GLENDALE, Ariz. — It's almost trophy time in the Valley of the Sun, as the NCAA men's college basketball national champion will be crowned at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Monday night.
The game will feature a matchup between two of the top three overall seeds in the 68-team NCAA Tournament, UConn and Purdue.
UConn was given the No. 1 seed in the East region and reached the Final Four in Arizona by beating No. 16 seed Stetson, No. 9 seed Northwestern, No. 5 seed San Diego State and No. 3 seed Illinois. The Huskies beat the No. 4 seed from the West region, Alabama, in the Final Four on Saturday to reach the national championship.
Purdue was given the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region and reached the Final Four by beating No. 16 seed Grambling State, No. 8 seed Utah State, No. 5 seed Gonzaga and No. 2 seed Tennessee. The Boilermakers beat the No. 11 seed from the South region, N.C. State, in the Final Four on Saturday to reach the national championship.
This is the ninth time that No. 1 seeds have played each other in the national championship game. The last time it happened was in 2017, the last time the Final Four was in Arizona when No. 1 seed North Carolina beat No. 1 seed Gonzaga for the national title.
Ahead of the game, we are answering some of the top questions being asked about the teams.
Has Purdue won a national championship?
No, the Boilermakers have never won a national championship. The Boilermakers have played in one other national championship game. That was back in 1969. Purdue lost that game to the UCLA Bruins, who won their third of seven straight national titles. Purdue also made the Final Four in 1980 but lost in the national semifinals.
Where is Purdue University located?
Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, a town about an hour northwest of Indianapolis.
Why is Purdue called the Boilermakers?
According to PurdueSports.com, the nickname was first given to the school's football team in 1891 after a 44-0 win over Wabash College. The newspaper in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where Wabash is located, said the Wabash squad was "snowed completely under by the burly boiler makers from Purdue."
The idea for the nickname came from Purdue teaching men and women from the working class, who "were considered beneath the high-born who attended liberal arts colleges such as Wabash."
What is a Boilermaker?
There is more than one answer to this question, according to The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers.
The organization says a boilermaker can refer to a person who builds or repairs boilers, a member of the organization, a drink involving a shot of whiskey and a beer or a Purdue student or alumni.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, boilermakers are people who "assemble, install, maintain, and repair boilers, closed vats, and other large vessels or containers that hold liquids and gases."
According to PurdueSports.com, the nickname was first given to the school's football team in 1891 after a 44-0 win over Wabash College. The newspaper in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where Wabash is located, said the Wabash squad was "snowed completely under by the burly boiler makers from Purdue."
The idea for the nickname came from Purdue taught men and women from the working class, who "were considered beneath the high-born who attended liberal arts colleges such as Wabash."
Who won the 2023 NCAA basketball championship?
That would be the UConn Huskies. UConn is looking to become the first school to win back-to-back men's college basketball in nearly 20 years. Florida was the last school to accomplish the feat in 2006 and 2007.
The other schools to win back-to-back national titles are Oklahoma State (1945-46), Kentucky (1948-49), San Francisco (1955-56), Cincinnati (1961-62), UCLA (1964-65), Duke (1991-92) and Florida (2006-07).
As mentioned above, UCLA also had a streak of seven straight national titles, which happened from 1967-73.
UConn is the first defending national champion to advance to Final Four and national championship game since Florida in 2007.
If UConn wins, it would be the school's sixth national championship (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014 and 2023).
What time is the NCAA championship game?
The NCAA men's college basketball national championship game will be played at 6:20 p.m. on Monday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. More information about tickets can be found by clicking here.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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