GLENDALE, Ariz. — Gameday has arrived. Tonight, UConn (36-3) squares off against Purdue (34-4) in one of this generation’s most anticipated national championship games.
The nation’s two best college basketball teams during the 2023-2024 season meet at 9:20 p.m. in State Farm Stadium. The television broadcast is on TBS.
For UConn, the No. 1 overall seed, a sixth NCAA title is on the line; the Huskies are 5-0 all-time in national championship games. Purdue, also a No. 1 seed, is in the title game for the first time since 1969, and the program looks to win its first national championship.
UConn defeated No. 4 seed Alabama to reach the championship game, while Purdue bested No. 11 seed NC State.
In this matchup of top-level defenses and offenses, KenPom ranks UConn as the country’s most efficient offense, while Purdue ranks third. UConn has the country’s fourth-most efficient defense, while Purdue ranks 12th.
KenPom ranks UConn as the best team overall in the country, while Purdue ranks second, pitting the top two teams in the nation against each other on the sport’s biggest stage.
Heading into the national championship, the big story is the matchup between Purdue’s 7’4 center Zach Edey, who won his second consecutive Naismith National Player of the Year yesterday, and UConn’s 7’2 center Donovan Clingan, who is a projected top pick in the NBA Draft and is playing the best basketball of his career in the NCAA Tournament.
Edey, a senior, averages 24.9 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. During the NCAA Tournament, he is averaging 28 points per game, including a 40-point outburst in Purdue’s Elite Eight victory over No. 2 seed Tennessee. Edey is a force on the defensive end, where he averaged more than two blocks per game this season.
Clingan, a sophomore, overcame the injury bug early in the season to become an All-Big East Honorable Mention, but his play over the past month has moved him up NBA Draft boards. During the NCAA Tournament, Clingan has averaged 16.2 points per game and has been a defensive menace, averaging 3.6 blocks per game.
Edey is elite at drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. Clingan has battled foul trouble during spurts of the season. If Clingan gets into foul trouble early, UConn will rely on 6’10 junior forward Sampson Johnson to defend the back-to-back National Player of the Year.
If Purdue has an advantage in the paint in Edey, UConn has the upper hand on the perimeter with its guard play, especially with the size of the Huskies guards. The Huskies are led by 6’5 First Team All-American Tristen Newton, a fifth-year player who received the Bob Cousy Award on Saturday, recognizing him as the top point guard in Division I. Newton has not played his best basketball during the tournament; he will look to have a breakout game tonight against Purdue’s smaller guards.
UConn 6’6 freshman guard Stephon Castle, one of the top defenders in the country, has played lockdown defense against multiple high-level scorers during the Huskies’ tournament run. He also scored 21 points against Alabama in the Final Four. If UConn can pull out one more victory and Castle performs at a similar level, he could be the first freshman to win Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four since Duke’s Tyus Jones in 2015.
At 6’4, Cam Spencer is a fifth-year First Team All-Big East guard for the Huskies who shot 44.3% from three-point land this season. He has been hot and cold from long range during UConn’s tournament run but is averaging 13.8 points per game during the NCAAs. Look for Spencer to get his shot off tonight from distance against Purdue.
On the perimeter, Purdue is led by 6’0 sophomore guard Braden Smith, who averaged 12 points, 5.9 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game this season. He is only averaging 8.4 points per game during the NCAA Tournament. He is, however, dangerous from three-point territory.
Purdue’s 6’4 sophomore guard Fletcher Loyer is also a deep threat for Purdue, averaging 10.6 points per game this season. During the tournament, he has averaged 11.6 points per game and can also hit from long distance.
For Purdue, 6’1 senior guard Lance Jones averaged 11.9 points per game this season. While he’s less of a three-point threat, he can still hit from distance and has averaged 9.6 points per game during the tournament.
Purdue did enter the NCAA Tournament as the best three-point shooting team in the country, hitting 41% of their shots from distance. UConn’s guards will look to use their size advantage to prevent Purdue from getting the clean looks they are accustomed to.
If UConn can limit Edey to 20 points and prevent Purdue from reigning threes, the Huskies will be in a solid position to win. If Purdue’s shooters see their shots go in and Edey scores 30 or more points, it will be a dangerous proposition for UConn.
Look for Clingan and Johnson to neutralize Edey to a degree and for UConn’s perimeter defenders to be able to lock down Purdue’s three-point scorers. That is UConn’s recipe for success tonight in what will almost certainly be a close ballgame from start to finish.
Worth noting, Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut and Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana, home of Purdue, have placed a friendly wager on the game. Lamont is betting a case of beer from Athletic Brewing Co., a box of chocolates from Munson's Chocolates and a New Haven-style pizza from Sally's Apizza that UConn will be victorious, while Holcomb is wagering Triple XXX root beer, sugar cream pie from Wick's and a pork tenderloin from Harry's Chocolate Shop that Purdue will win, according to a release from Lamont's office.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.