GLENDALE, Ariz. — UW's dominant national title game victory Monday night at Purdue wasn't built on thunderous runs, exceptional power throws or decisive moments.
That includes a suffocating defense that gradually cuts off oxygen from the Boilermakers' backcourt, a balanced offense with four double-digit scorers, and a precisely executed defensive game plan. It was developed as a fitting tribute to the historic team.
A storm of bright lights led coach Dan Hurley and the Huskies to a glorious moment as UW won back-to-back national championships, giving the school its sixth title since 1999.
And No. 1 overall seed UW defeated fellow No. 1 seed Purdue 75-60, giving the Huskies another drama-free NCAA Tournament run and a record 12 consecutive double-digit wins in the Big Dance. Secured.
After a tense second half, the college basketball world was left with one drama to think about. So, where does his two-year run at UConn rank among all-time repeat players in this sport? And should this UConn team of his be considered the best of all time? Or?
UW finished the tournament winning six games by an average margin of 23.3 points. With 140 points from those six games, they overwhelmed the next favorite to win the title, the University of North Carolina, which won by a total of 125 points in 2009.
“I think it was the best two years we've had in a very long time, considering everything we lost from last year's team,” Hurley said. “To go through that kind of loss and do what we did again, it has to be as impressive as the two-year program that anybody who had a program before Duke has had since then. yeah.”
UConn's 2023 title team won by an average of 20 points per game, or 120 total points. UW lost five of its team's top eight scorers. And perhaps the most convincing argument for the singular superiority of this run is that UConn is a completely different team that accomplished it, and it clearly accomplished it in a different era. about it. Billy Donovan's Florida teams in 2006 and 2007, and Mike Krzyzewski's Duke teams in 1991 and 1992.
“For me, that's more impressive than the University of Florida and Duke bringing back their entire teams,” Hurley said. “We lost some key players.”
Despite a different talent and a different era, UConn showed unprecedented dominance. No other team in NCAA history has won all six of his NCAA Tournament games by a margin of 13 or more. UConn accomplished that in quick succession.
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So where should we consider this UConn run in NCAA Tournament history? It's hard to compare teams and eras because the paradigm of player retention and player tenure has changed so much.
It is certain that UConn will be great for at least a generation, as the extent of its dominance in that era is unparalleled.
Will UW beat a Florida team featuring Joakim Noah, Al Horford, and Corey Brewer? These debates will go on forever leading up to the Final Four bar stools, but if these Huskies teams in the NCAA Tournament It's impossible to argue whether they proved to be consistently better than the Gators teams at the time.
Is UW better than a Duke team led by Huskies coach Bobby Hurley and Krzyzewski? This discussion is about the Hurley family's Thanksgiving table, but the Blue Devils had eight players on their 1992 roster who were ultimately drafted, so the comparison is difficult.
“I can't say anything about Duke because it would upset my brother,” Dan Hurley said. “But I guess you can say that about Florida. But I love Billy Donovan. So I'm in a bad spot.”
What separates UConn and fuels its rise among the greats is that it is not defined by star players or a rigid system.
Instead, the team has played with a steady offense, a tenacity that matches the way coaches plead with referees, and a crispness that doesn't fluctuate as the scoreboard ebbs and flows.
“Not everyone can do what they just did,” Boilermakers coach Matt Painter said, referring to Purdue's discontinuation of guard play.
This UW team won with the creativity of Tristen Newton, the courage of Cam Spencer, the defensive grit of Stephon Castle, the versatility of Alex Karavan and the looming presence of Donovan Clingan. On Monday night, backup center Samson Johnson made a lob and backup guard Hassan Diarra scored nine points, making critical contributions in a win that was still in play.
Clingan and Castle are UW's only guaranteed first-round picks and likely the only draft picks on this roster projected to be in the top 20 of this year's NBA Draft. Perhaps what characterizes this UConn team of his when looking back on history is that the sum total was greater than the collection of its high-end parts.
In summary, the Huskies were a hammer that kept opponents on their knees. They eliminated Purdue's perimeter offense, pulled away thanks to 14 offensive rebounds, and shared the ball enough for 18 assists on 30 baskets. They consistently scored out of timeouts, never flinched when teams made runs, and never faltered as the stakes got higher and higher.
Much of that unflinching personality can be traced back to Hurley, who now stands alongside some of the sport's greats. Besides Donovan and Krzyzewski, the only other coaches to win back-to-back NCAA titles are John Wooden (UCLA), Ed Jacker (Cincinnati), Phil Woolpert (San Francisco), Adolph Rupp (Kentucky), and Henry. Only Iba (Oklahoma State University). ).
And UConn makes a strong case that the program has been the best in college basketball for the past generation, winning six titles in the last 25 years. While other programs have been more consistent over the past quarter-century, none have won at such a high level.
UW Athletic Director David Benedict called it a “historic program,” recognizing UW's ability to persevere despite missing three consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2017 to 2019. said.
“To get back to it the way we did, win four national championships, and then go into a situation where we had a long hiatus, there were a lot of people who might have given up on us forever. I think so,” Benedict said. “And I think it's a very proud day for us, for our coaches and for our fans.”
A day where some of the greatest runs in sports history were made and UConn was embroiled in controversy.
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