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The UConn Huskies beat San Diego State to claim its 5th men's basketball championship

Connecticut guard Jordan Hawkins celebrates after the men's national championship college basketball game against San Diego State in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Houston.
Brynn Anderson
/
AP
Connecticut guard Jordan Hawkins celebrates after the men's national championship college basketball game against San Diego State in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Houston.

The University of Connecticut Huskies won its fifth NCAA men's basketball championship in school history Monday night, after a 76-59 defeat over the San Diego State University Aztecs.

The Huskies won in convincing fashion, becoming just the fifth team since the NCAA bracket expanded in 1985 to win all six tournament games by double-digits on the way to a championship.

And while San Diego State overcame a 14-point deficit in the semifinals, the Aztecs could never complete a comeback against the Huskies.

UConn previously won championships in 1999, 2004, 2011 and 2014. The school was favored going into Monday night's title game, averaging coring 8.6 points more per game than San Diego's 71.5.

The school's fifth title for its men's team ties it with Duke and Indiana. UCLA has 11 men's titles, the University of Kentucky has eight and North Carolina has six.

With Monday night's win in Houston, four of UConn's five men's championships have been won in the state of Texas.

For San Diego State, it was the university's first championship game appearance.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Ayana Archie
[Copyright 2024 NPR]