(CNN) 鈥� History beckons for both and in the game on Monday.
Defending champion UConn is seeking to become the first back-to-back champion since Florida in 2006 and 2007, while Purdue can win its first ever title after more than 40 years of heartbreak.
Throughout the season, they have proven themselves to be the best teams in the country and have navigated all the twists and turns of March Madness to give themselves a chance to confirm that status.
How to watch
The Huskies and the Boilermakers will face off for the title at 9.20 p.m. E.T. on Monday, April 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Their clash will be broadcast on TBS/TNT/truTV.
Back-to-back?
UConn has been the dominant force in men鈥檚 college basketball in the last 25 years, winning a . Its tournament prowess has been on show this this year too, outclassing team after team as they bulldozed their way to the final.
Their 86-72 win over Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday was their 11th straight NCAA tournament game by double-digits, even after much of the game had been closely fought.
鈥淥ur identity is to be pretty relentless,鈥� after the semifinal victory.
鈥淲e might not break you for 18 minutes, 25 minutes, but at some point if what we鈥檙e doing at both ends and on the backboard is at a high level, it just becomes hard for the other team to sustain it.鈥�
UConn boasts the as a result of the .
Its dominance on both sides of the ball was on full display in the Elite Eight against Illinois. With the score tied at 23 in the final minutes of the first quarter, the Huskies went on a relentless run to completely shutout Illinois for almost nine minutes en route to a 77-52 victory.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 crumble,鈥� . 鈥淏asketball is a game of runs. We stay composed, stay together and just keep playing as a team, and they鈥檙e not going to make every shot.鈥�
With a chance to repeat as national champion on the line for UConn, anticipation for a heavyweight clash between two No. 1 seeds is at a fever pitch.
鈥淯s and Purdue have clearly been the two best teams in the country the last two years, and I think it鈥檚 just great for college basketball to get the two big dogs playing on Monday night,鈥� Hurley said.
A chance at history
The Midwest Region champion, Purdue Boilermakers, are banishing prior demons in their quest for their first national championship title. The Boilermakers last appeared in the NCAA Championship game in 1969 where they were runners-up.
They have had a point to prove this year after crashing out last season in the tournament鈥檚 second-ever 16-over-1 upset defeat. That disappointment continued 44 years of continuous heartbreak for Purdue, who have consistently fallen short of expectations, succumbing to bad luck and shock defeats.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 run from it. We talked about how we felt about losing, we talked about how we were going to grow from it,鈥� after the Final Four game, per the NCAA.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 just talk about it, we walked the walk. I don鈥檛 want to say we wouldn鈥檛 be in this situation if we didn鈥檛 lose to them, but it definitely fueled us; sitting in that loss, seeing it on social media 24/7, seeing it on TV.鈥�
The Boilermakers flipped the narrative this year, blowing out Grambling State and Utah State in the opening two rounds before defeating No. 5 Gonzaga 80-68 in the Sweet 16.
Then they narrowly took the win against No. 2 Tennessee in the Elite Eight and downed No. 11 NC State in the Final Four to earn a shot at the first national championship in program history.
Much of Purdue鈥檚 success has come as a result of the performances of 7-foot-4 center , the tallest player in Big Ten conference history and the reigning consensus national player of the year.
Edey, who represented his native Canada at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, was named the Big Ten player of the year for the second season in a row and has led his team in points and rebounds in each round so far.
These displays have earned the 21-year-old senior some high praise.
鈥淗e has a nice touch around the basket,鈥� said legendary NBA big man and Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O鈥橬eal. 鈥淗e uses his body well. He鈥檚 playing very well, and he鈥檚 staying out of foul trouble.鈥�
Purdue will be hoping that Edey can replicate these performances if it is to unseat UConn as national champion.
The-CNN-Wire
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