Monday night will feature a massive battle in the paint when Purdue’s Zach Edey faces UConn’s Donovan Clingan in the National Championship Game.
The two dominant big men will collide at State Farm Stadium when the 7-foot-4 Edey opposes the 7-foot-2 Clingan. UConn head coach Dan Hurley fittingly called it “a battle of the giants” after his team advanced with an 87-72 win over Alabama on Saturday night.
Observers are looking forward to the enormous matchup.
“Donovan Clingan vs. Zach Edey will be the first game between 7’2″ or taller players in NCAA Tournament history,” CBS Sports researcher Doug Clawson noted. “It’s the 2nd national title game between 7-foot starters along with Hakeem Olajuwon vs. Patrick Ewing in 1984.”
“Edey versus Clingan for the national title. The battle of the bigs — just like the old days. Can’t wait,” sports columnist Bob Kravitz wrote.
“Edey-Clingan is going to destroy a major metropolitan area,” Rodger Sherman joked.
“Purdue-UConn could be special, man,” Jackson Frank said. “Edey-Clingan should be so fun and I can’t wait to see how [Matt] Painter and Hurley — two elite coaches — plan for each other.”
Edey continued to dominate when posting his eighth straight double-double in Saturday’s 63-50 win over NC State. The star senior is averaging 28.0 points and 15.4 rebounds during the NCAA tournament.
Meanwhile, Clingan has ignited an imposing Huskies roster that’s lapped the bracket with five double-digit wins. The sophomore has swatted 18 blocks over the last four games and is averaging 16.2 points with 9.0 boards during a breakout March Madness run.
Clingan is eager to prove himself against the back-to-back AP Player of the Year.
“I’m really excited,” Clingan said, per SNY. “You play at this level to play big-time matchups, big-time games. I got a lot of respect for Zach Edey. He’s a great player. Me and my team are going to get ready to battle and give everything we got on Monday.”