GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — UConn left Donovan Clingan on the loneliest island, stuck deep in the paint to wrestle massive Purdue center Zach Edey.
Even when Edey bulled his way to shots at the rim, the Huskies refused to give their big man help, knowing the two-time national player of the year would get his points.
UConn had a much bigger concern than the 7-foot-4 man in the middle: Purdue’s perimeter shooters.
And, boy, did the Huskies shut them down.
Chasing the Boilermakers off the arc all night, UConn held one of the nation’s best 3-point shooting teams to one made 3 and became the first team since 2007 to repeat as national champions with a 75-60 win on Monday night.
UConn has become one of the nation’s most efficient offensive teams under coach Dan Hurley, finishing No. 1 in KenPom.com’s efficiency ratings this season.
But with that, the Huskies are a gritty, downright dominating defensive team.
UConn held its first four NCAA Tournament opponents under 60 points and limited Alabama, the nation’s highest-scoring team, to 72 points in the national semifinals.
For the national title game, Hurley cooked up a plan to stay connected to Purdue’s shooters while living with whatever Edey was able to get against Clingan.
Edey finished with 37 points, but needed 25 shots to get there and didn’t hit a shot during a 10-minute stretch as UConn began taking control.
The Huskies instead shut down what the Boilermakers do better than almost every other team.
Purdue was the nation’s second-best 3-point shooting team during the regular season at 41%, giving the Boilermakers the perfect outlet when teams inevitably double-teamed Edey.
UConn barely even let Purdue get looks from 3 in the national title game.
Freshman Stephon Castle led the charge, hounding Purdue point guard Braden Smith every step. The rest of UConn’s defenders swarmed the 3-point arc and recovered quickly when they did get beat, holding the Boilermakers to 1-of-7 shooting from 3.
Purdue averaged 8.3 made 3-pointers and 20.5 attempts per game before Monday night.
Smith shot 4 of 12 and made Purdue’s lone 3-pointer. Fletcher Loyer had no points on 0-of-5 shooting. Lance Jones, Purdue’s third-leading scorer, took just three shots and had five points.
The smothering sent UConn to its sixth national title and the first repeat championship since Florida in 2006-07.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
