The Purdue Boilermakers are one win away from redemption. After losing to #16 seed FDU last year, the Purdue Boilermakers are back in the National Championship for the first time since 1969. But first, they will have to get through the UConn Huskies, who have been the most dominant team in this tournament, and the defending champs. Purdue enters the matchup with a 34-4 record, while UConn enters with a 36-3 record.

Purdue enters the matchup as a 6.5-point underdog, which is only the 2nd time they’ve been underdogs all season (vs Illinois). UConn has easily been the best team in the tournament, winning their games by an average of 25 points. On the other hand, Purdue has won their games by an average of 19.6 points. Both teams have shown out during the tournament, and this should be a thriller. Being underdogs could also give Purdue some motivation to prove everyone wrong, the haters, the sportsbooks, and the casuals. But let’s take a look at who they’ll play; The UConn Huskies.

UConn’s Leading Scorer: G Tristen Newton- 14.9 PPG, 6.2 APG, 6.6 REB

UConn’s “Role Players”: G Cam Spencer- 14.4 PPG, 1.5 STL, 3.7 APG / F Alex Karaban- 13.5 PPG, 5.0 REB, 1.4 APG

C Donovan Clingan- 13.1 PPG, 7.4 REB, 2.5 BLK / G Stephon Castle- 11.0 PPG, 4.7 REB, 0.8 STL

G Hassan Diarra- 6.0 PPG, 3.0 REB, 2.4 APG / F Samson Johnson- 5.4 PPG, 2.8 REB, 0.9 BLK / G Solomon Ball- 3.4 PPG, 1.0 REB, 0.3 APG

Now let’s move on to the #1 seed Purdue Boilermakers. The Boilermakers are 1-0 when underdogs this season, and they are looking to stay undefeated against UConn. Purdue hasn’t seen a team as good as UConn this season, but they have seen a lot of great ones, including 2-seed Arizona, 2-seed Marquette, 2-seed Tennessee, 3-seed Illinois, 4-seed Gonzaga, and 4-seed Alabama. If you see a team play all these great teams, then they are definitely ready for anything that UConn will throw at them. They are also 9-1 vs top 25 teams during the regular season, only losing to Wisconsin during the Big Ten Tournament. But let’s see Purdue’s top scorers.

Purdue’s Leading Scorer: C Zach Edey- 24.9 PPG, 12.2 REB, 2.2 BLK

Purdue’s “Role Players”: G Braden Smith- 12.0 PPG, 7.5 APG, 1.6 STL / G Lance Jones- 11.9 PPG, 2.0 APG, 1.3 STL

G Fletcher Loyer- 10.6 PPG, 2.0 APG, 0.8 STL / F Mason Gillis- 6.7 PPG, 3.9 REB, 1.7 APG / F TKR- 6.4 PPG, 4.1 REB, 1.0 APG

G Myles Colvin- 3.4 PPG, 0.8 REB, 0.4 APG / F Camden Heide- 3.3 PPG, 1.9 REB, 0.4 APG

Purdue and UConn have been 1A and 1B the entire season, and this should be one of the best National Championships of the decade. This game will be the 8th time since 1994 that two No. 1 seeds have played for a national title. UConn is like a 5 headed snake, all five of their starters average over 11 PPG, and it is almost impossible to defend all of them at the same time. But Purdue’s defense has improved from seasons past, holding NC State who has averaged 75.5 PPG during the tournament to just 50 points. There are so many different players for both teams that could change the outcome of this game, so I’m making a new segment just for this game.

Players to Watch/Matchups to Watch

G Braden Smith vs G Stephon Castle/ G Tristen Newton:

Purdue’s Braden Smith is coming off one of his worst games of the season, only scoring 3 points. NC State’s guards really pressured Smith the entire game, leading to 2 backcourt violations, and 5 turnovers. If UConn can limit Smith’s production and force him to turn the ball over, then this might be more lopsided than we thought. UConn has 2-3 guards that they can throw at Smith, including 6-6 guard Stephon Castle, and 6-5 guard Tristen Newton. Smith could struggle if UConn is pressuring him all game, but if they let Smith control the pace of the game, then it will open many different scoring opportunities for Purdue. If Smith has 10+ points and 9+ assists, I bet that Purdue will win. If they can hold Smith under 8 points and 5 assists then it will be tough for Purdue to get their offense going.

F Trey Kaufman-Renn/ F Mason Gillis vs F Alex Karaban

Purdue runs a 2 man rotation at the PF position, with Trey Kaufman-Renn starting, and Mason Gillis coming off the bench. Depending on how the matchup is, Purdue will either leave Kaufman who is primarily a post scorer, or Gillis who is a great 3-point shooter in the game. On the other hand, UConn’s PF is Alex Karaban, a 6’8 forward who can shoot the 3 and run to the rim. Karaban is better than both of Purdue’s PFs, but Purdue can throw 2 different skill sets at him. Purdue will most likely start with Kaufman-Renn taking Karaban to the paint and making him work, but Karaban can expose Kaufman with his speed and mobility. When Purdue makes the switch for Gillis it will make Karaban change his ways of defense. Gillis is a very efficient 3-point shooter, shooting 47.2% from behind the arc, and he will make Karaban come out to the 3-point line which will open up the paint for Edey. And if Karaban rushes to help defend Edey in the paint, Gillis will be left wide open, and he doesn’t miss much. If Purdue can use both players to their full potential, that would give Purdue a huge advantage.

C Zach Edey vs C Donovan Clingan

This is the matchup that everyone has been looking at, 7’4 Zach Edey vs 7’2 Donovan Clingan. Edey has been able to dominate teams with his size advantage all season long, but it will be tough to stop Clingan. Edey is 7’4 / 300, while Clingan is 7’2 / 280, it’s only a 20-pound difference, but Edey is still much more dominant. Clingan is more athletic and has more mobility, but Edey has better touch and moves around the rim. Both players are projected to be lottery picks in the upcoming NBA draft, and this game could be huge for their stocks. But what’s going to happen during the game? Edey will get his 20 points and 10 rebounds, but Clingan might struggle a bit, I think he will end with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Clingan’s mobility is the only reason NBA scouts like him more than Edey, but if this game turns into half-court basketball, Purdue will benefit from not having to play in transition the entire game. I think Edey will win this battle just like he did against DJ Burns Jr in the Final Four, and Clingan’s draft stock might fall a little bit. This will be the most important matchup of the game, if Clingan has 3+ blocks and 15 points, then UConn will win, but if Edey has 25+ points and 3+ blocks, Purdue will win.

Game Prediction: Purdue win 69-66

Game Start: 9:20 PM EST @ State Farm Arena, Phoenix, Arizona

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