UConn concludes a dominant run to its 2nd straight NCAA title, beating Zach Edey and Purdue 75-60

GLENDALE, Ariz. — UConn delivered the most recent of its suffocating basketball beatdowns Monday night time, smothering Purdue for a 75-60 victory to develop into the primary group since 2007 to seize back-to-back nationwide championships.

Tristen Newton scored 20 points for the Huskies, who gained their twelfth straight March Insanity recreation — not a single certainly one of them determined by fewer than 13 factors.

UConn was environment friendly on offense however gained this with protection. The Huskies (37-3) restricted the nation’s second-best 3-point taking pictures group to a mere seven photographs behind the arc — Purdue solely made one — whereas fortunately permitting 7-foot-4 AP Participant of the Yr Zach Edey to go for 37 factors on 25 shot makes an attempt.

UConn gained its sixth general title and joined the 2006-07 Florida Gators and the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils as simply the third group to repeat since John Picket’s UCLA dynasty of the Nineteen Sixties and ’70s.

Purdue made it this far a 12 months after changing into simply the second No. 1 seed within the historical past of March Insanity to fall within the first spherical. However the Boilermakers (34-5) left the identical approach they got here — nonetheless on the lookout for this system’s first NCAA title.

In what was imagined to be a free-for-all on this new age of the switch portal and title, picture and likeness offers, UConn has discovered find out how to dominate.

The 2024 Huskies are the sixth group to win all six event video games by double-digit margins. They gained these video games by a grand whole of 140 factors, blowing previous the earlier excessive of 121 by the 2009 North Carolina group for the best margin amongst that unique membership.

Cam Spencer, a switch from Rutgers, Stephon Citadel, a blue-chip freshman, and Alex Karaban, a sophomore from final 12 months’s group, spent the night time guarding the 3-point line and making life depressing for Purdue’s guards.

This was solely the second time this season Purdue did not put up 10 3-point makes an attempt, and the way ’bout this last rating: Edey 37, the remainder of the Boilermakers 23.

How critical was coach Dan Hurley about defending the perimeter? When Braden Smith wiggled free for a semi-open look to make Purdue’s first 3 of the sport with 2:17 left within the first half, the coach bolted onto the ground and known as timeout.

And that was that from behind the arc.

Edey battled gamely, ending with 10 rebounds to file his thirtieth double-double of the season. However this recreation proved the quantity crunchers proper. UConn let Edey again in and again down all night time on 7-2 Donovan Clingan, giving up troublesome 2s in alternate for any 3s.

In the meantime, as Edey began carrying down, the Huskies took the ball proper at him. Citadel completed with 15 factors and each Spencer and Clingan had 11, and it barely mattered that UConn made solely six 3-pointers, which was proper at its season common.

Hurley joins former Florida coach Billy Donovan within the back-to-back membership, and is in firm with Invoice Self and Rick Pitino as solely the third energetic coach with two championships.

No one will say the UConn coach did not work for this one. Within the first half, he begged with, swore at usually berated the refs about over-the-backs, elbows and hip checks that weren’t known as.

As soon as, when that did not work after Edey set a tough (and doubtless authorized) decide towards Citadel, Hurley began in on Edey himself as the middle walked towards the Purdue bench for a timeout.

However the coach’s greatest work got here in no matter resort room he used to attract up the sport plan.

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AP March Insanity bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness