last year definitely helped him out and he stepped up big this year and that's what we need throughout the whole tournament.”
Leadership for Clingan doesn’t just come when he’s on the court. His leadership is also vocal off the court by getting the rest of the team ready for the next game as well as calming any nerves that his teammates may have.
For example, players like Cam Spencer and freshman Stephon Castle have never played in the atmosphere of an NCAA Tournament. Clingan said his approach is to remind them that it's just another game.
“Obviously, you might feel the pressure because it's a tournament, win-or-go-home. But we have to stick to the script and what we've been doing right all year and don't let the atmosphere and the pressure get to you,” Clingan said. “It's just one game at a time and if we do what we do, we're good.”
The difference from last year to this year outside of just some of the major contributing faces lies in the fact that the Huskies are the heavy favorite to defend their title and be the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators did it in 2006-2007.
Clingan said while those narratives are out there surfacing around “you try not to worry about it.” He said the team doesn’t listen to it and they instead focus on sticking together and focus on the game instead of letting the outside noise affect their confidence.
He said the other aspect is that this year’s team is hungry and remains hungry to make history.
“If you want to be great, if you want to make it to the highest level, you want to keep wanting success. Winning is the best feeling that you can experience in this sport,” Clingan said. “Like they said, with all these new guys, the young guys, just trying to have them be a part of history and get them to feel that championship feeling.”
Hurley has said it all season that Clingan is one of the most impactful players in all of college basketball and it has been shown on the court and within the analytics. He said when Clingan is out on the court he brings another dynamic to an already stacked team with a plethora of NBA talent.
“He's just a game changer in what he creates for us on offense, how he spooks people at the rim, the rebounding presence, the fire and the life that he shows up with every day,” Hurley said. “Obviously the strength of this team is just the versatility of the five starters, and obviously six through eight now on the bench has given us big-time stuff. But Donovan, he's the centerpiece.”