In the national championship game on Monday, the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team defeated San Diego State 76-59 to win its fifth title in the previous 25 years. The Huskies capitalised on a scoring slump by San Diego State in the first half to pull out to a comfortable lead and held on in the second half, led by Most Outstanding Player Adama Sanogo’s 17 points and 10 rebounds.
San Diego State was fortunate to trail by only 12 points at the half after making just eight field goals and committing nine turnovers in the first half. Sanogo and Donovan Clingan, two dominant interior players for UConn, caused the Aztecs to struggle close to the basket.
Since the selection committee began placing teams in 1985, UConn was the second No. 4 seed to win the NCAA championship. Since UConn won the championship in 2011 despite losing nine Big East games, no winner has suffered as many conference defeats as the Huskies, who suffered eight losses to opponents from the Big East. Due to a difficult stretch in Big East play at the start of the season, the Huskies were seeded outside the top 12 overall.
San Diego State had a few efforts to rally, including a 9-0 run with 7:40 left to trim the deficit to six points, but UConn was always prepared and never appeared exposed to a huge run. With less than five minutes remaining, Jordan Hawkins made a 3-pointer from beyond the arc to give UConn a lead of double digits and secure the victory.
The victory for UConn was the team’s first since 2014 and the first for head coach Dan Hurley. It was a commanding display of the Huskies’ talent and capacity to triumph under duress. The UConn men’s basketball team deserves congratulations on winning the championship.