The University of Connecticut (UConn) won the NCAA Tournament last Monday in Glendale, Arizona by delivering a beatdown to Purdue according to Uconn Coach Dan Hurley.
UConn put their offensive and defensive abilities against Purdue’s Zach Edey, 7-foot-4 AP Player of the Year, to come out victorious with a final score of 75-60.
“I just think it’s the best two-year run in a very, very long time, just because of everything we lost from last year’s team,” said Hurley.
UConn became the first team since 2006 to win back-to-back NCAA Tournaments and is the 8th school to do so. Uconn won all of their tournament games by at least 14 points; their dominance led them to their second national championship in a row.
“After watching the first couple of games, I knew no one was going to take down Uconn. They were just better than every team in every way,” said Junior Evan Reichert.
UConn remains a perfect 6-0 in championship games and it’s one of the reasons that Uconn Guard Cam Spencer is returning for a 5th year to try to win it all again next year.
“This program is all about winning, and there’s a blue-collar toughness in Storrs, Connecticut. Everything here is about growing as a player and finding ways to win,” said Spencer.
While UConn winning wasn’t a huge surprise to some people, North Carolina State became the 5th 11-seed to ever make the Final Four. Although they didn’t win, fans across the country cheered them on alongside NC State Forward DJ Burns.
“The drive, passion and determination. The ability to put himself on the line for that team and that coaching staff playing minutes that he probably had never played in his college career,” said Father Dwight Burns.
NC State’s DJ Burns gained his popularity through his joyful personality and his nimble movements for his big body, this made fans excited to watch him ball all the way to the Final Four.
“Although NC State fell short of winning the championship, their historic run was fun to watch. Everyone wanted them to make it to the championship just because of DJ Burns’ likability,” said Reichert.