UConn becomes the first team in 17 YEARS to win back-to-back national championships as the unstoppable Huskies steamroll through Zach Edey and Purdue in 75-60 victory to cement a dynasty in Connecticut

Just before practices begin at the University of Connecticut, coach Dan Hurley likes to throw up multiple half-court shots to try and sink at least one of them. Once he hits one, he immediately lines up for another, hyping himself up by saying ‘Who’s the king of two-in-a-row?’ to which assistants reply ‘You are’ before he inevitably misses.

If Hurley hitting two half-court shots in a row is improbable, then winning two national championships in a row must be unfathomable – the basketball equivalent of Absolute Zero. But improbable, unfathomable, and Absolute Zero as it may be, those odds are now all laughed at by Dan Hurley, the King of Two-in-a-Row. Because that’s what he is now, the first man since his mentor Billy Donovan at Florida in 2007 to win consecutive national titles.

He has the Big One, again. Hurley’s Huskies got it done in Phoenix, knocking off Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 in a national title game for the ages that ended with UConn winning its sixth crown in 25 years to tie North Carolina for the third most all-time.

‘For the last 25, 30 years UConn’s been running college basketball,’ a triumphant Hurley proclaimed from atop the podium in Arizona. After all this school has accomplished since 1999, can anyone truly doubt that claim? 

To do what Hurley and the Huskies have just done requires context. The feat of repeating a national title has always been a difficult one – only six teams have ever done it – but those teams who have accomplished it have almost never had to replace a majority of their starting lineup. 

Consider that the last three teams to repeat (the 2006-07 Florida Gators, the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils, and the 1972-73 UCLA Bruins) returned at least four players to their starting lineup the years they won it all.

This year, UConn only brought back Alex Karaban and Tristen Newton, losing three starters to the NBA. And in spite of all that, they got better. They got much better. They did that through additions like transfer guard Cam Spencer and freshman Stephon Castle and promoting native son Donovan Clingan to starting center. Now, this team stands as one of the greatest in the history of the sport.

The key matchup of the night was between the two seven-footers – Edey at 7-foot-4 for Purdue and Clingan at 7-foot-2 for Connecticut. It’s the first time two players over 7 feet had faced each other in a national title game since Hakeem Olajuwon battled Patrick Ewing in 1984.

From the start it was clear that neither player had really played someone like them before – with Clingan’s defense altering Edey’s first shot. The Boilermaker man got the better of his counterpart the next chance he had. Honors were even at the first under-16 timeout – two makes, two misses.

Edey began to get into more of a rhythm through the next interval – reaching eleven points with less than eleven-and-a-half to go. Hurley was seen berating the officiating crew of Terry Oglesby, Roger Ayers, and Jeffery Anderson for what he thought was a blatant over-the-back foul by Edey. Purdue fans began screaming for a technical, but Hurley was hauled away by assistants.

After the first under-eight minute media timeout, Clingan began exerting his presence in the paint more – disrupting two Edey attempts while putting in four points of his own to help give Connecticut a 30-25 lead with 3:49 left in the first half.

The first half ended with a flurry of points from Purdue’s Braden Smith, who had been struggling in the tournament up until that point. But a perfectly executed timeout from Hurley resulted in a Purdue scoring drought to end the half with the Huskies up 36-30. Smith’s performance would later prove to be a short-lived highlight.

Out of the intermission, Edey missed his first three shots and Purdue was getting outscored 7-4 by the first media stoppage. But equally key at that point was Clingan picking up his third foul, necessitating a benching for a short time with the Huskies up 43-34.

Samson Johnson deputized and had his first offensive contribution of the game with a lob dunk over Edey to give UConn its first double-digit lead of the night. He followed it up with another the very next possession. Even down 11, Purdue’s contingent remained loud and in the game as they made their majority known throughout State Farm Stadium.

Up 51-38 just before the under-12 media timeout, Hurley turned to the crowd to pump them up – only to watch as the Huskies foul troubles continued – putting them in the bonus with 11:31 remaining in the game. Out of that timeout, Edey missed the front end of the 1-and-1.

Matt Painter called timeout after UConn put up a five point swing off an Alex Karaban triple and a Hassan Diarra layup to put Connecticut up 56-40. The blue and white half of the building screamed out a chant as the Huskies aimed for greatness with 9:27 left. Out of that timeout, Edey hit a layup to constitute Purdue’s first field goal in over four-and-a-half minutes. 

Edey himself wasn’t the issue, but the rest of Purdue didn’t perform to their standards – something the Huskies admitted was their intention from the beginning.

‘We knew [Edey] was going to get his points,’ said Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tristen Newton after the game. ‘That was the game plan, just limit the guards. Cam, Steph [Castle] got in there and did a great job on the guards limiting them and their impacts.’

‘I think the coaches made a point that we’d be really locked in if we could control their 3-point attempts,’ said Spencer. ‘I think holding them to seven [3-point attempts], we were just really locked in on not letting those other guys get involved in the game.’   

Clingan’s fourth foul led to the under-8:00 media timeout, with the Bristol, Connecticut native screaming and tearing his undershirt off in a rage.

He called timeout again after Johnson fouled out and the Huskies were forced to switch 6-foot-8 Karaban onto Edey at a nine-inch height disadvantage. Even still, Purdue struggled to hit shots. The under-four media timeout came and the attendance of over 74,000 was announced – the third-best figure in championship history.

The remainder of the game played out like a formality. Connecticut kept inbounding the ball, Huskies fans continued to cheer, and the final buzzer sounded. Edey finished the night with 37 points and ten rebounds, more than playing his part. But the rest of Purdue shot an abysmal 9-29 on the night.

Spencer, who transferred to Connecticut this summer, was one of four UConn players [Spencer, Newton, Castle, Clingan] named to the All-Tournament team.

He said that playing this well wasn’t in the sales pitch that Hurley gave him: ‘It was all about the team and going to accomplish another championship. I had never been a part of a championship like this. That’s really what Coach Hurley and I talked about in the recruiting process.’

When it came to Hurley’s turn to answer questions, he swatted away rumors of him heading to other places now that Storrs is once again the center of the college basketball universe: ‘You should ask my wife that, she’ll give you a better answer,’ the coach laughed.

Considering the current landscape of college basketball, a run like this could be impossible to replicate – especially considering players often bolt for the next dollar.

But Hurley’s not quick to crown his team and this run as different from the rest just because of the hand he was dealt. ‘I think that’s probably for you guys to decide. Obviously, it’s a special run,’ the coach said. ‘I mean s**t we’re going to try to replicate it again. We’re going to maintain a championship culture. 

‘We brought in and we’re bringing in some very talented high school freshmen. Our returning players through player development will take a big jump, and it will strategically end through the portal. 

‘I don’t think that we’re going anywhere,’ he said with a wry smile, now officially sitting atop college basketball’s throne – crowned as the King of Two-In-A-Row.