GLENDALE, Arizona — A basketball beatdown. A training clinic. A double-digit domination.
Take one guess who completed off a romp by way of faculty basketball once more. You guess, it is UConn – a crew constructed to win now, and infrequently, and by rather a lot each time it takes the courtroom.
Coach Dan Hurley’s Huskies delivered the newest of their suffocating hoops performances Monday evening, smothering Purdue for a 75-60 victory to turn into the primary crew since 2007 to seize back-to-back nationwide championships.
Tristen Newton scored 20 factors for the Huskies, who received their twelfth straight March Insanity recreation – not a single one among them determined by fewer than 13 factors.
UConn was environment friendly on offense however received this with protection. The Huskies (37-3) restricted the nation’s second-best 3-point taking pictures crew to a mere seven photographs behind the arc and solely a single make, whereas fortunately permitting 7-foot-4 AP Participant of the 12 months Zach Edey to go for 37 factors on 25 shot makes an attempt.
UConn received its sixth general title and joined the 2006-07 Florida Gators and the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils as simply the third crew to repeat since John Wood’s UCLA dynasty of the Nineteen Sixties and ’70s.
“I simply suppose it is the very best two-year run in a really, very very long time, simply due to all the things we misplaced from final yr’s crew,” stated Hurley, whose high two scorers from final yr now play within the NBA. “To lose that a lot and do it once more, it is received to be as spectacular a two-year run since not less than previous to Duke.”
The 2024 Huskies are the sixth crew to win all six event video games by double-digit margins. They received these video games by a grand complete of 140 factors, blowing previous the 1996 Kentucky crew, which received its six by 129.
In a matchup of two high seeds, they wore down the Boilermakers (34-5), who made it this far a yr after changing into simply the second No. 1 within the historical past of March Insanity to fall within the first spherical. However Purdue left the identical method it got here – nonetheless searching for this system’s first NCAA title.
A lot for the free-for-all this new age of the switch portal and identify, picture and likeness offers was presupposed to turn into. UConn has found out find out how to dominate and replenish its roster with gamers who perceive their roles.
Cam Spencer, a switch from Rutgers, Stephon Fort, a blue-chip freshman, and Alex Karaban, a sophomore from final yr’s crew, spent the evening guarding the 3-point line and making life depressing for Purdue’s guards.
“They simply decided – we are able to defend the perimeter, and we are able to take this away from you, you are going to get the ball to your finest participant, he’ll be 1-on-1, and that is that,” Purdue coach Matt Painter stated.
This was solely the second time this season Purdue did not put up 10 3-point makes an attempt, and the way ’bout this remaining rating: Edey 37, the remainder of the Boilermakers 23.
How critical was Hurley about defending the perimeter? When Braden Smith wiggled unfastened 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 referred to as timeout.
And that was that from behind the arc.
“Coaches made a degree that we would be actually locked in if we managed their 3-point makes an attempt,” Spencer stated. “Holding them to seven exhibits we had been locked in on ensuring their guards did not get entangled within the recreation.”
Along with his Xs-and-Os masterpiece, 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. Information broke over the weekend that it seems there is a job opening at Kentucky, and the UConn coach’s identify has come up there.
“I do not suppose that is a priority,” Hurley stated. “My spouse, it’s best to have her reply that.”
No method the Huskies would need to lose him.
Hurley earned each penny on this one. Within the first half, he begged with, swore at and usually berated the refs about over-the-backs, elbows and hip checks that weren’t referred to as.
As soon as, when that did not work after Edey set a tough (and doubtless authorized) choose in opposition to Fort, Hurley began in on Edey himself as the middle walked towards the Purdue bench for a timeout.
However the coach’s finest work got here in no matter lodge room he used to attract up the sport plan.
“The entire recreation plan was no Smith, no Loyer, no Jones, no Gillis,” Hurley stated, as he ticked off the final names of the Purdue guards. “We knew if we maintain them beneath 18, 20 factors as a bunch, they usually had no likelihood to win, regardless of how properly Zach performed.”
It is no slight on Edey, who battled gamely, ending with 10 rebounds to report his thirtieth double-double of the season. However this recreation proved the quantity crunchers and analytics consultants proper. UConn let Edey again in and again down all evening on 7-2 Donovan Clingan, giving up troublesome 2s within the put up in alternate for any 3s.
“They solely doubled late within the second half, however by that time we had dug ourselves too deep of a gap,” Fletcher Loyer stated.
The defensive dominance put the crowning glory on a event wherein UConn’s common margin of victory was 23.3 factors. Certain, Hurley may need to interchange two or three of those gamers, however the coach stated he’ll fear about that in per week or two.
“Clearly, what are you able to say?” he stated. “We received – by rather a lot – once more.”
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