It’s over! The UConn Huskies defeated the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 to take home the NCAA men’s title for the second year in a row, becoming the first back-to-back, champions since the 2007 Florida Gators. That Gators team was led by NBA stalwarts Joakim Noah and Al Horford, while this UConn team was one of the most balanced teams fans have ever seen with all five starters averaging between 11 to 15 points per game.
The tournament’s most outstanding player was given to senior guard Tristen Newton and it was well deserved. Newton dropped 20 points, five 5 rebounds, and seven 7 assists during the championship game, while also scoring 19 points in last year’s championship game, and is proving to be a clutch performer. Additionally, UConn has multiple NBA prospects whose stock rose significantly in March. Some reports have said 7’2” center and lethal rim protector, Donovan Clingan, will be in consideration for a top-three pick. Clingan was instrumental for the Huskies success all tournament averaging 15.3 points and tallying 3.2 blocks during UConn’s commanding run.
Another guy whose draft stock is soaring is freshman guard, Stephon Castle. Castle showed up huge in the Final Four and Championship game and the 6’6” combo guard with a big frame is impressing NBA scouts with his physicality, shiftiness, and floater game. Lastly, the Huskies featured a duo of considerably accurate shooters and integral players in Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer and veteran forward Alex Karaban.
Some fans of the tournament are calling UConn the most dominant team they have ever seen, as this Huskies team had the tournament point differential of all time with +140, breaking a record held by Rick Pitino’s 1996 Kentucky team. In fact, the Huskies only trailed for a total of 6:22 the whole tournament with the closest game being by a margin of 14 to the University of Alabama in the Final Four. A moment of realization for many on the supremacy of this Husky team was when, in a close game with the University of Illinois, in the Elite Eight, they went on a 30-0 run to close the door on what was statistically the top number one offense in the country.
It’s not just the roster that makes UConn’s team so stellar, basketball fans receive an absolute treat when watching this team in the halfcourt. The squad y easily runs the most complex halfcourt sets of any team with a multitude of off-ball screens designed to deceive their opponent. UCconn plays They play unselfish basketball and manages to play hard-nosed defense without fouling. They fight over screens, they fly around the court, they play to their player’s strengths, they cut with a purpose, and they just blow teams out of the water.
Their run was just a spectacle to watch and the man who deserves plenty of credit is Head Coach Dan Hurley, who is cementing himself as a rising superstar. Hurley demands the most of his players and is notorious for pushing his players to their limit at practice.
The madness now turns into sadness for college basketball fans as they must wait a long off-season to see if their team can take home the next title. and with the ever growing utilization of the controversial transfer portal, many teams will look to bolster their roster, while other many teams won’t even look remotely similar.
The transfer portal and the emergence of name, image, and likeness money is making continuity in college basketball a rarity with many coaches, including Dan Hurley of UConn, commenting on this hot topic in their postgame media availability. Regardless, March Madness never seems to disappoint fans and with the women’s game seeing increasing attention and viewership, college basketball remains in good hands.