UConn basketball is your 2024 NCAA National Champions, defeating Purdue 75-60 to win their second-straight national title.
The Huskies are the first team since the ’06-’07 Florida Gators to win back-to-back titles, and are just the third team to accomplish the feat since the end of the UCLA dynasty in 1975. This is the sixth national title in program history, UConn basketball winning all six since 1999.
UConn guard Hassan Diarra told John Fanta postgame that the UConn dynasty is not over; He believes a third championship in a row is on the horizon. Say what you want about the Huskies, but one thing is for sure: This is what winning is all about.
Takeaway #1: Runs
UConn basketball is lethal when it gets hot, and it seems like the Huskies get hot every game.
It was just a six-point game heading into halftime. Purdue’s Zach Edey was playing out of his mind, dropping 16 points in the opening 20 minutes on 7-for-12 shooting. Every UConn bucket seemingly had a Purdue answer.
Then, in the second half, UConn went on their runs.
Yes, “runs.” Small ones, but they add up. UConn came out of the half on an 11-4 run, then traded blows with Purdue. Then UConn went on an 8-2 run, then the teams traded a few baskets. By the 7-minute mark, the Huskies had built a comfortable 15-point lead.
UConn could not expect to shut down Edey, so they forced Edey to be the guy to beat them. The two-time AP Player of the Year finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds. The rest of the Purdue roster struggled.
Braden Smith was the only other Boilermaker to finish in double figures, recording 12 points and eight assists. The next highest? Lance Jones, who finished with five.
What makes Edey so difficult to deal with is his ability to find his teammates out of the post. Because has such an intimidating inside game, what teams have done in the tournament is wait for him to put the ball on the ground and send help. Edey knows this, and in return goes over the top to find open shooters.
UConn played it differently, seemingly duping the Purdue offense by baiting the kick out. Once Edey started backing down, the help would run in a few steps, wait for the pass, and sell out to get a hand up. The Huskies are quick, and this worked to perfection against the back-to-back AP Player of the Year.
As a result, UConn was able to dominate the second half and bring home their sixth title.
Takeaway #2: Both the women’s and men’s National Championships were eerily similar
The nation’s best player, two years running, had 37 points and 10 rebounds. He did everything he could.
11 of those 37 points came in the final 5 1/2 minutes, Edey desperately trying to will the Boilermakers to a victory. Edey, alone, was responsible for nearly 62% of Purdue’s offense. Edey went 15-for-25 from the field, the rest of the team went 9-for-29, 1-for-7 from deep. Edey is not to be blamed.
But the blame doesn’t fall on his teammates, either.
UConn basketball is not a star-led team. Sure, Tristen Newton is the best true point guard in the country and earned Most Outstanding Player honors, but Newton is just the best player on a talented roster. That is not intended to disrespect Newton, but rather to compliment the way that this team gels together.
Dan Hurley’s system is intricate. It relies on smart basketball players making smart basketball plays. It’s so good, UConn can lose its top two scorers from last season and perform BETTER without them. It is tough for a one-man team like Purdue to compete with such a dominant system.
Need another case study to justify this claim? How about the women’s national championship game on Sunday?
Caitlin Clark is a generational talent, hands-down the best player women’s hoops has seen since the days of Griner and Stewart. Iowa is a talented team, but Clark was responsible for nearly HALF of Iowa’s offense this season on scoring alone. She also led the Hawkeyes in assists, rebounding, and steals. She led the nation in points, assists, and made three-point shots.
Even dominance like THAT was unable to top a South Carolina team with Dawn Staley’s system. Again, no disrespect to Clark, credit to South Carolina.
In both tournaments, the best TEAMS won it all. The best PLAYERS finished just short. Imagine if Edey had Houston’s Jamal Shead? Or if Clark had LSU’s Angel Reese?
One player does not win a championship. Elite programs do.
Takeaway #3: UConn for a three-peat?
It’s about time we started talking about it.
Preseason, I wrote an article for CBB Review where I said UConn would finish the regular season outside of the top 25. I believed that losing Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins would be too much for the Huskies to replicate their success.
Dan Hurley has made a believer out of me.
The offense is too good. The defense is stifling. No other team in the nation is as dangerous on both sides of the ball as the Huskies. While the Huskies lose Newton and Cam Spencer, I could see a couple of top guard transfers in UConn’s future. And it would be a strange decision for any of UConn’s top producers to leave in the middle of what many are calling a dynasty.
It’s the mindset that sets UConn basketball apart, though. “UConn vs. Everybody” received mixed reviews, some saying the Huskies were trying to capitalize on “Michigan vs. Everybody,” who tried to bite off the Lions’ “Detroit vs. Everybody,” which is the title of a hit Eminem song, who is a Detroit native.
Give me a break. Here’s a question: Have you ever heard of LaBradford Smith?
LaBradford Smith was the Washington Bullets’ 19th overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft. Smith was on an uphill trend in the league, having a stellar second year. In March of 1993, he scored 37 points on Michael Jordan. After the game, he went up to Jordan and said, “Good game, Mike.” Jordan and the Bulls played Washington again the following night. Jordan proceeded to dismantle Smith, scoring 36 points in the first half alone. Smith, following that game, bounced around the league for another year and never played in the NBA again.
The kicker: Jordan admitted years later that Smith never even spoke to him after the 37 point performance. Jordan made it up as motivation, and then quite literally ended his career.
In conclusion: “UConn vs. Everybody” represents a mentality that all the greats have. You want to go on social media and tear them down for it? That is EXACTLY what UConn wants. Be my guest.
And with that, the 2023-24 NCAA Men’s Basketball Season has come to an end. Congratulations to UConn on their second-straight championship.
We now begin the countdown to November.