GLENDALE, Arizona. – Tristen Netwon waited for the ball screen at the top, then hit big man Donovan Clingan down the lane for an emphatic dunk. The Connecticut court exploded.
Although it took longer than usual, the Huskies pulled away from Alabama on Saturday night for an 86-72 victory at State Farm Stadium. UConn advances to face Purdue in Monday night’s national championship game, giving the Huskies a chance to become the first school to repeat as men’s basketball national champions since Florida in 2006 and 2007.
The final step will not be easy. The Boilermakers beat NC State 63-50 in Saturday night’s first national semifinal matchup, a contest in which they were not far behind.
The title game will feature a battle of big men: Purdue’s 7-foot-4 Zach Edey and 7-foot-2 Clingan. It will also showcase two coaches who kept their teams in the Top 5 of the AP Poll all season long. UConn spent seven weeks at No. 1, Purdue spent five.
Entering Saturday, the Huskies had not been challenged in this tournament. They beat Stetson, Northwestern, San Diego State and Illinois by an average of 27.8 points. Their only hiccup came on the flight to the Final Four, as mechanical and weather issues delayed the team’s arrival until 3 a.m. Thursday.
That changed against Alabama. For more than 30 minutes, the Crimson Tide tested the Huskies (36-3). With 12:44 left in the second half, Grant Nelson hit a soft uppercut to tie the contest at 56-56. Then the game changed.
UConn guard Stephon Castle made two free throws and scored on penetration. Samson Johnson rolled toward the basketball and went down. Alex Karaban recovered a ruling. Eight points in a row. Connecticut had its largest lead at 64-56. Alabama coach Nate Oats called time. I do not care.
The Huskies played with poise in the final minutes, limiting the barrage of three-pointers that had hurt them in the first half. Steady from the start, Castle led UConn with 21 points. Clingan added 18 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots. Newton scored 12 points and nine assists. Karaban and Cam Spencer each contributed 14 points.
UConn shot 53 percent in the second half.
Alabama, competing in the first Final Four in school history, finished 25-12. Mark Sears led the Crimson Tide with 24 points. After shooting 8 of 11 from 3-point range in the first half, they were just 3-for-12 in the second.
On Monday, UConn and coach Danny Hurley will try to repeat as national champions. For the past 50 years, this has been a nearly impossible task. Aside from Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators, the only other school to repeat is Duke, which did so in 1992. Hurley’s older brother, Bobby, was a standout point guard on those teams.
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(Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
