The University of Connecticut (UConn) defeated San Diego State 76-58, to win the men’s championship title for the fifth time.
The Connecticut team played one of the most impressive games in history on Monday night, dominating San Diego State to bring home its fifth national title with a 76-59 victory.
“We knew we were the best team in the tournament going in, and we just had to play to our level,” said their head coach Dan Hurley.
“You have to talk about them as one of the most dominant teams that we have seen in the last couple of decades,” college basketball expert and CBS Sports journalist Jon Rothstein said.
UConn’s Adama Sanogo, won Most Outstanding Player honors, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the final. Tristen Newton also had a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards.
The Huskies (31-8) is the fifth team since the bracket grew in 1985 to bag all six NCAA Tournament games by double-digits on its way to a championship. They won those six games by an average of 20 points, only a fraction less than what North Carolina did in 2009.
UConn started with a 16-point lead late in the first half. Aztecs (32-7) brought it down to five with 5:19 left, before Jordan Hawkins (16 points), came with a 3 to trigger a 9-0 run.
“It’s absolutely amazing that we both get this opportunity. The family reunion is going to be crazy,” Hawkins said.
Jordan Hawkins’s cousin, Angel Reese, had won the MOP honors the previous night to help LSU win the NCAA women’s title.