The Men's 2024 NCAA Championship game between Purdue Basketball and UConn was a highly anticipated matchup that did not disappoint. Both teams had fought their way through a tough tournament field to reach the championship game, showcasing their talent and determination along the way.
Purdue came into the game as the favorite, boasting a strong offense led by star player John Smith. However, UConn was not to be underestimated, with their stifling defense and sharpshooting guards keeping them in contention throughout the game.
Remember how Purdue basketball was everyone's choice to beat NC State in the national semifinals? The Boilermakers are on the other side of the equation for the national championship game.
Purdue is a 6.5-point underdog against Connecticut on Monday night. UConn has won all its NCAA Tournament games by double digits, while the Boilers have been challenged more along the way.
UConn enters the matchup 36-3 overall. Most recently, UConn defeated Alabama 86-72 on Saturday in the tournament’s national semifinals. UConn guard Stephon Castle led the team with 21 points and five rebounds, and the Huskies got 18 points and five rebounds from center Donovan Clingan.
Purdue comes into the contest 34-4 overall. On Saturday, Purdue beat NC State 63-50 in the national semifinals of the men’s basketball tournament. Purdue got 20 points and 12 rebounds from center Zach Edey, and Lance Jones added 14 points for the Boilermakers.
There's a lot more on the line in this one, too. UConn is attempting to win back-to-back national championships -- the first to do it since Florida in 2006 and 2007 -- after one of the most dominant tournament runs.
Purdue has a chance to win its first national championship ever. In doing so, it could also break the Big Ten's national championship drought: no team from the conference has won since 2000.
In a way, Purdue doesn’t mind the position. The Boilermakers have been the team to beat in the Big Ten for years, which is why they’ve been court-stormed 11 times in their last 12 road losses. It’s become familiar, being run over by students of other conference schools. But now they’re the underdog story.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mackey court storm so it shows the respect teams have for us,” Zach Edey said. “We haven’t had this. Everyone’s kind of counting us out right now.”
The possibilities are many Monday night. “I’m sure people have been waiting to see this for a while,” the Huskies’ Cam Spencer said. Especially Edey vs. Donovan Clingan, 7-4 vs. 7-2. That’s 14 feet, 6 inches and nearly 600 pounds of conflict in the paint.
Read more
Total solar eclipse 2024 is happening today, path, and peak times Iowa vs. South Carolina in women's NCAA championship gameSarah H
Also on site :
- Award-winning former Independent chief sports photographer David Ashdown dies aged 75
- Alabama vs Indiana Odds, Touchdown Scorers for 2025-26 Rose Bowl in CFP Quarterfinal
- Ex-Pakistan coach turns down suggestion to replace Gambhir as India’s Test coach