Back-To-Back Titles Make UConn The Envy Of College Basketball

By PHIL CHARDIS

Special to uconnhuskies.com

GLENDALE, Ariz. – It might be too much to assume that UConn's awe-inspiring back-to-back National Championships will revolutionize college basketball.

Then again, it might not.

College basketball coaches are notorious copy-cats. Watching film on an opponent, or catching a random game on TV and seeing an offensive set or a defensive alignment that's particularly effective and you can bet they will be trying to find a way it could be a fit for their own teams.

So, doesn't it stand to reason that UConn's phenomenal success over the past two season will spur a slew of programs attempting to replicate the Huskies' offense and/or defense?

Perhaps.

What the Huskies may actually have done is not so much revolutionize the sport, but revive the team concept of college basketball to the highest level. UConn's philosophy is that every Husky on the court is involved in every play, offensively and defensively. No possessions off at either end.

Purdue was at a distinct disadvantage in Monday's 75-60 loss in the NCAA championship game, UConn's record 12^th straight NCAA Tournament victory by double digits. Not only were the Boilermakers up against the top offense in the country, but probably the most complex as well and trying to play UConn with one day to prepare is damn near impossible. The Huskies simply run too many sets, with too many options, run by too many talented players to easily defend. Being coached in running the offense since June, the Huskies know their stuff.

Designing the offense is one thing, finding the right players to run it to perfection is another. UConn has put together an offense of five unselfish players, who do not care who scores as long as UConn does. Tristen Newton was deservedly selected as the Most Outstanding Player, but Cam Spencer, Alex Karaban, Steph Castle, Donovan Clingan, Hassan Diarra, Samson Johnson and Jaylin Stewart all had a hand in it. Spencer, Castle and Clingan were all on the All-Tournament team.

"They are really smart," Purdue senior Mason Gillis said afterward. "You can be really athletic, really fast and physically gifted. But if you don't have any basketball sense or basketball IQ, it doesn't make you a great player. They have both. That's why they are great players. That's why they won two national championships in two years."

Defensively, UConn's game plan was even more impressive in both its design and execution. While the Huskies let Clingan take Zach Edey one-on-one and let the chips fall where they may with him, they refused to allow the Boilermakers to make (or even take) the three-pointers that help them pile up points. Most teams try to double-team Edey when he gets the ball and he is adept at finding his open teammate. Against UConn, there was no open teammate and Edey's two-pointers were not going to be enough to outscore UConn. Besides that, with Edey literally trying to be a one-man offense and working against Clingan on defense, the Purdue giant ran out of gas.

Purdue, which averaged 20.5 three-point attempts coming into the game, could not even get one off for the first 8:30 of the game. Braden Smith took Purdue's second trey, and made it, with 2:18 left in the first half. The Boilermakers were able to attempt only five more three-pointers the rest of the game (even when they were trailing by double digits in the last few minutes) and made none of them.

"We play against somebody, they would have a lock-down defender," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "These guys are bringing lock-down defenders off the bench. Defense always travels. Tip the hat to them. They were great."

"Guard the three-point line, don't let them get three-pointers off," said Clingan, explaining the strategy. "Don't foul Zach when he was shooting his jump hooks. Me and Luke (assistant coach Murray) talked about it at about mid-season – he was like, 'We're going to play this kid for the national championship this year. You're going to play him one-on-one and you're going to let the rest of the team beat them.' Statistically, it's really hard to win games just scoring twos."

It was a clear case of the team concept defeating the individual star.

"It wasn't me, he scored 37 points on me," Clingan said. "It was our four guys on the perimeter, who held them to one three-pointer for the whole night. It just shows you how special this team is."

Two NCAA national championships, 68 wins, BIG EAST regular-season and tournament championships, a Phil Knight Invitational championship and the Empire Classic title show it as well.

Will plenty of other college basketball teams try to copy the UConn model for success? Of course – but they better have a plethora of high-level talent, with a tireless work ethic, willing to buy into a completely unselfish philosophy, allowing daily hard coaching, plus a head coach that demands high character and full effort and heads a coaching staff that is second to none in every phase of the game.

Yeah, good luck with that.