The No. 4 Connecticut Huskies won their fifth national title Monday, beating the No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs 76-59 in Houston.
UConn has been dominant throughout the tournament, winning each of its games by double digits.
Meanwhile, the Aztecs have lived on the edge. They knocked off Florida Atlantic in the Final Four thanks to a buzzer-beater, go-ahead basket.
Here are updates from throughout the men’s national title game:
UConn wins national championship
Tristen Newton had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Adama Sanogo, who was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, added 17 points and 10 rebounds as UConn concluded its dominant NCAA tournament by holding off San Diego State 76-59 to win its fifth national championship on Monday night.
The Aztecs dug themselves into a hole in the first half, shooting 29 percent and trailing by 12 at halftime.
They continued to be down double digits until the Aztecs got the lead down to six with a 9-0 run with eight minutes left.
Still, the Aztecs were down by only five when Jordan Hawkins, who finished with 16 points, hit a three-pointer at the top of the key three minutes later as the Huskies put the game out of reach with their own 9-0 spurt to push the lead back to 14.
Keshad Johnson had 14 points for San Diego State, who shot only 33 percent and were making their first appearance in the national championship game.
UConn continues to clamp down on San Diego State
The Huskies have maintained a double-digit lead through the first 10 minutes of the second half. UConn has a 49-36 lead at the under 12-minute media timeout.
San Diego State continues to build its own house of bricks, with the inability to find the rim on the outside or handle UConn’s length inside.
The Aztecs have only 12 field goals and four assists through the first 30 minutes of the game.
Local burger chain to give Huskies free food for a year if they win national championship
The UConn Huskies are hungry for a win and Wayback Burgers wants to feed them. The Connecticut-based chain is offering the men’s basketball team food for a year if they take home the national title.
Each member of the team will receive a free order of a burger, fries and shake every week for a year, according to a press release from Wayback Burgers.
“We’re big fans of Connecticut’s men’s college basketball team, so as you can imagine seeing your favorite team competing for the biggest win of the season on the national stage is exciting,” Wayback Burgers president Patrick Conlin said. “We wanted to throw a little extra incentive onto the court to help fuel their hunger to win.”
Throughout the tournament, Wayback Burgers has also been running a Half Court Half Off promotion where customers get half off the price of their order when a player from any team scored a half-court shot.
The restaurant company has locations in 35 states and Morocco, Pakistan, The Netherlands, Ireland, South Africa, Japan and Canada.
UConn storms to big halftime lead over San Diego State
UConn is 20 minutes away from a confetti shower and a fifth national championship. The Huskies took a 36-24 lead into the break over San Diego State and got separation in the first half with a 16-2 run.
The Aztecs were held without a field goal for 11 minutes and shot 29 percent for the half, at one point missing 14 shots in a row before Darrion Trammell made a jumper with 5: 26 left.
UConn’s length at the perimeter and their suffocating defense made San Diego State’s inside presence a non-factor.
Tristen Newton had nine points, while Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo had seven points for UConn, who hit 50 percent of its shots.
Trammell scored seven points for San Diego State. Lamont Butler and Keshad Johnson chipped in with six points a piece.
UConn surges to 10-point lead over SDSU
The Connecticut Huskies warmed up fast and lead the San Diego State Aztecs 22-12 with 8: 53 on the clock. They went on a 16-2 run, including an 8-0 stretch that put them ahead for the first time in the game. UConn has outrebounded San Diego State 12-8 as the Aztecs have missed their last 12 shots from the field.
“We have to finish at the rim,” head coach Brian Dutcher said on the ESPN broadcast during commercial break.
Who sang national anthem?
The national anthem before the San Diego State and UConn national championship game was sung by astronaut Tracy Dyson.
She was selected for the Astronaut Candidate Training program in 1998 and has been on two space flights. She was also a track athlete at Cal State Fullerton before entering the space program.
The response to Dyson’s rendition of the anthem? Well, you can watch it for yourself.
Connecticut, San Diego State tied at 10
After the Aztecs took an early 6-2 lead with back-to-back three-point shots, they led the Huskies for the first five minutes of the game. Connecticut finally caught up with back-to-back field goals — a jumpshot each from Tristen Newton and Adama Sanogo. The game is tied at 10 with 14: 42 on the clock.
Huskies, Aztecs underway for men’s national championship
The Connecticut Huskies and San Diego State Aztecs tipped off in Houston as they battle for the 2022-23 national championship.
UConn, seeking its fifth title, has won every game of the NCAA tournament by an average of 20.6 points. The Huskies are led by junior forward Adama Sanogo, who is averaging 17.2 points per game and 7.6 rebounds. He had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the semifinal win over the Miami Hurricanes. He’s followed closely behind by sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins, who averages 16.2 ppg and had 14 in the semifinals after recovering from a stomach bug.
The Aztecs are the underdogs in their first national championship appearance after losing in the first round the last two seasons. They’ve made the Sweet 16 twice before, including in 2011 when NBA champion Kawhi Leonard was on the team. Now, senior guard Matt Bradley is their leading scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game while tallying a team-high 21 in the semifinal against Florida Atlantic.
Who will take home the title? We’ll find out tonight.
Connecticut or San Diego State? NCAA Tournament men’s title game picks
From 68 to two. That’s what is left of the NCAA men’s tournament field after five rounds of play. Neither Connecticut nor San Diego State were popular picks to win the championship. They were seeded fourth and fifth, respectively.
Wild Final Four sets up underdog San Diego State against four-time titlist UConn
Connecticut and San Diego State will meet Monday night for the