2024 NCAA championship: Breaking down who has the edge in UConn vs. Purdue matchup

Who has the edge at the key positions in the national championship game on Monday night?

By David Cobb Apr 7, 2024 at 5:01 pm ET• 3 min read

The NCAA Tournament produced chaos, upsets and all the thrilling twists that make it one of the best events in all of sports. But in the end, all the madness couldn't shake favorites Purdue or UConn out of the bracket. The pair of No. 1 seeds are squaring off for the national title on Monday night after dominating college basketball all season long.

The matchup between 7-foot-4 Purdue star Zach Edey and 7-foot-2 UConn center Donovan Clingan is the most anticipated individual battle of the season. The dueling giants patrol the paint with force and dominate games in unique ways. Edey is a ruthlessly efficient scorer, while Clingan is a shot-swatting defender and ubiquitous lob threat on offense.

But the nuances of this game go much deeper. Guard play will be critical, bench contributions will be magnified by the stakes and coaches face critical decisions. The entire college basketball season comes down to this. Only one team can hold the trophy. Either UConn will become the sport's repeat national champion since Florida in 2006 and 2007 or Purdue will secure redemption after losing to a No. 16 seed in last year's first round.

So as tipoff approaches Monday night, let's take a look at the UConn-Purdue matchup and see who might have an edge -- and where -- in the 2024 national title game.