GLENDALE, Ariz. — Not even John Calipari is imminent. Shocking sports move from Kentucky to Arkansas We could really go beyond the epic night that awaits us in Monday's NCAA Tournament championship game. Indeed, the build-up to tipoff will be overshadowed by one of the most shocking coaching escapades in the history of the sport. I don't deny that at all.
But Calipari hasn't coached in a Final Four in nine years. Of course, Kentucky hasn't been around just as long. Arkansas hasn't reached this stage since the 1990s. We have to use this week, the entire offseason, to respond to this volcanic story.
This night is about UW and Purdue and the biggest item on the sport's menu: the national championship.
What a great stage has been set for college basketball. Let's dig into that. Let's live in this space. Because no one knows how long it will be until we have another title matchup as great as this one. Think about it this way. No matter how you wrestle until the end of Monday, a legendary finish is guaranteed in this tournament.
This is not necessarily the case at national tournaments. Each one has a different flavor and a different reason to watch it. But they don't appear in the same way. There's something truly special and undeniably fascinating here, and a classic battle between two teams with two giants in the middle.
Top-seeded UW vs. top-seeded Purdue, a school 55 years removed from its last national title game appearance, will face a school that is playing in the game for the second straight season. (And his sixth in that history; all since his 1999.)
Of note: UConn is undefeated in the Final Four/title game. He heads into Monday night's heavyweight battle 11-0 on the biggest stage in sports.
Connecticut and Purdue are 10th championship battle between top seeds in history. This is the second time we've featured a team looking to repeat the national championship (2007 Florida). He will be the first player to feature back-to-back National Players of the Year since UCLA's Bill Walton in 1973.
This will be the second title fight in history between two 7-foot-tall athletes. Zack Eady vs. Donovan Clingan. Big Maple vs. Kling Kong. come. How great is this?
“They understand what we're up against,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “They understand we've never played against a player like UConn. They're no fools. We've got the cable where we're from.”
This is Connecticut, which has a historic record of 11 straight wins by scoring 13 or more points in the NCAA Tournament. And Eadie is putting up production last seen in this tournament during the Elvin Hayes era, scoring over 140 points and grabbing over 70 rebounds through five games.
An unstoppable team meets an unstoppable man.
No matter who the champion is, college basketball will win. We all win.
“It was a great night and a great thing for the university,” Hurley told me. “It's going to be an unbelievable game between two of the best programs in the country over the last two years. … We're aiming for history and we need to beat a team of that caliber to win. I think this is what we wanted, with Edie and a great team with one of the best coaches in this sport. ”
Hurley also admitted that he and the team “kept our eyes on the scoreboard” on Purdue all season. It was a team they fought from afar. Even though there's no guarantee they'll play each other, Hurley used the Boilermakers as an added incentive to the best season in history.
“We’ve looked to them as motivation all year long,” Hurley said. “It’s going to be a big game on Monday because of how good they are and how good we are.”
And then there are the things that remain forever and the stakes.
If UConn wins by double digits again, it will secure its status as a mini-dynasty.of blue blood conversation It officially ended with the 2023 title. This is suitable for larger and longer lasting items. And even if UConn wins, what happens if it ends up being close? Please. please. Just about everyone other than UConn fans wants to see this team win a close game with just a few minutes left.
Will Purdue dare to play the Huskies in a close game? Meanwhile, Purdue is looking for its first national championship, and a win tonight in Glendale will make it even more desperate for victory. Victory will not only complete Virginia 2.0the Cavaliers would do so with just five years left to complete the circle of redemption.
To think we waited 33 years for a No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed, only to see that No. 1 seed come back to win the championship…and then get to see it again five years later. What does it mean? That's borderline incredible.
That's really great coaching too. Painter is a really good coach. That's been true for a long time.This run Eliminated all Purdue/Painter skeptic ammunition..
The Virginia parallel is one that Painter considers appropriate.
“Sometimes people pick stories out of thin air instead of doing their job,” Painter says. “This is actually the correct story.”
Beyond the parallel with Virginia, a win at Purdue means someone actually found a way to beat UConn in the NCAA Tournament. It's hard to imagine. The Huskies couldn't find a close game. On Saturday night, Alabama tied the score with just over 10 minutes left, but still managed to trail by 14 points.
“There were teams that worked hard with them, and then they moved away from them,” Painter said, before getting into the heart of the matter. “There are several other teams that have been wiped out.”
Purdue's victory would also be symbolic, mainly because it would end UW's quest for back-to-back championships. Elite teams cowered against these stout Huskies. For someone to conquer Connecticut…no matter what the final score is, it's an epic title game.
If we're going to end up that way, it would be fitting for the best player in the sport to do the job. Due to the nature of his back-to-back NPOY wins, Eadie has already secured his place as one of the sport's all-time greats.
“I may never coach or play against a player of his stature, even if I coach and play throughout my career,” Hurley said. “He's truly a giant player.”
Winning the national championship in Eadie's final college game would be a decisive and symbolic ending.
“I think the most important thing is to respect the other person instead of fearing them,” Painter said. “We have a lot of respect for UW. They've got great individual players, they've got great coaches. So absorb that, take that in, understand that.”
This glorious tournament, sized 68 and nearly perfect for its three-week descending bracket chaos stage, often has no incentive to award the best team as champion. In fact, this illustrious group typically stubbornly refuses to allow the two best teams to go head-to-head on a Monday night in April for the national title.
This year, they made strides. This year, the bracket gods decided they were going to get all the size, all the great coaching, all the shooting and dominance of Connecticut and Purdue, and allowed them to find each other.
For five months, UW and Purdue (and Houston, with Jamal Shihed's injury hypothetically remaining in this game) have been battling for the top of the sport's rankings and metrics. Purdue had the best resume until March, but the university surpassed it.
They were destined to meet.
This is good preparation for the season finale, as we've seen for a long time. If the match can live up to the hype, it will be one of the best events for the sport in years. But no matter how the game ends, what makes this season so great is the fact that it ends on an epic note.
