Glendale, Ariz. – From Brooklyn to Boston to Phoenix, UConn carved a path of destruction through the NCAA tournament field, leaving no doubt about the best college basketball team in the country with a historic run.

The Huskies completed their remarkable postseason on Monday night, becoming the first Division I men’s college basketball program in 17 years to capture consecutive national titles.

In an epic clash between two No. 1 seeds, UConn knocked off Purdue, 75-60, in the national championship game before 74,423 fans at State Farm Stadium to raise the title trophy for the sixth time, tying North Carolina for the third most in NCAA history.

“This is why I came here,” coach Dan Hurley said. “I believe in the formula and I’m smart enough to put the very best people around me. We’re exactly where I thought we’d be.

“Did I know that we’d do it in this type of fashion? Probably not. I believed that we’d be on top of the sport where we are right now.”

After collecting the trophy and cutting the down the nets, the Huskies celebrated some more in a jubilant locker room.

“It was amazing,” redshirt sophomore Alex Karaban said. “It was amazing just knowing all the hard work paid off. We love each other. I know specifically for the returners going back to back can never be taken away from us.

“When we look back 30 years from now and we’re on separate roads doing life, we always have that memory together. At least, for me, if they need anything in the future, they can reach out. If I need anything, I’ll reach out. It’s a brotherhood forever.”

UConn extended its NCAA record to 12 straight tournament wins by double digits, including winning all six games during the 2024 March Madness by a record average of 23.3 points.

Against Purdue, which was making its first title game appearance since 1969, the Huskies trailed for just one minute, 37 seconds, seized the lead for good with about six and half minutes left in the first half and led by as many as 18.

As it had done all March Madness, UConn executed a near flawless game plan.

The Huskies (37-3) basically knew two-time player of the year Zach Edey, a 7-foot-4, 300-pound center, would get his points and he did, finishing with 37 points and 10 rebounds. But they took away the perimeter shot from the Boilermakers (34-5), who are second in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, limiting them to a season-low one from beyond the arc out of seven attempts.

“He’s strong and he’s huge,” said sophomore Donovan Clingan, who battled foul trouble while trying to slow down Edey. “But we stuck to the game plan and it worked.”

While Edey’s supporting cast struggled, the Huskies rode a balanced attack and used a suffocating defense to extinguish any hope that the Boilermakers could rally in the second half.

Tristen Newton, who was brilliant in last year’s national title win, led the way with 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds and earned the Final Four’s most outstanding player honors. Stephon Castle (15 points), Clingan (11 points) and Cam Spencer (11) also scored in double figures and made the all-tournament team.

Spencer, a graduate guard who transferred to UConn with the hopes of competing in his first NCAA tournament, carried the title trophy to the postgame press conference.

“I had never been part of a championship like this,” Spencer said. “That’s what coach Hurley and I talked about in the recruiting process. This was our goal from day one. So to do it with your brothers and your family that you go to war with every day is just really special.”

From the start, UConn appeared comfortable playing on the pressure-packed national championship level stage.

Purdue, playing in its first title game since 1969, struggled to find good shots, but stuck around for a bit because Edey scored almost at will, accounting for 16 of his team’s first 25 points. His hook shot handed Purdue a 23-21 lead.

The Huskies started to gain some traction on the offensive end. Clingan’s basket and ensuing foul shot put UConn in front for good, 25-23, and started a 9-2 spurt.

Leading 36-30 at the half, UConn kicked into championship level gear. Newton buried a 3-pointer and Spencer fed Castle for a layup to create a nine-point cushion, UConn’s biggest lead to that point.

“From there, we just kept it rolling,” senior Hassan Diarra said. “We had the momentum and there was no looking back.”

The Huskies kept their foot on the gas.

Newton threw lob passes to reserve Samson Johnson for back-to-back dunks for a 47-34 edge.

Fouls piled up for the Huskies, but they kept extending the lead.

Karaban buried a 3-pointer from the corner for his first points of the game and Diarra converted a fast break layup for a 56-40 advantage, forcing Purdue to call a timeout.

The Huskies were still 9:27 from the finish line and another net cutting ceremony.

Then Clingan was whistled for his fourth foul and his back-up, Johnson, fouled out at the 5:38 mark with UConn up 63-46.

But it didn’t matter.

The Huskies slowed the game down. Their lead never dipped below double digits. Their guards outscored their Purdue counterparts, 55-17, overall.

The Huskies improved to 12-1 in the Final Four, including a remarkable 6-0 in national championship games. They’re 68-11 overall in the last two seasons.

Florida (2006, 2007) and Duke (1991, 1992), which featured Hurley’s brother Bobby at point guard, are the last two teams to repeat as national champions.

The Huskies pulled off the difficult feat despite losing three players to the NBA and two key reserves from last year’s title team.

“To lose that much and to do what we did again, it’s got to be as impressive as a two-year run as a program’s had since prior to whoever did it before Duke,” Hurley said. “To me it’s more impressive than what Florida and Duke did because they brought back their entire teams.”

UConn finished the season with a 13-game winning streak and only lost one game since the calendar flipped to 2024. The Huskies are the first team in program history to capture consecutive national titles.

“This team won everything you could possibly win this year,” Clingan said. “We won the (Empire Classic) at the beginning of the season. We won the regular season, the Big East tournament and the national championship.

“This is a special team and will go down as one of the best in history.”

The Huskies will undergo some significant roster changes in the off-season. But all they were worried about late Monday night was finally getting some rest and heading home to Storrs on Wednesday.

g.keefe@theday.com