The Final Face-Off: UConn, Purdue Fight for NCAA Supremacy”
GLENDALE, Arizona: “Everyone is excited to watch this game.”
Zach Edey of Purdue said those things when asked to sum up Monday night’s national championship game.
UConn leads 36-3. Purdue is up 34–4. On one side, the two-time national player of the year is heading a program that is making its first trip to the national title game since 1969, and on the other is the best college basketball team of the year trying to repeat as national champions.
“The Clash of the Titans,” as Dan Hurley put it. He is right in so many respects. The national championship game between UConn and Purdue on Monday night at State Farm Stadium will feature the top two teams in KenPom for the first time since 2021 (Baylor vs. Gonzaga), and only the fifth time ever.
And inside is the matchup. Since Patrick Ewing’s Georgetown Hoyas defeated Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Cougars in the 1984 national championship game, this will be the first time two 7-footers have started in the same game.
In just one NCAA Tournament, Edey (24.9 PPG, 12.2 RPG) has already made history by becoming the first player to record five straight games with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 60% shooting from the field. In the regional final victory against Illinois and the national semifinal victory over Alabama, Clingan combined for forty points, fifteen rebounds, and nine blocks. He has blocked 18 shots in five March Madness games overall.
Despite this, Edey is not afraid to face another 7-foot player, something he has encountered frequently in his four years of Big Ten competition.
“He’s a unique player in the way he can protect the rim, block shots and move around,” Edey said of Clingan. “We’ve played big 7-footers my whole career … that’s kind of like the Big Ten’s thing. I’ll be ready for him.”
Even though Edey and Clingan have been the two most dominant big men in the nation this season, their differing pregame meal preferences provided amusement during their Sunday media meeting. Edey stated he will eat sushi on Sunday night in preparation for the national championship game. Clingan’s selection? A chop. Moderate.
“You may coach or play your whole career and never coach or play against somebody of his stature,” Hurley said of Edey. “He is truly a giant player. I mean, we’re a pretty physical team. We try to fly to the ball. I think we’re disciplined like they are. They’re an excellent rebounding team. We’re an excellent rebounding team. We both block out. A lot of the time it just comes down to tracing that ball and who’s going to make that life-or-death pursuit to get it.”
During their Sunday media availability, Painter and Purdue made it clear how much respect they have for the current national champs.
“UConn is a very, very good basketball team,” Painter said. “They are very good defensively. They have a ton of incredibly effective offensive plays. I am going to most likely pilfer a few items for the following year.
“Dan [Hurley] has just done a phenomenal job. To win the national championship, then to be back in this position, I think there’s a lot of things that come with ultimate success that’s hard to do what they’ve been able to do. To be able to piece a team together, be able to compete and win multiple championships in their conference, in the tournament, and to keep that focus. The way they’ve won, you know, there have been some teams that have hung in there with them, then they’ve separated from them. There are some other teams that have gotten flat-out blitzed.”
Of course, Painter had a joke when he talked about Connecticut’s domination.
Hurley echoes this regard, stating that he viewed three Purdue games right after UConn’s victory over Alabama and that he plans to watch five additional games on film on Sunday and Monday early.
Three keys to the game:
1. How is it going to be conducted? The final game will be officiated by Roger Ayers, Jeffrey Anderson, and Terry Oglesby, as initially reported by The Field of 68. Hurley might become very emotional as a result of Edey’s propensity to draw fouls, which might also push Samson Johnson to play more minutes.
2. Turnovers. On Sunday, Matt Painter reaffirmed it. When the Boilermakers give up 13 or fewer points, they are 27-0; when they give up 14 or more, they are 7-4. UConn will try to pressure the ball and wait for Stephon Castle, the freshman for the Huskies, to keep getting better.
3. complementary shooting techniques. Will Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban be the difference-makers from 3 or can Lance Jones and Mason Gillis light the Boilermakers? It is important to note that in the last 20 minutes of the game on Saturday, UConn turned up the defensive pressure on Alabama, limiting them to 25% shooting from downtown. However, aside of DJ Horne, the Boilers prevented NC State’s guards from getting into a rhythm, limiting the Wolfpack to 5-for-19 from deep. On Saturday, both sides made 10-of-25 long range shots.
My prediction:
In Final Four and national championship games, UConn has an 11-1 record all-time. 11 games in a row, the Huskies have prevailed by at least 13 points in the NCAA Tournament. In Storrs, 13 is the magic number, and Connecticut wins their sixth championship.
UConn 85, Purdue 72
John Fanta works for FOX Sports as a writer and national college basketball broadcaster. He calls games on FS1, serves as the principal host on the BIG EAST Digital Network, and offers commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network, among other roles covering the sport. Become a fan of @John_Fanta on Twitter.