Subscribe
Follow Us
With the UConn Huskies facing the San Diego State Aztecs in the National Championship game on Monday night, the Huskies come in as the favorite. A lot of eyes will be on the UConn Huskies to see if they can complete their run to win their fifth championship. Ahead of the UConn-San Diego State game, we'll be making our National Championship predictions.
Dan Hurley's Huskies have been dominant on their run to the championship. UConn has won each game by double digits. The first four were by 15 or more, with the latest coming by 13 over the Miami Hurricanes in the semifinal game. Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins have been great in this run. Andre Jackson Jr. has been as well, despite not being a scorer, he brings so much to the table when it comes to defense and ball handling.
The San Diego State Aztecs present a unique challenge for Dan Hurley and UConn. The Aztecs are very experienced and thrive on defense and physicality. UConn is a very physical team as well, but San Diego State is arguably the first team that can match up to the Huskies' level of physicality.
UConn is already a blue blood to many, but a fifth championship since 1999 would cement their status to many who remain detractors. Nevertheless, let's move on to our UConn vs San Diego State National Championship game predictions.
3. Jordan Hawkins leads UConn in scoring
Adama Sanogo has arguably been the most dominant player for UConn in this run. He put up 20+ points in the first two games against Iona and St. Mary's. He put up 21 in the semifinal game against the Miami Hurricanes. However, this matchup is one that puts a lot of emphasis on Jordan Hawkins.
The Aztecs have an experienced front court with Kesha Johnson and Nathan Mensah. Although Adama Sanogo did get the better of Drew Timme when UConn played Gonzaga, this is a different test. San Diego State has multiple bigs to throw at Sanogo in the paint. That could mean more time for backup center Donovan Clingan, who has been great for the Huskies. That will also mean that UConn could have the need to look for Jordan Hawkins more often.
Jordan Hawkins was running on fumes against the Miami Hurricanes with a stomach bug, and he still put up 13, while hitting some big three-point shots in the process. With more time to recover from his illness, Jordan Hawkins should be a big part of the Huskies' offense.
2. A callback to the 2011 championship game
Article Continues Below
The 2011 National Championship game between the UConn Huskies and the Butler Bulldogs is viewed as one of the ugliest championship games ever. UConn ended up defeating the Butler Bulldogs by the score of 53-41. This game might not end up with that low of a score, but San Diego State's play style lends it to be another low-scoring game.
The Aztecs like to muck things up. They present a much different look to Dan Hurley than Gonzaga and Miami did, as those teams were strong on the offensive end but weak on the defensive side. San Diego State should show up at some level defensively, and the Huskies are no slouch on defense either. They held Gonzaga, the number one-rated offense on Kenpom to 54 points, and the sixth-ranked offense on Kenpom in Miami, to 59. Holding both those high-powered offenses to under 60 points shows UConn's prowess on defense.
The Aztecs are ranked fourth in defensive efficiency on Kenpom, while the Huskies are ranked eight in defensive efficiency. This one has the makings of a rock fight.
1. UConn's defense fuels a late run that seals a 5th title
San Diego State can definitely muck it up enough to make this a game, and on the right night, could win this game as an underdog. However, UConn's depth has been their greatest strength all year. The recent defensive play of UConn bodes well against San Diego State, which is a team that can go into cold spells for long stretches of a game.
Due to the shooting of players like Hawkins, Joey Calcaterra and Alex Karaban, along with Andre Jackson Jr.'s ability to succeed in transition, those scoreless stretches could be extra dangerous for the Aztecs. They have the defense to keep UConn from going on multiple huge runs, but in the second half it will be too much. Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies will cut down the nets.
