Purdue 60 - 75 UCONN summary, stats, scores and highlights | NCAA Championship game
Dan has no doubts about who the it program in the NCAA have been since the turn of the century. UCONN goes back to back, and wins their sixth title in 24 years.
The UCONN Huskies are without question the most dominant team of this decade. They just won their sixth title since 1999, and went back-to-back for the first time since the Florida Gators did it in 2006 and 2007. Not only did they go back to back, but they beat their opponents by a record average of 28 points, and they did it when the transfer portal seems to be trending away from power house teams existing.
Don't tell that to Dan Hurley or UCONN.
Newton ended the game with 20 points and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The senior ends his career with two championships and goes out on a high note from Arizona.
Once UCONN pulled away, Purdue had very little chance. The Huskies were getting good looks close to the bucket, although this wasn't one of them, while Purdue struggled to find their shots.
Spence got things going early, and even though he had a quiet rest of the game he still picked his spots to come up with some big buckets, and showed how fearless he is going right into the body of Edey.
It wasn't just Clingan who was getting in on the action in the paint. Samson Johnson had back to back alley oops at a pivotal part of the game in which the Huskies began to pull away.
UCONN decided they would let Edey have all the space and all the looks he wanted down low without double teaming. They put a priority on keeping the perimeter guys quiet and not letting them determine the outcome of the game. Purdue took just 7 threes and hit only one of them.
Tristen Newton came into the night as the Huskies top scorer, and he delivered on the biggest night of the season. He kept the defense on alert with the dribble, dishing seven assists but also went 6/13 from the field.
The first half went back and forth as Purdue fought to stay in the game on the shoulders of Edey, but everything looked like it came so easy for UCONN. They would turn defense into offense which was their game plan to keep Edey out of the half court.
There was a point in the game in which Zach Edey looked like he would be impossible to slow down. He scored 11 straight points for Purdue opening 10 minutes, and finished the first half with 16, and in the second half UCONN was able to slow him down out of the break.
There was an epic body of two big boys down low in Glenville. Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan are both well over 7 feet tall, and both were banging in the paint all night. Clingan was huge in the semifinal and had 11 points to go along with his 5 rebounds, but it was his work on the defensive end that made the difference.
The UCONN Huskies completed their back-to-back bid on Monday night in Arizona taking down the two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers. Tristen Newton led his team with 20 points and 7 assists as the kings of college basketball successfully defended their crown.
The Huskies have used a balanced attack of front and back court, and instead of having one stand out player they have three or four that are capable of taking a game over at any point. Early on it was Cam Spencer who got his team going with a couple quick buckets and a few dimes that set up his teammates out of the gate.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
THE UCONN HUSKIES GO BACK-TO-BACK AND FINISH THE TOURNAMENT WITH THE LARGEST TOTAL MARGIN OF VICTORY OF ANY CHAMPION!
Clingan finishes off the night with a reverse lay up off the pas from Karaban and that's going to do it!
The subs are coming on for the stars, and they will get a standing ovation.
Edey down low and he was allowed a path to the bucket for the slam.
Castle to the line after the foul on Smith and he hits both FTs.
Edey follows up the missed lay up from Smith and he tip slams it.
Karaban looks down low for Cliingan who makes a move and gets the jump hook to fall.
Edey gets the ball down low off the entry pass from Smith and he turns and jams it.
Timeout UCONN with 2:14 to go.
Newton to the line after the foul on Smith and he hits both FTs. This has turned into a FT contest. Purdue don't need that.
Jones slashes through the lane and gets the reverse to fall.
Timeout Purdue with 2:46 to go in the 2nd half.
Edey down low and he gets it to go off the glass.
Smith to the line after the foul on Newton and he hits one of two.
Newton to the FT line after the foul on Edey and he hits both.
We are headed to the under 4:00 timeout with 3:50 left in the second half.
Edey bodies Karaban down low and he lays it up and in.
Spencer hits the mid range jumper from the FT line, and he has been so solid all night long.
Edey to the line after the foul on Johnson who fouls out. He hits one of two FTs. Purdue need some stops now.
Newton uses the pick and roll to find Castle open for the floater in the paint.
Johnson found Karaban slashing to the rim for a two handed slam!
Edey seals off the defender and slams it home off the feed from Smith!
Edey to the line after the foul on Clingan and he hits both FTs out of the timeout.
TV Timeout with 7:52 to go.
Karaban with the penetration and he hits Castle for the three ball on the wing!
Edey comes out of the timeout and gets the jumper hook to go. That was their first FG in four minutes.
Diarra running the break and Diarra splits a couple defenders and lays it off the glass.
Timeout Purdue with 9:27 to go in the 2nd half.
Newton found Karaban on the perimeter and he drills the three ball from the corner!
Smith to the line after the foul on Diarra and he hits both FTs.
TV timeout with 11:31 to go in the 2nd half.
Newton got a runner to go somehow after going right at Edey putting it over the big man.
Spencer goes at Edey and scoops it up and over him in the paint!
Edey gets the board off the miss by Smith and he tips it up and in.
Edey to the line after the foul on Johnson and he hits both FTs.
Newton back to Johnson up top and he throws down another alley oop!
Johnson comes out of the break and slams it home on the alley oop from Newton!
A couple of offensive rebounds for UCONN takes some wind out of the sails of Purdue after that jam. Castle got his own board and put it back up and in.
We are headed to the first TV timeout with under 16 minutes to go in the 2nd half.
Edey missed the jump hook, but Heide was there for the cock back put back slam!
Castle to the line after a questionable blocking foul called on Jones, but he misses both.
Lob inside for Castle down low and he hops off the hardwood for a lay on the break.
Kaufman-Renn with the pump fake and the lay up on the baseline.
Newton drills a three ball to start the second half and he's got 14 after the offensive board from Clingan.
WE ARE BACK IN ARIZONA FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!
Newton has 11 while Clingan, Diarra and Spencer have 7 each. Depth is what UCONN have on their side and they are using it tonight.
Purdue went almost five minutes in which they hit just one field goal which allowed UCONN to take their largest lead but Smith hit an elbow J and this three to turn the tables. He's got 9 opints and is the second leading scorer for Purdue.
Edey ended the first half with 16 points and 5 rebounds. We are sure to see a heavy dose of him in the second half.
Clingan is making sure that Edey isn't the only big man that people are going to be talking about after this game. He had this big block that led to the three ball from Diarra.
Edey was a monster for the first 10 minutes. He was doing everything for Purdue, but was a bit more subdued later in the half.
UCONN is trying to limit how effective Edey is on the distribution end which means he has been left open on more than a handful of plays.
Clingan has 7 points and 2 rebounds, but most of his energy is going to have to on the defensive end. There is no stopping Edey. You can only hope to contain him.
It took Edey three minutes to get on the board, but once he did, he didn't stop. He had 11 straight points for Purdy after this bucket. It's been a battle between him and Clingan through 20 minutes.
Cam Spencer came out and set the tone early, He had a few early buckets and and couple assists to get the Huskies out to a quick start.
WE ARE HEADING TO HALFTIME WITH THE HUSKIES UP BY 6!
Castle follows up the missed lay up from Newton and tips it up and in.
Newton out of the timeout and it was another perfect play set up out of the break. He gets the jumper to go from the elbow.
Smith with a quick trigger three ball off the dribble and he hits hit from the wing!
UCONN timeout with 2:09 to go.
Smith gets to the elbow and hits the pull up J.
Castle gets the roll on the floater out of the timeout.
TV Timeout with 3:49 to go in the first half.
Newton cuts to the bucket and Castle found him for the lay up. That's a 9-2 run from UCONN.
Clingan takes a dribble at the FT line and gets the baby hook to fall.
Edey follows the missed floater from Loyer and he gets it to drop. He's got 16 of the 25 Purdue have scored.
Nice play set up for Clingan out of the timeout as Newton finds the big man with a baseline pass. He gets the bucket and the foul! FT is good.
Newton drives into Edey and fades away from him before using the glass from the block
Edey was blanketed by Clingan but still got the jump hook to fall. He's got 14.
Smith asking for the foul after getting bumped on the runner from the left side of the lane, but none came.
Edey to the line after the foul on Diarra and he hits one of two FTs.
Block by Edey on one end, and then Karaban got one on the other end before Diarra drills an open three in the corner.
Smith comes out of the timeout and hits the runner off the glass from outside the lane.
Purdue got caught out of position after nearly coming up with a steal and that left Diarra wide open down low.
TV timeout with 11:28 to go in the first half.
Just when I said he's got no moves, he goes up and under Clingan and gets the foul! FT is good to complete the three point play. He's got the last 11 for Purdue.
Diarra drives right and lays it up off the glass over Edey.
Edey gets the roll off the jump hook in the lane. He doesn't have many moves but his one move is awfully effective.
Edey with two HUGE blocks on back to back lay up attempts!
Castle finds Newton in the corner and he strokes the three ball!
Edey comes out of the timeout and slams home an alley oop after Smith hung one up high.
We are headed to our first TV timeout here from Arizona. The Huskies lead after a quick start from Spencer.
Spencer off the dribble and he drops the baseline J.
Edey goes back to the paint and backs Clingan down for the jump hook.
Spencer dumps it down for Clingan who slams it home after Edey stepped up in the paint.
Edey is on the board with his patented jump hook in the lane.
Spencer off the pick and roll and he keeps it for a lay off the glass over Edey.
Newton to the line and he hits both FTs after th foul on Loyer.
Jones with a slash to the rack. He gets the foul and the bucket to fall. FT is good after the foul on Newton.
UCONN answers back with a three ball to take and early lead thanks to Spencer on the wing.
Kaufman-Runn pulls up and hit the mid range jumper to get us going from State Farm Stadium.
THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IS UNDERWAY FROM ARIZONA!!!
Last back-to-back bid
Not only is UCONN on the verge of making history with their average margin of victory in this tournament, but with a win, they would join an elite group of NCAA champions to have won back to back titles. The first team to do it was Oklahoma A&M in 1945 and 1946. Kentucky has done it once, in 1948 and 1949 before Bill Russell led the University of San Francisco to consecutive titles in 1955 and 1956. Cincinnati complete the feat in the early 60’s before handing the baton off to UCLA who won titles in ’64 and ’65 and then from 1967-1973. There was a near twenty year absence without a program going back-to-back, but Duke put an end to the drought in 1991 and 1992. Florida was the last team to do it in 2006 and 2007 and tonight the Huskies have a chance to put an end to that spell.
UCONN flirting with history
Where does this UCONN team rank among great teams in NCAA history? They didn’t go undefeated like UCLA of 1972 and 1973 or Indiana of the ’76 season, but when you look at their margins of victories over this year’s tourney and last year’s tourney you start to get the sense that we are witnessing something historic. The 1996 Kentucky Wildcats had the largest margin of victory in the NCAA Tournament, cruising to a title while beating their opponents by 21.5 points a game. Last year’s Husky team beat their opponents by an average of 20 points per game which is the third best margin of victory after Kentucky of 96 and UNC of 2009. This year they have won their five games by an average of 27 points. If UCONN wins tonight, they will break the Wildcats record for largest average margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament, and we will seriously have to consider where this team ranks among all time champions.
Tourney history: UCONN
While Bama is in unfamiliar territory, there aren’t many teams who are more accustomed to being on this stage, especially in the modern era. While UCLA and Kansas and Kentucky get more of the accolades for being the most storied programs in college basketball history, UCONN has been the most successful team of this century. Since 1999 they have made the Final Four seven times and won it all five times. Jim Calhoun pioneer that led the Huskies to their first title, and he would end up winning three championship with UCONN. Kevin Ollie had one of the most improbable title runs ever in 2014 as Huskies won title number four, and then last year Dan Hurley returned the program back to title glory with a run to the championship game as a four seed, and now has a chance to bring the university their first back to back bid, and the first team to do so since the Florida Gators in 2006 and 2007.
Tourney history: Purdue
The Purdue Boilermakers have never won the tournament, but they do know what it’s like to be in the Final Four. It’s been a while since they have been this deep in the tournament. Forty Four years to be exact, but they are back in the semifinals and have a chance to get back to the National Championship for the first time since 1969. This is relatively uncharted territory for this program, but they have their best chance ever to bring title glory to West Lafayette, but they are going to have to get through this year’s Darlings before they start dreaming about National Championship glory.
Star watch: UCONN
It’s hard to pin point one star on the Huskies roster. They are a complete team in every sense of the word, and that what makes it so hard for other teams to prepare for them. Tristen Newton is the top scorer on the team averaging a shade under 15 points a game, but five Huskies average 11 points or more, including Castle who had 21 last game, while Clingan had 18, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. In the five tournament games UCONN has played, they have had four different players lead the team in scoring. Dan Hurley has his team rolling like a well oiled machine, and it’s going to take something truly special to beat this team that has looked unstoppable in the tournament dating back to last year.
Star watch: Purdue
We would be crazy to put anyone in the Purdue star watch section other than Zach Edey, right? I mean, the guy is on the verge of winning his second straight National Player of the Year award after averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds a game. He is an unstoppable force that uses his size and strength to get easy buckets down low and scare off opponents from driving into the lane on the defensive end. In the tournament he has put up games of 30 points and 21 rebounds and 40 and 16 while averaging 28 and 15.4 rebounds a game. He has been dominant all season long, but he might need the performance of a lifetime to beat the UCONN Huskies and bring Purdue their first ever title.
How they got here: UCONN
After winning the title last year, UCONN were tabbed to make a repeat run to the Final. It’s true there aren’t many powerhouses in the college game anymore, but UCONN has been as close to a powerhouse as you can get. They lost just three games all season and came into the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed after winning the Big East title before Selection Sunday. They have barely had to sweat during the Big Dance, wiping the floor with their competition. Before their Final Four match up with Alabama they beat every team on the way by 25 points or more. In their opening game against Stetson they won by 39, against Northwestern they breezed by with a 27 point win, then blew out San Diego St. by 30 in a rematch of last year’s title game before downing Illinois by 25. Alabama gave them their toughest test but Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle helped UCONN pull away in the final 15 minutes of the game to secure a 14 point win and a return trip to the National Championship.
How they got here: Purdue
The Boilermakers were on everyone’s radar coming into this season. With Zach Edey already imposing himself on the rest of the NCAA last year, Purdue came into this season and dominated. They lost just four games in the regular season, and even though they had their hearts broken in overtime of the conference championship, they got a one seed coming into the tournament. They rolled 16 seed Grambling, beating them by 28 points in the first round, and then smashed the Aggies of Utah State by almost 40 points. Zach Edey had another fantastic performance in their Sweet 16 match up against Gonzaga before facing their toughest test of the tourney. Tennessee gave them all they could handle but Edey’s 40 points carried the Boilermakers over the Volunteers to set up a Final Four match up with this year’s Cinderella, NC State. Purdue went wire-to-wire in a comfortable game against DJ Burns and the Wolfpack. Edey had 20 and 12 as the Boilermakers sealed a return trip to the Final for the first time since 1969.
We are live from Arizona
Hello everyone and welcome to the the biggest dance of them all. It’s the National Championship game from State Fram Stadium, and the UCONN Huskies are on the hunt for their second title in as many years and have a chance to further their position as the most successful program in the modern college basketball era. They have a chance to win their sixth title since 1999 tonight against a team that has only been to this game once in their history. It came over a half century ago, and the Boilermakers lost that game the UCLA Bruins. Tonight the two-time best player in the country takes on the best team in the nation over the last two years.
Purdue vs. UCONN
It all comes down to this. The biggest game of the Big Dance. The culmination of a NCAA Tournament tonight from Glendale, Arizona. The most prolific program of this century taking on the new kids on the block searching for their first national championship ever. It’s the defending champion UCONN Huskies taking on the National Player of the Year Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s title game from State Farm Stadium.