UConn has its fifth men’s national championship in program history.
The Huskies completed a remarkable five-year rebuild by coach Dan Hurley to bring the program back to prominence. A No. 4 seed, UConn was dominant all tournament, even if Monday’s 76–59 victory against San Diego State may have been a bit deceiving after the Aztecs pulled within five points late in the second half.
Here are five takeaways from the title game:
UConn’s size at the rim was overwhelming
UConn’s 1–2 punch at center with Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan has protected the rim at an elite level all season, but San Diego State seemed even more intimidated than most when attempting to score at the basket. The Aztecs were 0-for-5 on layups in the first half (3-for-10 overall) and looked clearly bothered by the length of the Huskies.
Perhaps the clearest illustration came with just under seven minutes to go in the first half, when big man Nathan Mensah turned down a clean look for a hook shot near the basket and instead passed to an unsuspecting Jaedon LeDee. That turnover turned into a three on the other end for Jordan Hawkins that stretched UConn’s lead from nine to 12 as the Huskies started to get some separation. That intimidation even trickled down to UConn’s guards: San Diego State’s Darrion Trammell seemed to look over his shoulder at a hard-charging Tristen Newton in transition, causing Trammell to miss a wide-open layup when the Aztecs couldn’t buy a basket.
UConn’s full control of the rim was a major reason for its dominance. Miami shot just 31% on two-pointers against the Huskies on Saturday (the Canes shot nearly 54% from two on the season), and only Gonzaga shot over 40% on twos against the Huskies in their six tournament games.
Godofredo A. Vasquez/AP
San Diego State didn’t have enough offensive muscle
With the rim completely shut down by Sanogo and Clingan, there was little San Diego State could do to generate consistent offense. For the Aztecs to pull off the upset, they were going to need one of their lesser-known contributors to step up. Instead, the Aztecs’ bench was silenced, with wing Micah Parrish cold from beyond the arc and frequent weapon LeDee struggling early with the Huskies’ length.
The more-than-10-minute drought without a field goal in the first half was what allowed UConn to take full control of the game, and although San Diego State had pulled off a 14-point rally against FAU on Saturday, its offense just isn’t built to play from behind. It had enough in the tank to briefly cut the deficit to five, but that big early gap was too much to overcome.
UConn responded to its first real challenge
UConn’s dominance this March (an average margin of victory of more than 20 points in its first five tournament games) meant the Huskies hadn’t really experienced something like the run San Diego State made as games came down the stretch. UConn looked a bit flustered at times as the Aztecs ratcheted up the intensity, but in the end, it answered the bell when it most needed baskets. Sanogo had a huge putback to settle things down when San Diego State cut the UConn lead to six, and Hawkins drilled a huge three with the building roaring and UConn’s lead down to just five. Facing one of the best close-game teams in the country (the Aztecs were 10–1 this season in games decided by five points or fewer), UConn didn’t let the game become a nail-biter in the final seconds.
The poise of Newton was also impressive. His driving finish with 2:51 to go that pushed UConn’s lead to 12 felt like the hammer. Newton did have five turnovers, three of which came in the first five minutes, but he stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
Sanogo belongs in Huskies lore
UConn’s four previous men’s championships have been defined by stars: Rip Hamilton in 1999, Emeka Okafor in ’04, Kemba Walker in ’11 and Shabazz Napier in ’14. This championship belongs to Sanogo, who was a consistently dominant force. It started with his remarkable 22-point second half to help UConn pull away from Iona in Albany and was followed by a career-high in assists against Gonzaga, two threes against Miami and one more double double in the title game Monday. Sanogo arrived in Storrs after the first two seasons of the Hurley era. Regardless of what he decides about his senior season, his tournament performance cements his legacy as an all-time Huskies great.
The Huskies aren’t going anywhere
UConn does have some big looming draft decisions that could go either way:Andre Jackson Jr.’s and Sanogo’s moves will be closely tracked, and Clingan’s stock has risen during the tournament. But other than a clear first-rounder in Hawkins, it’s possible UConn will have a lot of this core back for another season. Even just getting Jackson and one of the Sanogo-Clingan duo back would be enough to cement UConn as a likely top-five team and potentially the preseason No. 1 spot in next year’s poll.
Plus, this run should only add further fuel to the fire for a UConn program recruiting at an extraordinarily high level right now. The Huskies have a top-five recruiting class in the nation in 2023 per 247Sports, headlined by five-star guard Stephon Castle and two other top-75 players. Much was made about the lack of a single McDonald’s All-American in this year’s Final Four, but recruiting hasn’t been a problem at UConn. The Huskies have landed some of the highest-rated multiyear college players like Sanogo, Jackson and Hawkins, the core that led them to the title.
