Image: Purdue v Connecticut

UConn clinched its second consecutive NCAA men’s basketball championship Monday, defeating Purdue 75-60 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Tristen Newton paced UConn with 20 points, while Stephon Castle added 15 points. After a back-and-forth first half, the Huskies gained their first double-digit lead near the midpoint of the second half before they pulled away.

“You can’t even wrap your mind around it, because you just know how hard this tournament is,” Huskies coach Dan Hurley said after the win. “What a special group of people.”

Purdue’s 7-foot-4 center, Zach Edey, had a game-high 37 points and 10 rebounds in defeat.

UConn became just the eighth team in NCAA men’s basketball history to win back-to-back national championships following its victory last season against San Diego State.

The most recent team to accomplish such a feat was Florida in 2007.

This is UConn’s sixth national championship. The only other programs to win six or more NCAA men’s titles are UCLA (11), Kentucky (8) and North Carolina (6).

Purdue has been to the Final Four three times, reaching the championship game once, but has never won the NCAA Tournament.

“We’re kind of getting used to this up here, the confetti, the trophy,” Hurley said postgame. “Number six, baby!”