GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — UConn and Purdue have dominated this year’s NCAA Tournament. Now they’re set to meet for the national championship on Monday night.
The Huskies are going for the first repeat men’s title since Florida in 2006 and 2007. They have beaten five tournament opponents by an average of 25 points per game, with the closest margin coming by 14 points.
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National championship game
No. 1 East UConn vs. No. 1 Midwest Purdue
- When: 9:20 p.m.
- Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
- TV: TBS, TNT, TruTV
- Records: UConn 36-3; Purdue 34-4
Series: Purdue leads, 4-1. UConn’s lone win, a 72-60 decision, came in the 2009 NCAA Tournament at State Farm Stadium in a West Region semifinal. Prior to that game, the teams hadn’t played since 1992.
Worth noting:
- The teams spent a combined 12 weeks ranked No. 1 this season.
- It is the first meeting of No. 1 seeds in the title game since 2021 (Baylor vs. Gonzaga) and the first such title game in a non-COVID season since 2017 (Gonzaga vs. North Carolina).
- UConn has outscored its opponents by 123 points in this tournament while Purdue has outscored its competition by 98 points. The 223-point combined margin of victory is the highest in the history of the title game.
- UConn is 5-0 in championship games and is looking to become the first repeat champion since Florida in 2006 and 2007.
- UConn entered the tournament ranked No. 1. Purdue owns a win over a top-ranked team this year, beating Arizona on Dec. 16.
- The Boilermakers are the Huskies’ third Big Ten foe in this tournament. UConn beat Northwestern and Illinois. Northwestern split with Purdue this year while the Boilermakers won two games against the Illini.
- UConn has won seven straight Final Four games since losing in the 2009 semifinals against Michigan State.
- Each team has set a single-season program record for victories.
