UConn beat Purdue and conquer the first back-to-back NCAA title in 17 years

The Huskies have done it again and it almost seemed like a deja vu, compared to last year’s championship game. Coach Dan Hurley once again was screaming and stalking around the bench, giving out another masterclass of his impeccable leadership, as his team beat Purdue 75-60 and they won their second-straight NCAA title. 

“What can you say?” the tactician said. “We won. By a lot again.” Hurley has now become the first coach to conquer back-to-back championships since Billy Donovan did the same with Florida back in 2007, a club that includes names like Mike Krzyzewski and John Wooden.

UConn are now the sixth team in history to win all six tournament matches by double-digit margins. “It means a lot, because I’m a student of the game,” Hurley said after the game. “Basketball’s been my life. I got so much respect for the history of this game.”

Ray Allen said the 2024 Huskies are the greatest UConn team of all time. pic.twitter.com/kxKQzkHD6R

— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) April 9, 2024

Despite rival Zach Edey dropping 37 points on 15 of 25 shooting, the Huskies prevailed and were able to defend the rest of the Boilermakers with ease, as they finished 1 of 7 from beyond the arc.

“Not everybody can do what they just did,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter. “You have to give credit to their defense and their coach and how they’re wired.”

The Huskies were guided by their All-American guard Tristen Newton, who hit 20 points and handed out 7 assists during the championship contest. Freshman Stephon Castle contributed with 15, while center Donovan Clingan and guard Cam Spender scored 11 points each.

“Credit to my teammates and coaching staff for putting me in the right positions to make plays, score, get people involved and get the win tonight,” shared Newton, who received the honour of being selected as the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.

Coach Hurley can’t get enough and said he’s already up for the challenge of winning a third NCAA title next year

The UConn trainer simply can’t get enough of all the glory he’s achieved, and admitted he’s already excited to try and make history next year by earning a third-consecutive NCAA championship. He said he’ll start thinking of next year’s roster on the plan ride home.

“We’re going to dive in and put together a roster that can play a comparable level of basketball to the one that you guys have witnessed the last two years,” Hurley expressed. “That’s I know what our mindset will be. “We’re going to be focusing on trying to put together a three-year run, not just a two-year run.”

However, the tactician did not want to downplay what his Huskies achieved this Monday night in Glendale, Arizona, as he considers this feat incredible difficult.

“You can’t even wrap your mind around it because you just know how hard this tournament is,” the Uconn coach insisted. “What a special group of people, a special coaching staff and incredible group of players.”