By Michael Letendre
Are you ready for the National Championship game in the men’s NCAA Division I final?
It’s going to be a fun one as San Diego State (32-6 overall) battles the University of Connecticut (30-8) in the final contest of the season for all the marbles.
The Huskies, No. 4 seed from the West, will attempt to win its fifth ever championship against the upstart Aztecs – fifth ranked out of the Southern bracket.
UConn has won every tournament game by double figures to date while San Diego had a couple nail bitters to make it to the final showdown.
This is the first ever National Championship game for the Aztecs.
All eyes from Bristol will be on Huskies’ sixth man, the 7-foot-2 bulldog Donovan Clingan who could be a back-to-back champion at both the scholastic and collegiate level.
It would be a tremendous accomplishment for the outstanding Clingan, and UConn has the talent to make that dream a reality on Monday (9:20 p.m., CBS).
Clingan enters the contest having played in all 38 games for UConn this season, posting 7.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks-per-game in just over 13 minutes of action – all in a reserve role.
In NCAA Tournament play, he’s blocked at least one shot in every game, hitting for three rejections over wins against both Gonzaga and St. Mary’s.
Over the five tournament contests, playing in 12.6 minutes-per-game, Clingan has posted 6.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.
What more can you ask for out of a backup big man on the biggest stage of them all?
So, how is this game going to play out in Houston?
Currently, the Huskies are a 7.5-point favorite to win, and the squad has a couple players who could be drafted by the NBA immediately (and we haven’t connected Donovan to the NBA – just yet).
Clingan had a great game against Miami on Saturday night, posting four points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in just 13 minutes of action.
The rim protection he brings is unmatched and opponents have to be in position quickly, taking advantage of the rim, and lofting shots off the backboard a little bit higher than he would probably normally like.
It’s all about timing and if you’re going to shoot over Clingan, do it quickly or else the ball could end up in the tenth row.
He runs the floor well enough to keep defenders in transition sweating and, as stated before, Clingan is such a good change of pace on both sides of the ball that opponents have to make counter moves to guard him which sometimes means bringing in players who may not score as much or are just in there to bang away against 7-foot-2 giants.
The advantage belongs to UConn.
Along with fellow forward Adama Sanogo, you have two quality pivot men that have a combined 10 fouls to use on the hardwood, a big asset.
The Huskies must remain humble and, just like they did against the Hurricanes, pull out a fast start, absorb the eventual comeback and then firmly establish the lead for good.
Defense is the key and if the Huskies can get up by 20 points, forget about it.
There are just too many players to guard in the Huskies’ lineup and that spells doom and demise for San Diego.
Frankly, how do the Aztecs slow down Sanogo, sharp-shooter Jordan Hawkins, the inside-outside scoring of Alex Karaban, the limitless ability of Tristen Newton, Andre Jackson’s tenacity, Nahiem Alleyne’s right time, right moment approach, Joey Calcaterra’s three-point shooting prowess, Clingan’s rim protection and the rest of the Huskies?
When UConn gets out in transition, the squad is tough to slowdown and that’s where San Diego has to create turnovers and score on the flip side.
That’s easier said than done.
And let’s face the facts – UConn is 16-0 outside of the Big East and all those wins have been by double figures. DOUBLE FIGURES.
The Huskies will have to pump the breaks on players like San Diego’s Matt Bradley who dropped 21 points on Florida Atlantic to help his squad get to the finals.
He can shoot from deep and is one of the players UConn must defend with zest.
Alijah Martin is for real, dumping 19 of his 26 points over second half play and when Lamont Butler pumped in the game-winner to send the Aztecs into a frenzy with their 72-71 win over FAU, you just never know who will step up for the squad.
That’s a tricky proposition for the locals.
And San Diego can and will play defense, too. But have the Aztecs ever played a squad like the Huskies this season?
But let’s end the conversation with this; the game is the Huskies to lose.
Defensively, the entire team is checked into what head coach Dan Hurley has been preaching and don’t think for a second UConn is going to be taking the National Championship game off.
Hawkins will be a couple days healthier, Jackson probably won’t repeat the foul trouble he battled against Miami (and what happened when he retreated to the bench? It was next man up) and Sanogo is heading for the MVP award.
Please, stay up for this one as Clingan and the Huskies are on the cusp of something very big come midnight on Monday.
