UConn has surged through the NCAA Tournament once again, earning a spot in college basketball’s final showdown with a chance to secure the first repeat championship in 17 years.
Their ultimate challenge comes against a Purdue team that has spent the entire season proving its resilience following one of the rarest NCAA Tournament upsets.
The Huskies and Boilermakers are gearing up for Monday night’s championship game, a matchup set after Purdue halted North Carolina State’s impressive March Madness run, while UConn overcame Alabama in Saturday night’s semifinal.
“It’s a testament to the coaching staff and their ability to build a strong team,” said forward Alex Karaban. “They ensured that the returning players stayed focused and hungry to leave a legacy. As for the new players, they are as determined as ever.”
Karaban added, “Being just one win away from making history against a formidable Purdue team, we know it will be a tough battle. We’re prepared to give everything we’ve got to seize this opportunity.”
Alongside the historic implications of this matchup, the championship game features a notable showdown between prominent big men: Purdue’s 7-foot-4 Zach Edey, a two-time AP national player of the year, and UConn’s 7-2 Donovan Clingan.
UConn came into the tournament boasting impressive statistics, ranking No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency with 126.6 points per 100 possessions and 11th defensively with 94.4 points allowed per 100 possessions. Purdue, on the other hand, ranked fourth offensively (125.0) and 21st defensively (95.9).
Last season, the Huskies (36-3) clinched their fifth championship by winning six consecutive games, each with a margin of victory of at least 13 points. In a familiar scenario, UConn secured its spot in the championship game this year by defeating Alabama 86-72, marking its closest margin of victory in the tournament so far and extending its winning streak to 11 games dating back to last year.
A victory in the championship game would place this year’s No. 1 seed in rarefied air, as they would become the first team to achieve back-to-back NCAA titles since Florida accomplished the feat in 2006 and 2007. Additionally, UConn would join the elite company of only three other teams to achieve this feat since UCLA’s dynasty under John Wooden in the late 1960s and early 1970s—namely, Duke in 1991 and 1992 under Mike Krzyzewski.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” expressed AP All-America guard Tristen Newton. “Not many teams can achieve what we’re aiming for, but we believe we can make history and win it all.”
For Purdue, the journey is marked by a remarkable turnaround rather than sustained dominance, placing the Boilermakers within grasp of the program’s inaugural championship.
Last March, Purdue suffered a humiliating defeat as the second No. 1 seed to fall to a 16 seed against Fairleigh Dickinson. The sting of that loss lingered throughout the year, despite their success in winning the Big Ten regular-season title and consistently performing like championship contenders. Redshirt freshman Cameron Heide acknowledged that opposing fans taunted them with chants of “FDU! FDU!” throughout the season.
Only one other team had faced a similar challenge: Virginia, which famously lost to UMBC in 2018 before rebounding to claim its first NCAA title as a No. 1 seed the following year.
