Wegs Pool: Back to Back Champs

Sometimes the best team is just that much better in both the Men’s and Women’s game.

Championship Monday – Huskies Run It Back

A battle of Titans this time with two #1 Seeds facing off as arguably the 2 best teams all year long. Purdue had the best player in the land, and C Zach Edey has lived up to the billing all year long. He willed his team to Monday night with so much scoring and rebounding, I’m not sure anyone has played better in this era of college basketball. Still, the Huskies had a tower in C Donovan Clingan who could at least match Edey’s size. Well, in the first half, Edey still had his way with the UConn D – he scored 16 points in the first 14 minutes of the game. Single coverage wasn’t really working, but he was held scoreless the last 6 minutes allowing UConn to stretch a one point lead to a 6 point advantage, 36-30.

In the 2nd half, UConn’s Guards Tristan Newton (20 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds) and Stephon Castle (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) started to heat up with shots, layups and back to back assists to Samson Johnson to stretch the lead to 13 at the 14:41 mark. Edey did his best to keep them close, but the depth and variability of the UConn offense was just too much for the Boilermakers taking the lead all the way up to 18 points. Edey continued to pour in points finishing with 37 points, 10 rebounds, but the problem was only G Braden Smith finished in double figures besides Edey and only hit 1 of 7 from deep as a team, which was ultimately the difference in the score. Meanwhile, the Huskies had 4 players in double figures with 18 of 30 made baskets on assists in the 75-60 win. The UConn system really is reminiscent of a European style team a la the San Antonio Spurs or Golden State in their heyday. UConn becomes the first team to be a repeat champion in 17 years (Florida Gators). Coach Danny Hurley has really got something going now, but let’s see if other opportunities lure him away.

Wegs Pool Final Standings

We have a new winner of the Wegs Pool, and tiebreakers determined many of the final standings. Congrats to the Top 6 and our Shirt Winner in 2024!!!

Thank you again for your patience and understanding with the updates. See you all next year.

Wegs