University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
32-5,17-3Big East
Michigan State
27-8,15-5Big Ten
#2 Huskies Defeat #3 Michigan State for Spot in Elite Eight
3/28/2026 12:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A hot start and clutch shooting late led the two-seed UConn men's basketball team (32-5) to a 67-63 win over third-seeded Michigan State (27-8) on Friday night in the East Regional Semifinal late Friday night at Capital One Arena. With the win, the Huskies advance to their 14th Elite Eight and third in four years where they will face Duke in the East Regional Final on Sunday evening.Â
The Huskies opened the game on a 25-6 rip buoyed by a 22-2 run over nearly nine minutes of game time and took an eight-point lead to the break. Michigan State pulled back ahead midway through the second but the lead was short-lived as UConn quickly stretched its edge back to seven with five to play. MSU got within one on three separate occasions in the final two minutes, and each time UConn came up with answer. Alex Karaban hit a massive 3-pointer with 1:39 to play, then combined with Tarris Reed Jr. to go 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to salt away with the win.Â
Reed Jr. led all scorers with 20 points for the Huskies, adding five rebounds, four assists and two blocks to continue his terrific March Madness run. Karaban scored 17 and snared a team-high seven rebounds along with three assists and two blocks. Solo Ball was the third Husky in double-figures with 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Malachi Smith dished out a team-best seven assists and swiped four steals for Connecticut in 17 minutes off the bench. For MSU, Carson Cooper led four in double-figures with 14 points while Jeremy Fears scored 13 with seven assists.
How it Happened
After the Spartans hit two of their first three from the floor UConn put the clamps on and held MSU without a field goal for more than eight minutes, reeling off a prolonged 22-2 run to balloon the early first half advantage to as many as 19. A Smith triple at 13:11 preceded Smith finding Karaban inside for a slam, and moments later Ball connected from three and forced an MSU timeout with the Huskies leading 18-6 at 11:58 of the first.Â
UConn kept coming after the stoppage, with Jaylin Stewart burying a 3-pointer on his first shot in over a month before Ball hit again from deep. A Stewart freebie at 10:15 gave Connecticut its largest lead of the early going, pushing the edge to 25-6 before MSU finally ended its field goal drought and the run. Overall, the Huskies held MSU to an 0-of-15 spell between makes at 18:56 and at 9:59. Â
Late in the first a 7-0 run for the Spartans pulled them back within single-digits for the first time in over 10 minutes of game time. Ball snapped the run in the final minute of the opening stanza with a transition lay-in and the contest went to the break with UConn ahead 35-27.Â
The Spartans scored the first seven points of the second half to pull within one, and at 10:06 took advantage of a two-plus minute scoring drought and grabbed their first lead since early in the first, going up 45-44.
Back-to-back buckets from Reed Jr. inside allowed UConn to re-take the advantage as the sides traded blows, and a wing triple from Karaban pushed the Husky lead to 51-47 with 8:32 on the timer. A driving lay-in from Ball capped four-straight from the junior and was part of a 10-3 run that put UConn ahead 56-49 with 5:10 to play.Â
MSU pulled back within one before a UConn timeout with 1:50 to play. On its ensuing trip, Reed Jr. kicked out from the post to Karaban for a wing 3-pointer that gave the Huskies a 61-57 lead with 1:39 to play. MSU answered on the next trip with a triple of its own, and after two Reed Jr. free throws called for time with UConn up 63-60 and 41.5 to play. Two more free ones for MSU trimmed the lead back to one before another stoppage with 32.3 to go. With under 30 to play Karaban drew contact and sunk a pair from the stripe, and after a single free throw from MSU got the Spartans within two, Reed Jr. buried two more in the final five seconds and officially put the game on ice.Â
Inside The Numbers
- The Huskies finished 24-of-52 (46.2 percent) from the field and 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from three, while holding the Spartans to 23-of-58 (39.7 percent) from the floor and 4-of-16 (25.0) from three
- UConn shot 56.0 percent (14-of-25) and held MSU to 34.5 percent (10-29) in the first half
- UConn dished out 20 assists on 24 field goals
- The Huskies assisted on a season-best 83.3 percent of their field goals
- Smith finished with seven dimes and has doled out 20 in three NCAA Tournament games
- Connecticut improves to 14-1 this season when posting 20 or more assists
- Blocks finished 6-3 in favor of the Huskies - UConn came into the day 15th nationally with 5.1 swats per game
- Both sides had 10 turnovers, with UConn finishing with an 11-8 edge in scoring off miscues
- The Huskies out-scored the Spartans 8-5 in fast breaks, holding MSU more than 10 points below their season average in transition scoring
News and Notes
- UConn improves to 5-4 against Michigan State all-time and 2-1 in the postseason, picking up its first NCAA Tournament win over MSU since the 2014 Elite Eight
- The Huskies are now 75-33 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, 14-6 in the Sweet 16 and 21-12 in the second weekend
- Dan Hurley is 18-5 in the NCAA Tournament, 16-3 at UConn, 3-0 all-time in the Sweet 16 and 5-0 in the second weekend
- Karaban continued to add to his incredible UConn legacy
- Extended program records for career wins (124), games played (148), games started (147) and 3-pointers made (287)
- Pushed his career scoring total to1,849 career points, 73 behind Ray Allen for fifth in program history
- Recorded his 300th career assist
- Jaylin Stewart made his first appearance since Feb. 21 after missing UConn's last eight games with an injury – he hit a 3-pointer on his first shot attempt and finished with four points, two rebounds and a block while posting a +7 in three minutes off the bench
- With two 3-pointers tonight, Ball is seven shy of becoming the 10th Husky all-time with 200 made threes
Up Next
The Huskies take on Duke for the first time since 2015 and first time in the postseason since the 2004 Final Four on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. with a trip to Indianapolis on the line.
