It should’ve been obvious the day the season tipped off on November 6th that it would all come back to this.
The first two games for seeded teams this season, coincidentally, were No. 3 Purdue taking on Samford and No. 6 UConn against Northern Arizona.
Those were our first tastes of the teams that would define this season of college basketball, of domination, of history yet to be written, of glory and defeat at the end of it all.
Purdue and UConn both won by 43 points in displays that would become all too familiar for the next few months. Those mid-major teams were simply measuring sticks for these juggernauts. The only test that remains is the one in front of them.
The UConn Huskies have been the best team in the country all year, leaving no questions as to why or how they won the national title last season. Their seven weeks atop the AP Poll were the most in the country and they ended the year atop the rankings.
They’ve only improved on last year’s championship-winning roster by giving big man Donovan Clingan a bigger role in the starting five and bringing in transfer Cam Spencer from Rutgers to function as their sharpshooter and five-star freshman Stephon Castle as another rangy guard.
Purdue, meanwhile, brought back Zach Edey, the best player in the country, and has somehow elevated his performance even more this season.
Coming off a unanimous AP All-American season in which he swept up almost every individual award possible, he came into the year the favourite to do it all again. He joined the short list of players to repeat as AP Player of the Year and Naismith Trophy winners and is a virtual lock to take home the Wooden Award once it’s announced on April 9.
But more importantly, the team success has followed close behind, as the Boilermakers have greatly improved upon their disastrous first-round upset last year by having their most successful regular season (34-4) since 1938 and following it up by making it to the second National Final in school history.
While Purdue has yet to cut down the nets in the Natty, UConn is more than used to that feeling having done it five times before. Can Edey and the Boilermakers snatch the taste of a repeat from the jaws of the Huskies, or will one of the most legendary collegiate careers end showered by confetti that doesn’t belong to them?
Legacies are written here and now.
Here’s a preview of the legendary National Final to come.
How they got here
Purdue:
First round: Defeated (16) Grambling State 78-50
Second round: Defeated (8) Utah State 106-67
Sweet 16: Defeated (5) Gonzaga 80-68
Elite Eight: Deafeated (2) Tennessee 72-66
Final Four: Defeated (11) N.C. State 63-50
UConn:
First Round: Defeated (16) Stetson 91-52
Second Round: Defeated (9) Northwestern 75-58
Sweet 16: Defeated (5) San Diego State 82-52
Elite Eight: Deafeated (3) Illinois 77-52
Final Four: Defeated (4) Alabama 86-72
Key Players
Purdue – Zach Edey
How far can one man carry his team?
That question will be answered on Monday night as Purdue superstar Zach Edey faces his toughest challenge since entering the collegiate ranks.
Edey is in the midst of an all-time run. A ridiculous regular season saw him score 24.4 points, grab 11.7 rebounds and swat 2.2 shots while putting up a ridiculous .659 true shooting percentage. And he’s only followed it up when it’s mattered most, functioning as the locomotive, engine and stoker for the Boilermakers in the NCAA Tournament, upping his numbers to an absurd 28.0 points, 15.4 rebounds and .669 true shooting.
For the advanced stats fans, well, he’s first in the Big Ten in effective field goal percentage (.625), true shooting percentage (.660), offensive (7.7) and defensive win shares (2.6) and is top in the country in player efficiency rating (39.2), win shares per 40 (.339), box plus/minus (16.7) and offensive rating (135.5).
The race for the Player of the Year was never up for debate. Purdue isn’t Purdue without Edey. This college basketball season isn’t anything close to what it’s been without Edey.
Now, as the Toronto native suits up for his last-ever game with Purdue, he has the opportunity to put a bow on a storied career, one that already belongs in the pantheon of NCAA campaigns, but one that would benefit hugely from a storybook ending.
UConn – Donovan Clingan
If there’s one player in the country who can match up with Edey defensively it’s Donovan Clingan.
The 7-foot-2, 265lb big has put a lid on the rim over the course of this NCAA Tournament, stuffing 3.6 shots a game including an eight-block performance against Northwestern in the second round, five against Illinois in the Elite Eight and then four against Alabama to send the Huskies to the National Final.
He’s been the pre-eminent force in the Big East this season, finishing first in the conference in win shares per 40 (.306), box plus/minus (15.2), defensive rating (89.0), rebounding percentage (19.4) and block percentage (11.8) and was second in the country behind Edey in player efficiency rating (34.5).
Edey’s been stellar this season, but the stiffest competition he’s faced at the centre position might have been the 7-foot Kel’el Ware from Indiana or the 6-foot-9 Graham Ike of Gonzaga.
Neither are at the level of Clingan, who’s made a living holding the country’s best bigs below their seasons averages. He held UNC’s Armando Bacot to 13, Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson to 15, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner to 11 and 15, and Indiana’s Ware to 11.
Matching up physically with Edey is a tall mountain to climb, but Clingan might have the best chance at overcoming it.
X-Factors
Purdue – Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith
Edey finally has some help. It’s not always reliable, but the bar for consistency was pretty low after last year’s roller coaster.
In the tournament, the Boilermakers have shot 39.3 per cent from long range, but when you take out the brutal 3-for-15 game against Tenneesee in the Sweet 16, they’re hitting 41.1 per cent of their looks, and much of that is due to the work of Loyer and Smith.
The two second-year guards are hitting a combined 39.0 per cent of their shots beyond the arc, with Loyer connecting on 50 per cent of his looks.
Purdue’s three-point shooting has been one of the most important facets of their success, as they hit at the second-best rate in the country at 40.6, behind only Kentucky at 40.9 per cent. Compare that to last year’s 32.2 mark from deep and it’s clear as to why the current iteration of Purdue isn’t anything like last year’s first-round upset squad.
Add Lance Jones to the mix, who transferred from the MVC’s Southern Illinois in the offseason, and the Boilermakers’ deck is more stacked than it’s ever been. The level that they play at in the Final should decide if they can keep up with the deeper, on paper, UConn.
UConn – Stephon Castle
The only freshman in the Huskies’ starting five, Stephon Castle, certainly isn’t the primary option. His season averages of 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 47.3 per cent from the field and 26.8 per cent from deep are nowhere near world-beating.
However, in the game against Alabama in the Final Four, the guard proved why he’s likely to be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
He led the team in scoring with 21 points, while notching five rebounds and two assists, but most importantly, was the primary option defending Crimson Tide offensive star Mark Sears.
Though Sears still hung 24 on him, the 6-foot-6 Castle was relentless, going around screens, hustling for loose balls and making all the smart plays against a lightning quick Alabama team.
On offence, they dared Castle to beat them, and he did just that, proving why he was listed as a five-star recruit.
With the Huskies as loaded as they are, if Castle plays up to his ability as he did in the Final Four, Purdue will be forced to pick their poison against a lethal UConn squad.
