UCONN Beats San Diego State for 5th Men’s NCAA Basketball Title

In hindsight, perhaps UCONN winning its fifth national title in basketball isn’t as big a surprise as was at first glance. The Huskies began the season 20-0, then hit a rough patch, losing six of eight. That dropped them below the radar a bit, even though five of their eight losses on the season were to teams ranked in the Top 25, and all were to Big East opponents. UCONN received the 4th seed in the West Region, behind Kansas, UCLA, and Gonzaga.

But from then on, UCONN was unstoppable. While upsets and buzzer beaters became the order of the day, the Huskies were winning big. In the six wins on the way to the title, UCONN’s average margin of victory was 20 points. In the championship game against San Diego State, the Huskies took a 12 point lead into the locker room at half time. The Aztecs closed to within five points in the second half, but UCONN pulled away for a 76-59 victory, and its fifth national title since 1999.

Adama Sanogo had a 17 point, 10 rebound double double in the championship game, his fourth double double of the tournament. He was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Tristen Newton also had a double double (19 points, 10 rebounds) for the Huskies.