UConn freshman makes ‘Bama pay for ‘disrespect’ during Final Four win

UConn freshman Stephon Castle set the tone early for the Huskies.

Despite shooting 1-for-8 from the 3-point line in the NCAA Tournament heading into the Final Four, Castle got the Huskies on the board with a 3-point shot after he noticed his closest defender was in the paint. Then, Castle did it again as the Crimson Tide kept daring him to shoot the ball.

Castle went on to score eight of the Huskies’ first 10 points.

‘I noticed it like the first play of the game when we were trying to run a set and the guy was guarding me in the paint. I tried to take advantage of it early,’ Castle said following UConn’s Final Four win over Alabama on Saturday. ‘It was kind of a disrespect on their end just to guard that far back. … I saw the ball go in early. I thought it started a great night for me.’

It was a great night indeed. Castle, the Big East Freshman of the Year, tied his career high with a team-high 21 points, five rebounds and two assists in UConn’s 86-72 victory. His 21 points were the third most points by a freshman in a national semifinal game in the last four decades, trailing only Carmelo Anthony (2003) and Derrick Rose (2008).

FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.

One of the highlights from the night was Castle’s alley-oop dunk from fifth-year senior guard Tristen Newton to go up 55-47 with 15:47 remaining. Castle turned to the crowd and yelled in celebration (‘I mean it was a good dunk. … I kind of got fired up for it,’ he said). Alabama responded and went on a run to tie the game 56-56 with 12:44 remaining, before Castle went back to work again with a jumper and two converted free throws to kick off an 8-0 run for UConn.

‘(Castle) played great. He shot confidently, because they were sagging off of him,’ said Newton, who finished with 12 points, nine assists and three rebounds. ‘He kept us in the game offensively for the majority of the game. Without his performance, we wouldn’t have won the game.’

Castle picked up back-to-back fouls within seven seconds in the second half and got called for a another with 6:35 remaining. He sat the remainder of the game with four fouls, but his teammates were able to close it out for a 14-point victory, the Huskies’ 11th straight NCAA Tournament game won by a double-digit margin.

‘I believe in the depth of our team,’ Castle said. ‘I wasn’t worried at all for me sitting out.’

The belief in each other is mutual. Sophomore center Donovan Clingan, who finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four blocks, said Castle is ‘not like any other freshman.’ He added: ‘(Castle’s) out there to do whatever his team needs for him to do to win. He’s one of the best on-ball defenders that you’ll see. He puts a lot of work in. He’s the most unselfish person on the team.’

Head coach Dan Hurley said he knew Castle was special ‘right away in the recruiting process’ and said he’s an NBA-claiber player.

‘When you got to the first practice, whether you ripped him or encouraged him, everything was, ‘Yes, Coach.’ He’s such a pleaser. His value at the next level, obviously you see it on game night. A lot of NBA teams, they come through and watch us practice, where he even has the ball in his hands more, where he gets to show all the things he can do that you don’t always see on game night.’

Castle will have one more opportunity to show off his skillset this season when UConn takes on Purdue Monday in the national championship game. The Huskies are vying to become the first men’s basketball team to win back-to-back titles since Florida in 2006 and 2007.