Connecticut won the American Athletic Conference Tournament by defeating the Memphis Tigers 72-58 in the championship game. The Colorado Buffaloes were an at-large bid from the always competitive Big Twelve Conference.

Colorado led at the break by 9. However, UConn used a huge second half to come back to beat the Buffaloes 74-67. In the final minutes of the contest, the game for UConn turned to free throws. The Huskies nailed 22 of 23 from the charity stripe which ties for the second best performance in the team’s history. The Huskies controlled the defense only allowing the Buffaloes to score 31 points in the second half as UConn stormed ahead to take the game.

The Buffaloes have lost their fourth straight NCAA Tournament game since 2012 when they won the opening game defeating UNLV 68-64 before falling to Baylor 80-63. This is UConn’s seventh appearance in ten years. Kevin Ollie, UConn’s head coach, is undefeated in the NCAA Tournament since he took over as head coach in 2012.

Waiting for the Huskies is the number one overall seed, the Kansas Jayhawks, who routed the Austin Peay Governors 105-79. UConn and Kansas have never met in the NCAA Tournament despite having 89 appearances and seven titles between the two teams.