March Madness 2023 live updates: UConn vs. Gonzaga score, latest NCAA Tournament

First round: No. 4 UConn 87, No. 13 Iona 63

The best way to summarize fourth-seeded UConn’s 87-63 dismantling of 13th-seeded Iona is through a 64-second sequence late in the second half, maybe the final push the Huskies needed to close the door on the once-hopeful Gaels.

It began with a Jordan Hawkins missed layup with 4:11 left. Adama Sanogo, there as he was all game, tapped the ball to himself for an offensive rebound and putback.

Twenty-six seconds and one court length later, Sanogo blocked the shot of Iona’s Nelly Junior Joseph. And 35 seconds after that, Sanogo pulled up for a long 2-pointer as the pro-UConn crowd in MVP Arena exploded — encouraged by Dan Hurley’s sideline animations.

Iona once led UConn by two points at halftime. Once UConn leaned on Sanogo, it was over. The Huskies’ center finished with a season-high 28 points (22 in the second half) and 13 rebounds in 25 minutes. Connecticut outscored Iona 50-24 in the second half, scoring 24 of those points in the paint and playing like the contender many think it is for 20 minutes. — Mark Cooper

Second round: No. 4 UConn 70, No. 5 Saint Mary’s 55

The Connecticut team that had people excited following its run to the PK Classic title in November appears to have returned. In a tournament where top teams have either lost or looked ragged, the Huskies twice came out of the locker room at the half and rolled over their opponent. This time it was Saint Mary’s, who went from down one at the break to steamrolled in the second, losing 70-55 as UConn rolled to its first Sweet 16 since 2014. That year, of course, the Huskies won it all.

After the game, head coach Dan Hurley, dogged by criticism after two first-round losses in his UConn career, walked around the court where a heavy home crowd stood in unison to cheer. He waved his hands in the air, summoning the cheers, before heading to his wife, Andrea, for a hug and greeting his dad, legendary high school coach, Bob Hurley. The elder Hurley has been in town all weekend and on Saturday, after his son finished his press conferences, held court with a few reporters. Out in the hallway, Dan laughed. “I gotta get to work. He’s going to take forever.”

This weekend was for the restorative Huskies, who seemed to have rediscovered their mojo at exactly the right time. For those who forgot why all the early-season salivating the reminders came in bunches here in Albany. UConn can shoot. UConn can defend. They’ve got a pair of dominant bigs, and they have depth. It’s every ingredient needed for a deep March run. The only reason people cooled: that weird January nosedive. But it feels like a distant memory now, what with Adama Sanogo racking up 52 points in two games, and Jordan Hawkins scoring a combined 25, all in the second halves.

To be fair, Saint Mary’s was up against it. Alex Ducas, the Gaels’ third-leading scorer, left in the first half with crippling back spasms and never returned. He walked gingerly even through the…