UConn Dices Up Purdue's Defense, 75-60, Shrinking Zach Edey To Repeat As March Madness Champs

Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies are back-to-back college basketball national champions.

Even with the greatness of Zach Edey, UConn crushed the Purdue Boilermakers, 75-60, to cap a dominant tournament run. As noted on the broadcast, UConn finished with the best point differential (+140) in tournament history — passing the 1996 Kentucky Wildcats' mark at +126.

UConn Repeats, Zach Edey Inspires More Doubters, And Dan ‘The Man’ Hurley 

The Huskies finished with a 37-3 record en route to their repeat championship. The program won their sixth national championship Monday night, also becoming the first team to repeat as champions since Billy Donovan's 2005-06 Florida Gators. 

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - APRIL 08: Head coach Dan Hurley and Alex Karaban #11 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrate after beating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 08, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Purdue's foul troubles and lack of offensive output aside from Zach Edey buried them early on. 

UConn controlled the game, but Edey and Hurley made the headlines.

Coming into the contest, Edey's critics questioned whether the traditionally built center could translate to the pros. Edey's back-to-basketball play produced 16 points in the first half. The Boilermakers were down six points at the break.

Equally standing out on the stat sheet were Edey's zero assists heading into the break, highlighting the concerns with Edey's deficiencies compared to modern-day centers.

Credit to Purdue's Camden Heide for the highlight play of the night: an emphatic putback dunk.

WATCH:

Dan Hurley, the premier X's and O's coach all tournament, put his aggressive attitude on display for the national audience. 

Hurley growled at the Purdue players and even got in a spat with Edey in the first half. The Huskies fed off Hurley's electricity, reaching a double-digit lead within five minutes of second-half action. 

Hurley crushed the gas pedal from there. 

At one point, Hurley drifted so far into the court, lost in the action, that he reached and physically pushed his player. The moment was trademark DH.

UConn didn't need to shut down Edey, who finished with 37 points, but they did choke out the rest of the Purdue cast. Edey's physicality became a storyline this tourney. On several nights, the referees appeared to give Edey some favor. Hurley barked at Edey in the first half and told fellow Boilermakers to stop "flopping." The coach played a fearless game and sped up the pace to keep Purdue's Edey-reliant offense lagging behind.

Gampel Pavilion in Mansfield, Connecticut, went berserk. The Huskies' home venue hosted 6,700 students, all roaring for the championship team and Dan Hurley.

The landscape of college basketball could pivot in a different direction with the latest coaching shakeup. 

UConn's all set behind their dynamic coach. 

"You can't even wrap your mind around it," Hurley said after the game. "We recruit NBA talent who are not willing to make it all about themselves. ... UConn wins and the players win."

Hurley then joked about retiring on Tuesday.

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - APRIL 08: Zach Edey #15 of the Purdue Boilermakers walks across the court in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 08, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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