UConn Hoops Spending Pays Off With Second Straight NCAA Title
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Prior to Monday night’s finale of the NCAA Men’s Final Four, Purdue’s long-time coach Matt Painter noted how much a first title would mean for the Boilermakers.
“It would mean everything to us and our fans,” he said.
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It didn’t happen.
Instead, the University of Connecticut won its second consecutive national championship and sixth overall with its 75-60 win over Purdue at State Farm Stadium Monday night. The Huskies are the first back-to-back men’s champs since Florida in 2006 and 2007.
“We just did what we [had] to do,” Huskies coach Dan Hurley said. “We’ve been here before.”
UConn’s title solidifies the school’s status as a rarity in big-time college sports: a school that is more reliant financially on its basketball programs than it is on its FBS football team. The school spends more on basketball than football, and the results showed on the court again Monday night.
The Huskies opened up a tight game late in the first half and led 36-30 after 20 minutes. They then controlled the second half charging out to as many as 18 points as the dream for Purdue slipped away in front of 74,423, the third-highest attendance for a men’s title game.
“You can’t even wrap your mind around it,” Hurley said, celebrating with his euphoric team after the game. “You just know how hard this tournament is. What a special group of people and a special coaching staff, plus an incredible group of players you can possibly do it with.”
Two-time NCAA player of the year Zach Edey kept Purdue in the game with 37 of his team’s 60 points and nine rebounds, but the 7-4 center received little help from his supporting cast. Starting guard Lance Jones had just five points, while backcourt mate Fletcher Loyer, who had a solid game in Purdue’s semifinal win over North Carolina State, was shut out. Purdue was 1-for-7 from outside the 3-point line.
“Whatever you want to say about me, you can never say I didn’t give it 100% every single time I stepped on the floor, every single time I went out to practice,” Edey, who played his last game for Purdue and should now move on to the NBA, said. “That’s what I’ll always hang my hat on.”
The Huskies were so dominant in this year’s tournament that they won every game by 13 points or more, the first time that’s ever happened.
They did spread the wealth Monday night. Four of the five starters had 10 or more points. Guard Tristen Newton led with 20 points, and was named the most outstanding player of the men’s Final Four, which drew 149,143 to the two events. But it could have been any of the Huskies.
“We recruit very talented NBA [caliber] players, who were willing to not make it about themselves,” Hurley said. “They want to be part of a winning group and go for all the championships. While doing that their draft stock is still really high. We both win. UConn wins, and the players win.”
The basketball teams have indeed excelled. The women’s team has won 10 national titles since 2000, and the men’s team has now won five, both more than any other school in that span.
The outsized hoops success has offset its disappointing football fortunes. Since UConn returned to the Big East five years ago, the Huskies’ football team has competed as an independent. That program has struggled on the field and off it, without the benefit of deep-pocketed football boosters or a conference media check to help offset its costs.
UConn ranked outside the top 70 public FBS schools in football ticket sales in fiscal year 2023 ($1.7 million) but was 13th in men’s basketball ticket sales ($6.3 million) and first in women’s basketball ticket sales ($2.8 million). It is the only public school in FBS to spend more on its basketball programs than it does on its football team.
So where does that leave the Huskies long term? It’s unclear. They are currently one of the crown jewels of the Big East, a basketball conference that is trying to make its way in a football-dominated world. But the Huskies may have other options. The Big 12 recently reached out about possibly adding UConn in the future, a move that would improve the school’s sports revenue, but also necessitate a big uptick in spending.
For Purdue, it at least has company in not winning the big dance. No Big Ten team has won the men’s tournament since Michigan State in 2000. The Boilermakers have done a lot with a little.
Of the 13 public schools in the Big Ten in Fiscal 2023, Purdue ranked last in athletic spending at $119 million, according to Sportico’s college finance database. Purdue athletics is comparatively less reliant on extra money from the academic side of the institution. In fiscal 2023, the Boilermakers reported zero dollars in subsidies from student fees, direct government support or direct transfers from the university, the three main ways that athletic departments receive additional money to balance their budgets.
“We won our league back-to-back seasons by multiple games,” Painter said. “The first time that’s happened in the Big Ten since I’ve been in kindergarten. We got to the championship this year after a disappointing loss last year. People have no idea the burden you carry.”
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