Huskies Set For Clash of Titans In National Title

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The two teams on an inevitable collision course this season will finally collide on Monday night with a National Championship on the line. The top overall seed UConn men's basketball team (36-3) takes on one-seed Purdue (34-4) in the title game with tip set for 9:20 ET at State Farm Stadium. The contest will air on TBS, TNT and truTV with Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson on the call.

UConn and Purdue have been atop the national polls and analytics all season. It will mark the 10^th time in NCAA Tournament history that two 1-seeds will meet for the championship and fourth time since 2015. UConn has been part of a 1 vs. 1 national title game one other time – when it defeated Duke in 1999 to claim its first championship.

The Huskies are looking to enter rarified air on Monday night. They have a chance to become the first back-to-back champions since Florida in 2006-07 and only the third back-to-back champs since 1965. A national title would be UConn's sixth in program history – meaning only two programs would have more all-time.

Connecticut advanced to the title game with an 86-72 win over Alabama on Saturday night, seeing all five starters score in double-figures including a team-high 21 points from freshman Stephon Castle in his Final Four debut. Connecticut recorded 20 assists against only four turnovers in the win and held a potent Alabama offense to 40.0 percent shooting in the second half to overcome 11 made 3-pointers by the Crimson Tide.

UConn's balanced scoring has been a theme all season long, as five players average double-figures for the Kenpom No. 1 rated offense. First Team All-American Tristen Newton leads the Huskies with 14.9 points per game and grabs 6.6 rebounds along with 6.2 assists per game. Cam Spencer is second on the squad with 14.4 points per game and shoots 44.3 percent from 3-point range, ranking top-10 in the nation from distance.

In the frontcourt, Alex Karaban scores 13.5 points with 5.0 rebounds per game while Donovan Clingan adds 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5. blocks per game. Clingan was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional after averaging a double-double through UConn's four-game run in Brookyln and Boston. Castle is the fifth Husky in double-figures with 11.0 points per game, stuffing the stat sheet with 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists a night.

Purdue has advanced to the title game after winning the Midwest Regional and rolling past NC State on Saturday night in the Final Four. The Boilermakers are led by two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey, who scores 24.9 points with 12.2 rebounds per game. Braden Smith adds 12.0 points per contest and Lance Jones chips in 11.9 a game. Purdue ranks top-12 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per Kenpom.

The Huskies are 1-4 all-time against Purdue, but 1-0 against the Boilermakers in NCAA Tournament play. UConn is looking to improve on its 11-1 record in the Final Four - the best mark in tournament history.