Let’s make this the discussion / game thread for the national title game. Going into the Bama uconn game I was conflicted about who I should root for. My overall goals (I think, all of ours collectively, unless you are weird) were for neither Bama or unconn to win the title. Logic being: 1) We want to remain the last team to win to go back to back which in this day and age would likely secure our holding that accomplishment for another decade plus. We already know that no other team will ever go back to back with the same starting 5 again, so we will forever have that bragging right / record. 2) We want to remain the only SEC team to have won national titles in the major men’s sports. #2, DONE! I think that overall is better distinction to have long term so that’s a good thing. Regarding #1, from a strict percentages standpoint it probably would have been better had Bama upset UConn because they would be clear underdogs against Purdue, but if they beat uconn I would have looked at them as a team of destiny and they actually do think they’d match up well with Purdue with their 3 point shooting having the ability to draw Zach Edey away from the basket. But here we are. Purdue for UConn and we clearly are hoping that it Purdue who is the team of destiny after being upset by a 16 seed last year. The pattern is the same as uva losing to a 16 several years ago and then coming back the next season to win it all. How does everyone look at this matchup? I can see it going either way. Although Purdue doesn’t shoot the volume of 3’s Bama does, I surprising and pleasantly saw that they are the number 1 team in the country from 3 from a percentage shooting standpoint. I think UConn’s game plan is going to be to take away those 3’s by Not doubling Edey since they have Clingan who should be able to hold his own. Edey will need to have a monster game. Purdue Boilermakers! Let’s Go!
Both are great teams built around differently skilled, yet equally dominant 7+ft pivots. Kinda validation for the direction Golden wants to take us after decades moving toward small ball/space-oriented offense. Both teams want to protect the rim, get into early offense off the defensive glass, and get easy twos when there is no help in the paint or threes against doubles. Just deceptively simple, but guys like Edey and Clingan make it go. If I had a choice, I would prefer Purdue, but I am more interested in what this movement means for our program.
