“The Road Ends Here” as this year’s men’s NCAA basketball national championship game between No. 1 Purdue and No. 1 Connecticut pits two traditional centers on Monday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
Zach Edey, the 7-foot-4, two-time national player of the year anchors the Boilermakers. Edey was the nation’s leading scorer at 25 points per game and is tearing up March Madness with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in six straight tournament games, the first-ever player to accomplish that feat.
He’s facing 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan of UConn, who’s turned himself into one of the country’s premier centers. Clingan went from 9.3 points per game as a freshman last season to 13.5 this season and has also been a factor on defense.
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What they said about each other: Purdue’s Zach Edey vs. UConn’s Donovan Clingan is a throwback to the days of dominant centers
Here’s a look at how both big men are doing in the title game:
The latest from the game
After getting called for traveling, Purdue took Edey out of the game following a media timeout at 6:50. Edey averages 31.8 minutes per game and the Huskies took advantage of his rare absence with three quick points from Clingan.
Clingan scored off Purdue’s turnover and got the free throw line for a 26-23 lead at 6:38. Edey came back into the game at 6:23 and knocked down a second-chance layup to trail 26-25.
Clingan took away any momentum with a jumper inside the paint for a 28-25 lead at 5:22. Clingan has seven points on 3-of-5 shooting with two rebounds in 15 minutes. Edey leads all scorers with 16 points and five rebounds. UConn leads Purdue 30-25 with 3:49 remaining in the first half.
Edey delivers big blocks
Following Clingan’s dunk in the first three minutes, Edey had to follow that up with his own dunk. After a media timeout, Edey laid an alley-oop to tie the game 11-11 at 14:51.
UConn got to a 14-11 lead on a 3-pointer by Tristen Newton, but Edey swatted the ball twice in the same possession from the Huskies after.
Led by Edey’s five points within a minute, the Boilermakers remained within striking distance of the Huskies. Clingan’s personal foul on Edey led to a free throw and Clingan substituting out of the game.
Edey leads all scorers with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting through nine minutes. Clingan has two points, but the Huskies lead 18-16 with 11:28 remaining in the first half.
Clingan dunks in opening minutes
Edey won the opening tip against Clingan. Purdue had the opening possession, but Edey missed his hook shot and dove unsuccessfully for the rebound against guard Stephon Castle. UConn won the possession, but missed a 3-pointer.
Edey remained quiet offensively as his teammates jumped to a 5-3 lead, but made his shot against Clingan to tie the game 7-7 game at 17:02.
The two had a back-and-forth sequence early on when Clingan dunked to give Purdue a brief 9-7 lead at 16:25 following Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn’s turnover. Edey tied the game with a jumper after.
Edey leads the Boilermakers with four points on 2-of-4 shooting, while Clingan has two points for the Huskies with 15:04 remaining. The Huskies are leading 11-9.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who’s playing better: Purdue’s Zach Edey or UConn’s Donovan Clingan?
