The UConn Huskies won the men’s basketball national title on Monday night (April 3), dominating San Diego State in the 76-59 win. It is UConn’s fifth national title in program history and fifth in the last 24 years, which is two more than the next highest team over that span.
THE UCONN HUSKIES ARE YOUR 2023 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 🏆@UConnMBB #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/b9jUkbkNM2
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 4, 2023
The fourth-seeded Huskies did it with defense in this one. They held the fifth-seeded Aztecs to just 32% shooting from the field, including 26% from three. They turned that defense into offense, going on a 20-4 run over a 10-minute stretch in the first half to go into halftime up 36-24.
The Aztecs, who overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to beat Florida Atlantic in the Final Four, were able to bring the lead down to five with 5:19 to go in the game. However, UConn immediately went on a 9-0 run and held the Aztecs to one field goal over that final 5:19 to put the game away.
BASKETBALL CAPITAL OF THE WORLD ‼️🌎🏆#HU5KIES pic.twitter.com/DXSuf0XRz9
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) April 4, 2023
The domination UConn displayed in this game was the norm throughout the tournament, as the Huskies became the fifth team since the bracket expanded in 1985 to beat all six of their tourney opponents by double-digits. During the season, they went 17-0 against non-conference opponents (including tourney opponents), winning by an average of 24 points. Besides a 2-6 stretch in December and January they went 25-2, only losing to tournament teams Marquette and Creighton.
With the win, Dan Hurley becomes the third UConn head coach to lead the school to a title, joining Jim Calhoun (1999, 2004, 2011) and Kevin Ollie (2014). The Huskies become the fourth men’s program to win a national championship with three different coaches and the first to do it with all three coaches hired in succession. Their five titles ties them with Duke and Indiana for fourth on the all-time list.
Dan Hurley said this after a heartbreaking loss to Villanova in 2020 👀@UConnMBB pic.twitter.com/M9P0cFngD6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 4, 2023
UConn forward Adama Sanogo took home the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, averaging 19.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks a game with four double-doubles, including Monday night with his 17 point, 10 rebound performance. Point guard Tristen Newton joined him in the double-double category, putting up a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Keshad Johnson led the way for SDSU with 14 points. Their usually stout defense allowed the Huskies to shoot 50% from the field in the first half while their offense was held without a field goal for an 11-minute stretch in the half. They became the fourth 5-seed to make the Final Four, but yet again the seed exits without a champion.
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