Despite a valiant effort by National Player of the Year Zach Edey, UConn dominated the Purdue backcourt to cut down the nets and make history.
GLENDALE, ARIZ. — The highly anticipated national title game started competitively enough.
Two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers stayed within one possession for the first 15 minutes — before the defending champs UConn quickly turned into a clinic. The Huskies won 75-60 on Monday night to secure their second-consecutive national title and sixth overall for the program.
Cam Spencer was the source of UConn’s early offense. The transfer guard scored seven of the team’s first nine points, with most of his buckets coming over Edey’s outstretched arms. For Purdue, Edey controlled the paint and kept them in the game. The big man recorded 16 points, five rebounds and two blocks in the first half.
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A 15-7 run by the Huskies fueled by Donovan Clingan and Tristen Newton, however, broke the game open and gave UConn a six-point halftime lead. Meanwhile, Purdue was unable to get anyone other than Edey or Braden Smith going. As for UConn, reserve Hassan Diarra‘s seven points made a huge difference against zero first-half bench points for Purdue.
Once UConn got going in the second half, they made the game look like so many of their NCAA Tournament games over the past two seasons: an absolute clinic. The Huskies fought through the foul trouble that plagued so many of Purdue’s opponents this year, with four UConn players picking up their third or fourth fouls by the under-eight timeout of the second half.
Cam Heide‘s putback dunk with 16:40 to play appeared to be a momentum shifter for Purdue, but the Huskies kept their cool and plugged on. Newton dissected the Boilermaker defense, putting up 20 points, five rebounds and seven assists. His big second half included a driving layup over Edey with 12 minutes left that appeared to be the final nail in the coffin. Freshman guard Stephon Castle also made some big plays late for the Huskies and finished with 15 points.
At the same time, Newton and Clingan were able to effectively defend Purdue’s best players one-on-one. That allowed their teammates to stay home on the perimeter and make life miserable for Fletcher Loyer and Lance Jones, holding them to just two combined 3-point attempts. Purdue put up just seven total attempts from deep, and Smith’s late first-half shot was their only make all night.
It was a disappointing sendoff for Edey, who will go down as one of the legends of the sport. Regardless, he will still be remembered as the player that got coach Matt Painter over the Final Four hump. The departing senior finished the game with 37 points and 10 rebounds.
For his efforts, Newton earned the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player award, a fitting honor for the fifth-year senior. With two rings, a Cousy Award, a first-team All-America nod, and a Final Four MOP, Newton joins Shabazz Napier as perhaps the most decorated player in the history of the program.
Ultimately, the machine that is UConn men’s basketball under Dan Hurley was just too much for Purdue. As a result, the Huskies became the first back-to-back champion since Florida’s 2006 and 2007 teams. They were able to make history, even for a program that has climbed nearly every mountain in college basketball.
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