No. 1 UConn fends off Alabama, earning shot at back-to-back titles

Following the victory, Huskies head coach Dan Hurley perfectly encapsulated what makes UConn so hard to beat. 

"The culture. The preparation," Hurley said via SNY. "The commitment to every aspect of the game so we keep ourselves as bulletproof as possible in this tournament, which is hard. We make a hard tournament look easy. It's crazy." 

Alabama turned out to be arguably the toughest test of the tournament for UConn. However, after a shaky first half, the Huskies stayed the course in the second, eventually overwhelming the Crimson Tide. 

UConn led by only four at halftime, 44-40, but turned up the pressure on the offensive and defensive ends en route to a 14-point victory. Alabama refused to go away down the stretch, but the methodical pace the Huskies have become known for turned the tide late. 

With the game tied at 56-56 with 12:44 remaining in the second half, UConn went on a 30-16 run, punching its ticket to the title game. 

On the offensive end, all five UConn starters finished in double figures, with guard Stephon Castle leading the way with 21, followed by center Donovan Clingan (18), guard Cam Spencer (14), forward Alex Karaban (14) and guard Tristen Netwon (12). 

On the defensive end, the Huskies refocused after letting Alabama run wild early. The Crimson Tide shot a robust 72.7% from beyond the arc in the first half but were held to only 3-of-12 shooting from three the rest of the way. 

UConn has been dominant during its tournament run, winning their five games by an average of 26 points. On Monday night against fellow No. 1 Purdue, they will look to build on that dominance with a historic title win, aiming to be the first men's back-to-back champion since the 2006-2007 Florida Gators.