GLENDALE, Ariz. — UConn dominated in basketball on Monday night, beating Purdue 75-60 to become the first team since 2007 to win back-to-back national championships.
Tristen Newton scored 20 points for the Huskies, who won their 12th straight March Madness game — with none of them being decided by fewer than 13 points.
UConn was effective on offense but succeeded with defense. The Huskies (37-3) held the country’s second-best 3-point shooters to only seven attempts behind the arc and just one made shot, while allowing 7-foot-4 AP Player of the Year Zach Edey to score 37 points on 25 shot attempts.
UConn claimed its sixth overall title and became just the third team to repeat since John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty of the 1960s and ’70s, joining the 2006-07 Florida Gators and the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils.
“It’s hard to even comprehend,” coach Dan Hurley said. “You just know how challenging this tournament is.”
Purdue certainly does. The Boilermakers (34-5) made it this far a year after becoming just the second No. 1 seed in the history of March Madness to fall in the first round. But they left the same way they came — still looking for the program’s first NCAA title.
In what was supposed to be a free-for-all in this new age of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals, UConn has figured out how to dominate.
The 2024 Huskies are the sixth team to win all six tournament games by double-digit margins. They won those games by a total of 140 points, surpassing the previous high of 121 set by the 2009 North Carolina team for the highest margin among that exclusive club.
“We just recruit really talented NBA players who are willing to prioritize the team’s success over their own, and aim for all the championships,” Hurley said.
Cam Spencer, a transfer from Rutgers, Stephon Castle, a top-tier freshman, and Alex Karaban, a sophomore from last year’s team, spent the night guarding the 3-point line and making life tough for Purdue’s guards.
This was only the second time this season Purdue didn’t put up 10 3-point attempts, and look at this final score: Edey 37, the rest of the Boilermakers 23.
How serious was Hurley about defending the perimeter? When Braden Smith managed to make Purdue’s first 3 of the game with 2:17 left in the first half, the coach rushed onto the floor and called timeout.
And that was the end of 3-pointers for Purdue.
Edey fought hard, ending with 10 rebounds to achieve his 30th double-double of the season. But this game proved the analysts right. UConn let Edey play inside all night on 7-2 Donovan Clingan, giving up tough 2-pointers in the post instead of any 3-pointers.
Meanwhile, as Edey began to tire, the Huskies attacked him. Castle ended with 15 points and both Spencer and Clingan scored 11. UConn made a modest six 3-pointers, which was consistent with its season average.
Hurley joins former Florida coach Billy Donovan in the back-to-back club, and is in company with Bill Self and Rick Pitino as only the third active coach with two championships.
The UConn coach worked really hard for this one. In the first half, he pleaded, used strong language, and criticized the referees for not calling fouls like over-the-backs, elbows and hip checks.
When that didn’t work and Edey set a tough (and probably legal) pick against Castle, Hurley started arguing with Edey himself as the center walked toward the Purdue bench for a timeout.
But the coach’s best work came in the hotel room where he created the game plan. How did he share it with the Huskies?
“The message was that we were the best team in the country,” Hurley said. “Purdue was clearly the second-best team in the country. Play to our identity, be who we’ve been the whole year, and we’ll be champions.”
