Connecticut dominates San Diego State, clinches fifth NCAA national title

The drive for five is finally complete for the Huskies.

After nine years of wait, Connecticut emerged as the king of the dance of collegiate basketball, tearing down the San Diego State Aztecs, 76-59, to hoist the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship trophy this season.

The Huskies entered the final stage in full composure of bringing their gigantic waves of momentum in the previous rounds of the tournament, facing a tough Aztecs team that smothered their bracket with that stiffling defense.

The title game was still on the deadlock, 10-all, after over five minutes had burned in the first half. UConn went on to blitz of their own, delivering a 26-14 rally to cap off a 36-24 halftime lead over San Diego.

The Aztecs tried to will their way back to the duel after a cold first half, trimming the Huskies’ lead down to five with 5:19 remaining in regulation, 55-60. As such, Tristen Newton and Jordan Hawkins ascended as Connecticut’s heroes towards crunch time as they proceeded to combine for 13 points to seal their program’s fifth championship in the past 25 years.

Newton chipped in 19 points, 10 boards and four assists to lead the way for the Huskies. Adama Sanogo, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 Final Four, registered 17 points and 10 boards in 5-of-9 shooting. Meanwhile, Hawkins finished with 16 points and four assists.

“A dream come true for all of us. It was part of the program, we saw the vision, I saw the vision too. … Feels great to come through,” Dan Hurley said in postgame, who joined Jim Calhoun and Kevin Ollie as among the only coaches who led UConn to an NCAA hoops title.

“It was an honor to play against San Diego State tonight, too. It was probably the most physical and one of the toughest teams we played this year and certainly one of the best. I got so much admiration and respect for how they played their culture and their coach [Brian Dutcher], he is one of the best coaches in the country.”

The Huskies emerged as the last team standing by conquering their opponents in an astounding fashion. They will exit the March Madness arena with historic pride, becoming the sixth championship team to win all six NCAA Tournament games by double-digits en route to the title. They outlasted Iona by 24, St. Mary’s by 15, Arkansas by 23, Gonzaga by 28 and Miami by 13 before Monday’s showdown with San Diego State.

Albeit coming up short in a devastating fashion, the Aztecs will go home with their heads held high. Their 2023 March Madness run will serve as their best so far in their school history, being able to advance as deep as the title round for the first time ever.