For a third consecutive year, the Arkansas Razorbacks have made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag].
After disposing of No. 9 seed Illinois in the first round with relative ease and then getting an upset win over No. 1 seed Kansas in the second round, the No. 4 seed UConn Huskies are up next.
The two teams will meet for just the fifth time ever on Thursday, with all previous matchups having taken place since 1997. The Huskies own a 3-1 series advantage all-time, but the Hogs own the most recent victory – a 102-67 blowout in the 2017 Phil Knight Invitational.
Don’t let what happen in 2017 fool you, however, this year’s UConn team is the real deal.
After making quick work of Rick Pitino’s No. 13 seed Iona Gaels in the first round, the Huskies put away the No. 5 seed St. Mary’s Gaels thanks to a dominant second half team performance. They’re looking more like the team that was able to climb as high as No. 2 in the Top 25 polls earlier this season, which is scary news for Arkansas.
Both teams are extremely talented and well-coached, and this is the kind of game that could determine who represents the West region in Houston for the Final Four. Ahead of Thursday’s matchup in Las Vegas, here’s a closer look at the UConn Huskies and what Arkansas needs to do to advance to the Elite Eight once again.