Connecticut became the first NCAA Division I men’s college basketball team to win back-to-back championships since Florida 17 years ago. They finalized their March Madness run by downing Purdue 75-60 in the NCAA title game Monday.
The Huskies (37-3) have now won six national championships. That places them third in the all-time men’s NCAA basketball championship list. All six have come since 1999, more than any other men’s team in that span.
As was it’s trademark all season, balanced scoring stole the show for the Huskies. Four of UConn’s five starters finished with double-digit points. The Huskies were led by All-America guard Tristen Newton with 20 points and seven assists. Guard Stephon Castle had 15 points. Guard Cam Spencer and center Donovan Clingan each had 11 points.
National player of the year Zach Edey scored 37 points and had 10 rebounds for Purdue, which finished the season 34-5.
The game was close throughout the first half before the Huskies went on a 15-7 run to propel themselves from a 2-point deficit to a 36-30 lead at the intermission. Newton took over during this span, scoring 11 points in the period.
Edey had 16 first-half points, and during one stretch early in the period the 7-foot-4 center scored all 11 Purdue points. Like the Huskies, the Boilermakers had never trailed after the first 20 minutes
Purdue did not respond well as everything went right for UConn in the second half as the Huskies pulled away. They now join Cincinnati, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, UCLA and San Francisco as schools that became repeat champions.
In the second half, the Huskies used an 8-2 run to take a double-digit lead. More importantly, they kept Edey in check, in total holding him scoreless for nearly 12 minutes. The Boilermakers were also limited from the 3-point line, going 1-for-7 in the game.
UConn has been a dominant force in men’s college basketball in the last 25 years, winning six titles since 1999, nearly a quarter of the championships contested.
UConn boasted the nation’s best scoring margin as a result of the most efficient offense in the country and a top-five defense.
On its quest to become repeat champions, UConn won all six games in a single NCAA tournament by 13-plus points for a second straight year. Last year, the Huskies became the first program in men’s Division I history to accomplish the feat.
The Midwest Region champion, Purdue, was trying to dissipate prior failures in a quest for its first national championship title. The Boilermakers last appeared in the NCAA championship game in 1969, where they were runners-up.
