Purdue’s bid for NCAA national championship falls short as UConn wins back-to-back titles

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Purdue’s season was special in so many ways.

Another Big Ten regular-season championship. No. 26 for those counting. Another climb up to No. 1 in the polls. Magic moments inside Mackey Arena, which has been packed for 73 consecutive games. That number will increase next season.

Winning the Maui Invitational, the victories over Alabama and Arizona and impressive road wins at Wisconsin and Illinois kept the Boilermakers among the nation’s best.

Atoning for last year’s NCAA tournament first-round loss to a No. 16 seed by knocking off Grambling State and taking care of Utah State, Gonzaga and Tennessee to reach the Final Four for the first time in 44 years.

The victory over North Carolina State in the semifinals put the program on the verge of making history, winning the program’s first NCAA national championship.

But this exceptional season ran into a historically special team from UConn. And for the second straight year, the top-ranked Huskies claimed the national title, defeating the third-ranked Boilermakers 75-60 before a capacity crowd of 74,423 at State Farm Center.

Zach Edey put up big numbers in his final game, totaling 37 points and nine rebounds but the Boilermakers attempted a season-low seven shots from 3-point range. Tristen Newton and Stephon Castle combined for 35 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

UConn becomes the eighth program to win consecutive championships and the first since Florida in 2006 and 2007. Duke, UCLA, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Kentucky, and Oklahoma State are on the list, but it’s not a lot in 86 years of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Purdue appeared in its first national championship game since 1969 but suffered the same fate as it did 55 years ago. The Boilermakers finished the season with a program record of 33 victories.

Coach Matt Painter’s team was trying to duplicate Virginia’s success in 2019 after losing to a No. 16 seed in the first round the year before. Purdue lost to No. 16 seed FDU last year but was following the same path as the Cavaliers until Monday’s loss.

And the Big Ten suffered another defeat in the title game. The losing skid reached eight since Michigan State won the championship in 2000. Seven different conference teams were in a position to snap the streak but came up short.

The Huskies seemed determined not to let Purdue get going from the 3-point line. They rarely doubled Zach Edey inside in the first half and allowed the National Player of the Year to go one-on-one in the post. UConn stayed with shooters for as long as possible.

In the first half, the Boilermakers attempted two shots from beyond the arc. Braden Smith hit a fadeaway from 3-point range, which capped a 5-0 run and brought Purdue within 32-30.

Trey Kaufman-Renn scored the game’s first basket and Lance Jones completed a three-point play but Edey and Smith combined for the final 25 points going into halftime.

The Huskies increased the advantage to 41-32 early in the second half, but Camden Heide’s one-handed dunk – after an Edey miss – injected energy into the Boilermakers. But UConn slowed the momentum with a pair of offensive rebounds and established its control.

The Huskies have advanced throughout the tournament with big runs and delivered the knockout blow after Purdue closed within two points late in the first half. They used a methodical 27-12 run over a 12-minute stretch to lead by 17 –Purdue’s largest deficit of the season.

The Boilermakers have dominated the rebounding throughout the tournament, holding an +89 margin, but UConn’s quickness allowed it to crash the offensive glass and collect second-chance points. The Huskies held a 35-28 advantage.

Monday’s loss shouldn’t overshadow the career of Edey, who will leave as one the best – if not the best player in program history. Edey finishes his career as the all-time leader in points and rebounds. That’s just a starting point of his accomplishments.

While the perception is Purdue’s window to win a national championship is closed with the loss of Edey, transfer Lance Jones, Mason Gillis, and Ethan Morton, don’t discount a return trip in the near future.

It may not happen next season, but Painter continues to recruit at a high level. With three starters returning—Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Kaufman-Renn—along with Heide and Myles Colvin and a six-player recruiting class, the Boilermakers have reached a point of reloading instead of rebuilding.

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