It was a less than spectacular NCAA Championship Game but No. 3 Connecticut came out on top 53-41 over No. 8 Butler Monday night. It was the Huskies’ 11th straight win, going back to the Big East Tournament. UConn came into the tournament at a decent 35/1 odds. Butler clipped in at 200/1 odds to win it all.
The story of the game was Butler’s woeful shooting, which was the lowest field goal percentage in the history of the men’s title game. The Bulldogs shot just 12-of-67 (17.9%) from the field. They managed only three two-point field goals, again setting a new low for the men’s championship game. Their 12 total field goals were the second fewest made in a National Championship game.
UConn wasn’t much better. The Huskies shot 19-of-63 (30.2%) and 1-of-14 (7.1%) from beyond the arc, but controlled the tempo with 42 rebounds. They were led by Kemba Walker and Alex Oriakhi. Walker finished with 16 points and nine rebounds while Oriakhi had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Huskies covered as a 3-point favorite and the combined score fell plenty under the 131.5 total. Butler had 22-19 lead at halftime but stalled in the second half. The Bulldogs had only one player in double digits, which was Shelvin Mack with 13 points and nine rebounds.
It was the third national title for UConn. The coaches gave the Huskies 30 of 31 No. 1 votes. Ohio State received the other first-place vote. According to the poll, the top five teams in order are UConn, Butler, Kentucky, Kansas and Ohio State.