The UConn Huskies have just won their second national championship in two years, blowing through #1 Purdue 75-60, making them the first team to go back-to-back since the 2006-07 Florida Gators. The championship run made by the Huskies will be remembered as one of the most dominant tournament runs in college basketball history.
After being down 23-21 with 8:08 remaining in the first half, UConn went on a 15-7 run and led the Boilermakers 36-30 going into the break.
“I really like the pace of the game. I think the pace of the game right now probably favors us a little bit,” UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley said at halftime. “I think we’re forcing them to play a little faster than they’re used to, so hopefully, we can keep that pace on them and wear them down late.”
Purdue big man Zach Edey was having an electric first half, scoring 16 of the Boilermakers 30 first-half points along with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.
The second half was much like the end of the first. UConn Guard Tristen Newton led the charge for the Huskies and was a major reason why they led by 16 with less than 10 minutes left in the game.
As the time dwindled, the Huskies found themselves up big against the Boilermakers. They led 66-49 with only 3:50 remaining on the game clock.
Tensions began to tighten, and despite Edey’s historic 37-point game performance, UConn prevailed and claimed its right as National Champions for a second year in a row, with a final score of 75-60.
Senior Tristen Newton was awarded the Most Outstanding Player award, finishing with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists in the title game. This marks the second year Newton has been awarded the MOP award (2023 National Championship Game).
Last year, the Huskies did the unimaginable, beating all six tournament opponents by at least 13 points. This year, they topped that, cruising past each of their six opponents by a minimum of 14 points. The Huskies are 12-0 in the past two tournaments, with their closest game being against #5 Miami back in 2023 with a final score of 72-59, giving them a strong argument for being the best college basketball team in history.
“I wanted to congratulate UConn; they had some separation in the first half at the end. They made some tough shots, but I thought our guys gave really good energy defensively in guarding them. I thought the real difference ended up being their ability to offensive rebound in the second half. They did a really good job defensively. Tip the hat to them, Danny (Dan Hurley) has done a fabulous job, obviously won back-to-back national championships, and congratulations to UConn,” Purdue Head Coach Matt Painter said in his post-game presser following the loss to UConn.
Although the Boilermakers came up short in the title game, their run after a Round of 64 exit to #16 Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2023 is impressive and will never be forgotten.
“It was a privilege to share the court with Matt Painter and Purdue, one of the top programs in the country, one of the top coaches in the country. Obviously, what can you say? We won… by a lot… again. The greatest two-year run that a program has ever had—to me, it’s more impressive than what Florida and Duke did because they brought back their entire teams, and we lost some major players,” Dan Hurley stated after winning his second national title.
The Huskies will look to continue this dominance and carry it on into next year with a possible three-peat in sight, which has never been done before.
