UConn made it look inevitable again.
For the second year in a row, the Huskies dominated on their march to a title — and now they're the first team to win consecutive national crowns since Florida in 2006 and 2007. The latest victim was Purdue and Naismith winner Zach Edey, as UConn won the battle of No. 1 seeds, 75-60, Monday night in Glendale, Arizona.
The Huskies won their six tournament games by 140 points — or 23.33 per game. It was a sequel to the 2023 run, when UConn won the national title with a winning margin of 20 per game.
Tristen Newton led UConn (37-3) with 20 points and seven assists, but he had plenty of help. Stephon Castle had 15, Cam Spencer had a busy night with 11 points and eight rebounds and Donovan Clingan had 11 points and five boards.
Though Edey finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds, his teammates finished only nine of 29 from the floor (31 percent). Purdue, which hoped to follow 2018-19 Virginia by going from losing to a No. 16 seed one year to cutting down the nets, made only one of seven 3-point attempts. The Boilermakers (34-5) were the No. 2 3-point shooting team in the nation.
UConn is now 6-0 in national championship games — all since 1999.