NPR’s A Martinez talks to Kevin Blackistone, ESPN panelist and Washington Put up columnist, in regards to the College of Connecticut males’s NCAA basketball group beating Purdue, 75-60, Monday night time.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The College of Connecticut males’s basketball group has accomplished it once more. The Huskies beat Purdue in final night time’s NCAA males’s basketball remaining to change into the eighth program to win back-to-back titles. Becoming a member of us now to debate is ESPN panelist and Washington Put up columnist Kevin Blackistone. Kevin, they have been the favorites, UConn was the favorites. They received by 15. What stood out to you from final night time’s sport?
KEVIN BLACKISTONE: Effectively, they’re simply such a dominant group. I imply, for the sixth time in a row – sixth time in historical past, we noticed a group win all 6 video games by double digits, 140 factors in all for UConn. Simply extraordinarily dominant. They’ve a giant man, over 7 ft, they’ve guards, that they had graduate college students.
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).
BLACKISTONE: That they had a sensational freshman in Fort. They usually’ve acquired an amazing coach, who, you recognize, the digital camera likes to see on the sidelines due to all of his histrionics, who’s truly an excellent coach and comes from what you might in all probability say is America’s school basketball teaching household.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, that is Dan Hurley, brother of Bobby Hurley, the Duke level guard from again within the day. Additionally, the daddy was an amazing highschool coach in New Jersey, Bob Hurley.
BLACKISTONE: Appropriate.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. Purdue has a middle, Zach Edey, 7’4, Related Press Participant of the 12 months. He had 37 factors yesterday, the remainder of the group had solely 23. So it seems like UConn had a great technique – let him get his after which shut down all people else.
BLACKISTONE: They certain did, and it labored to a tee. They usually’re one of many few groups that would put a 7-footer on, Zach Edey, and never must double him on a regular basis with one other particular person, leaving another person open. In order that technique completely labored for them. It appeared, early, as if that was going to be an issue. Zach Edey actually began the sport on hearth, however they have been in a position to lock him down and put on down the remainder of the group. And, you recognize, Zach Edey additionally performs nearly each second of each sport, and he did final night time, and you might see that start to put on on him as the sport went on.
MARTÍNEZ: So UConn wins back-to-back titles.
BLACKISTONE: Proper.
MARTÍNEZ: The final time – truly, the one time a group has received three in a row, John Picket’s UCLA Bruins in 1973. That is after they completed a run of seven in a row.
BLACKISTONE: Oof, loopy.
MARTÍNEZ: Any probability UConn can go three-peat?
BLACKISTONE: Effectively, you recognize they are going to – they misplaced some gamers final 12 months to the NBA. The identical factor goes to occur this 12 months. They have been in a position to reload and pull this sport off, so I feel the likelihood is there. Dan Hurley is that good of a coach and that good of a recruiter. They usually nonetheless have some items there, like Diarra, who will likely be an anchor for subsequent 12 months’s group. So I feel, going into subsequent 12 months, they’re favored once more.
MARTÍNEZ: Talking of the NBA, the NBA lately introduced that it was shutting down its developmental league. That gave elite highschool prospects an opportunity to make some cash in the event that they did not wish to go to varsity. However now, Kevin, that school athletes can money in and money in lots, I imply, might school basketball get higher? May it begin absorbing all that expertise that perhaps would go there as an alternative of faculty?
BLACKISTONE: Effectively, it is a risk. There’s nonetheless one other improvement league on the market that may absorb these exact same gamers, however clearly, that is one avenue that will likely be choked off. And that does imply that, you recognize, perhaps some extra gamers who have been occupied with going straight to the professionals will as an alternative go to varsity, particularly if they’ve an honest NIL valuation deal that they’ll money in.
MARTÍNEZ: All proper, that is ESPN panelist and Washington Put up columnist Kevin Blackistone. At all times recognize the insights. Thanks lots.
BLACKISTONE: Thanks, A.
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