UConn Takes Men’s Title
The Huskies improved to 5-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament national finals, which is the best winning percentage and the most wins among undefeated teams in the title game. Interestingly enough, four of the five title game wins have come in the state of Texas and this is the second UConn title in Houston, the other coming in 2011.
By Earl Heath, Contributing Sports Writer
The UCONN men’s hoop team had a rock-solid chin and a cool hand in turning back San Diego State, 76-59, to win their fifth title in the past 25 years.
Tristen Newton scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Connecticut, which also got 17 points and 10 rebounds from Adama Sanogo, who was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four. Hawkins added 16 points — including a critical 3-pointer that stymied San Diego State.
The Huskies improved to 5-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament national finals, which is the best winning percentage and the most wins among undefeated teams in the title game. Interestingly enough, four of the five title game wins have come in the state of Texas and this is the second UConn title in Houston, the other coming in 2011. That 2011 UConn team is also the last team to start the season unranked in the preseason AP Top 25 poll and finish as national champions.
Th Aztecs had never before advanced past the round of 16, was trying claim the schools first title, tried to rallying from 15 points down in the second half to claim a championship. But the Aztecs just did not have enough offense, shooting 32.2 percent from the field and missing 14 consecutive shots in the first half, when the Huskies seized control.
No team has won three national titles under three coaches in a span of 13 years, and by winning a fifth NCAA Tournament title UConn moves into a tie with Duke and Indiana on the all-time list. Only UCLA (11), Kentucky (8) and North Carolina (6) have more titles than the Huskies, and all of those titles have been won in a shorter window than any of those other programs in the top six. It’s been difficult to put a pin in UConn as a blue blood of the sport even in the midst of obvious success, perhaps because of the coaching turnover in recent years. But in reality this years run was important because it marked a return to the biggest games in the tournament-The Title Game.
