UConn won its sixth national championship in program history and second in a row on Monday night as the No. 1 seed Huskies beat No. 1 seed Purdue 75-60 inside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The victory marked UConn’s 12th straight double-digit win in NCAA Tournament action, a streak of historic dominance that dates back to the beginning of last year’s tournament.
The Huskies are the first team to repeat as college basketball’s national champion since Florida did it in 2006 and 2007. UConn is now tied with North Carolina for third for most national championships behind only Kentucky (8) and UCLA (11).
Purdue held serve early behind a heavy dose of two-time Naismith Award winner Zach Edey, but the Boilermakers couldn’t keep pace as the Huskies took away their perimeter punch.
Purdue entered ranked No. 2 nationally in 3-point shooting percentage at 40.6%. The Boilermakers averaged 8.3 makes per game from beyond the arc on 20.6 attempts. But the Huskies defended the 3-point line like hawks, limiting Purdue’s attempts from beyond the arc.
On the interior, UConn relied heavily on 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan to defend the 7-4 Edey who closed his career with a big offensive night, his efficiency waned after a 6 of 9 start.
The outcome denied Purdue its first-ever national title and marked a disappointing end to an otherwise successful redemption tour. After losing to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of last year’s Big Dance, the Boilermakers followed up with their first Final Four trip since 1980 and first title game appearance since 1969.
In the end, UConn’s systematic dominance carried the day, as the Huskies left no doubt over who the best team was in college basketball during the 2023-24 season.
— Originally published by CBS Sports, written by David Cobb & Cameron Salerno.
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