In the end, only one will remain. In a few hours, Kansas’ successor and new 2023 NCAA national champion will be known. Either Connecticut will win his fifth title in as many finals (after 1999, 2004, 2011 and 2014), i.e. San Diego State will pocket the very first national trophy in its history.
For the occasion, and as since the start of the tournament, USA Basketball offers you a review of the forces present on both sides of this final match of the season.
Connecticut, perfect so far
The course :
✅ Iona in the first round (87-63).
✅ Saint Mary’s in the second round (70-55).
✅ Arkansas at “Sweet Sixteen” (88-65).
✅ Gonzaga to the “Elite Eight” (82-54).
✅ Miami in the “Final Four” (72-59).
The dynamic
Lap after lap, the Huskies have chained potential trap games against formations that are difficult to play. And each time, the Huskies have dismantled the defense of their successive opponents, reaching the final with an average difference of 20.6 points (!) over all of their previous five rounds.
In other words: Connecticut dominates outrageously in this “March Madness” 2023, and hits very hard. Particularly on offense, the third best in the entire country so far (120.6 points scored on 100 possessions). The opposition of styles against the ruthless defense of San Diego State, the fourth best in the country with only 90.3 points conceded on 100 possessions, should also be particularly explosive…
More broadly, Dan Hurley’s boys are in first place nationally in the “net rating” rankings, with a whopping +29.3 still to this day (i.e. counting all season games regular and the five March Madness games).
In summary, Connecticut has been the best team in the country since the start of the tournament, so the program’s presence at this stage of the competition makes absolute sense. If the Huskies end their season with the title in a few hours, we will certainly remember their course as one of the most dominant of all time in “March Madness”.
Player to watch: Jordan Hawkins
Second top scorer for the Huskies this season (16.2 points), the 20-year-old fullback has displayed a very high level of play since the start of “March Madness”, fully participating in the offensive festival produced by his team in the tournament, in particular with his excellent outside shooting (19/38 in five games).
Sick before the semi-final against Miami, he still held his place and managed to sign a solid game with 13 points at 3/7 behind the arc. We can therefore assume that he will be able to do as well, or even better, in the final.
In any case, faced with the extremely physical and rough defense of San Diego State, his movements without the ball and his exterior address will be the keys to the success of the Huskies, in particular to bring variation to the attack of his team, including the ne of the other great strengths is the dominance in the low post of pivot Adama Sanogo.
San Diego State, a reinforced concrete defense and nothing to lose
The course :
✅ College of Charleston in the first round (63-57).
✅ Furman in the second round (75-52).
✅ Alabama at “Sweet Sixteen” (71-64).
✅ Creighton to the “Elite Eight” (57-56).
✅ Florida Atlantic in the “Final Four” (72-71).
The dynamic
Relatively calm and even dominating at the start of the tournament, with in particular a reference victory in the third round against Alabama, big favorite for the title, the Aztecs then had to work harder to cross the next two rounds, winning their quarter-final then their semi-final by a very small point, with in particular this incredible “game-winner” in the “Final Four” this Saturday to beat Florida Atlantic.
In this, the dynamic upstream of this final is clearly in favor of their opponents, who did not make the lace since they crushed anyone who stood in their way since the start of the tournament.
However, this place in the final is obviously not usurped for Brian Dutcher’s men, who have shown incredible resilience for two weeks. In defense in particular, an area in which they point to fourth place in the national rankings this season, with 90.3 points against 100 possessions. Since the start of “March Madness”, the Aztecs have limited their opponents to less than 40% on shots three times in their five previous games in the tournament, conceding less than 70 points on four occasions.
Defense will once again be the backbone of San Diego State’s game plan, and the key to their potential first-ever title. What’s more, in the face of the Connecticut nuclear attack.
Player to watch: Matt Bradley
In a team with a defensive mentality, he is a pure attacker, a gifted one-on-one scorer and a solid shooter. In this, its role will then be crucial in responding to the incessant onslaught of the Connecticut attack.
Very discreet because clumsy in the third round then in the semi-final, with only 8 points at 3/17 on shots in the two games, Matt Bradley found colors at the best time on Saturday in the semi-final, scoring 21 points at 4 /8 behind the arc. Its “momentum” is therefore ideal before playing this final.
If he manages to maintain this volume of offensive play while providing good defense on the exteriors of the Huskies, particularly Jordan Hawkins, the Aztecs will be in a good position to win.
Television & Schedule
From 02:50on Bein Sports 3 and the ESPN Player.
