Danny’s Dog Dynasty 🐺

04/09/2024

By: Jeff Yoder

UConn Pulls Away in 2nd Half to Beat Purdue (75-60) & Win Back-to-Back NCAA Titles in Most Dominant Tournament Run of All-Time

It was the nation’s best player vs. the nation’s best team for all the marbles on Monday night in the desert. And if UConn wasn’t officially a blue blood, they are now. Connecticut and Purdue played neck-and-neck with three ties and seven lead changes for the first 15 minutes of last night’s title clash, but the Huskies pulled away just before halftime (36-30) and opened the second half with an 11-4 run (47-34) to gain control. Purdue kept fighting, but this UConn team has zero flaws. The Huskies executed down the stretch to complete the repeat bid (75-60), and Monday’s coronation put Danny Hurley’s dogs in elite company — six championships, the first repeat title since 2007, and one of the most dominant tournament runs of all time. Let’s rewind UConn’s epic run with some championship game and tournament notes.

UConn’t Stop This Team: The Huskies finished their six 2024 NCAA Tournament games with a plus-140 point differential, the most of any team in tourney history by more than ten points. They won all six games by double digits (just like last year). That’s 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament games won by 10-plus points.

Extra Blue Blooded: UConn’s sixth national championship puts them in the upper echelon of “blue bloods,” if they weren’t already. That’s tied for third-most with North Carolina (6). Only Kentucky (8) and UCLA (11) have more. Even Duke (5) and Kansas (4) have less than UConn now. They’re the first team in 17 years to repeat as back-to-back champs (Florida, 2006-07), and they’re also 6-0 all-time in national championship games and 12-1 in Final Four games. Remarkable…

Enabling Edey: The big-man matchup of Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan was billed as a heavyweight fight, but UConn’s game plan worked to perfection. The Huskies played Edey (mostly) straight up and chose to give him 37 points (10 rebounds) inside while making it a priority to defend the 3-point line instead. Purdue made just one 3 (1-for-7), and they entered the championship averaging nine made 3s per game. Edey finished with the second-most points (177) in a single tourney run (29.5 ppg). Only Glenn Rice (184 pts) had more in 1989.

Danny’s Dog Dynasty: To tie a bow on this year’s NCAA Tournament, Hurley’s Huskies solidified their place as one of the greatest tourney teams ever. They had no holes and no flaws with a balanced, full-team attack. The five-man lineup of Tristen Newton (20 pts), Stephon Castle (15 pts), Cam Spencer (11 pts), Donovan Clingan (11 pts), and Alex Karaban (5 pts) were the best team all season long. Tristen Newton won the Final Four MOP (Most Outstanding Player), and Hurley has officially put UConn in dynasty mode.

Credit to the Boilers who powered their way through five games to avenge recent tourney disasters, but they ran into a buzzsaw on Monday. The Huskies are back-to-back champs, and the (dog) dynasty is real.

Watch: UConn Beats Purdue (75-60) to Win 2nd Straight NCAA Title

Watch: ‘One Shining Moment’ (2024 NCAA Tournament)

SI: Dan Hurley Makes Bold Statement After UConn Wins 2nd Straight Championship

Yahoo! Sports: Husky Power! UConn Slams Exclamation Point on Back-to-Back Titles

Sporting News: Purdue’s Cam Heide Electrifies Championship Crowd With Dunk of the Tournament

FOX Sports: Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2024-25 College Basketball Season

Photo: Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images