GLENDALE, Ariz. — Connecticut didn't need another championship to justify its place in the story of men's college basketball. While the program has roots to the earliest days of the sport, UConn had a minimal presence for several decades. It wasn't until Jim Calhoun took control of the program in 1986 that the Huskies began to regularly make waves in March Madness and compete for national titles. Since then, UConn has earned six championships—the latest of which was a resounding 75-60 triumph over the Purdue Boilermakers on Monday at State Farm Stadium. This victory did more than provide a rare back-to-back crown, though. It's beyond surpassing the five championships from bluebloods Duke and Indiana while matching North Carolina's six. UConn now stands alone in the modern era. THE FINAL MOMENTS.Huskies win the National Championship 👏 pic.twitter.com/Jc1vJMYPH3 Connecticut added to its growing legacy, becoming the first men's program to secure six titles since the Big Dance expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Entering the night, UConn shared the five-banner lead with Duke. Mike Krzyzewski created a behemoth in Durham and won a handful of titles—including two with Bobby Hurley, the brother of current UConn coach Dan Hurley—during his legendary four-decade run. However, the Huskies separated themselves from Duke behind a dominant second half against Purdue. Zach Edey certainly made it difficult on UConn, scoring 16 points in a hard-fought opening 20 minutes. The college legend put up 37 points and 10 rebounds in his final appearance for the Boilermakers. But the tourney's No. 1 overall seed, yet again, showed why
Alabama coach Nate Oats called them "close to being bulletproof." UConn took a double-digit advantage early in the second half and never relented. The last seven-plus minutes served as a glorified victory lap for the Huskies, who snapped the back-to-back championship drought that had lingered since
Florida in 2006 and 2007. Hurley didn't waste his first moment in the spotlight, either. "UConn's been running—for the last 25, 30 years—UConn's been running college
basketball," a celebratory Hurley said following the win. Quite literally, it would be wrong to disagree. STRAIGHT DOMINANCE FROM THE HUSKIES 😤 pic.twitter.com/3PNu9OGIOK The traditionally accepted list of blueblood programs is Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky North Carolina and UCLA. At this point, it's simply undeniable that UConn belongs in the group. Yet that's not even the most interesting conversation. Instead, it's only sensible to wonder how much longer the Huskies will remain at this level. Hurley inherited a proud but struggling program. In six short seasons, he's already a two-time national champion. The rapid success doesn't guarantee anything in the future, of course. Look at John Calipari, who sparked a rapid rise at Kentucky during the early 2010s but wore out his welcome in Lexington over the last decade of March Madness failures and just bolted for Arkansas. Hurley has plenty to continue proving in Storrs. He's far from the program's most accomplished coach, a title reserved for the legendary Calhoun with his 629 victories and three national titles. Nevertheless, Hurley has ushered UConn into this exclusive club. The rest of the nation—from brand-name programs Duke and Kansas to recent powers like Houston—can only look up at the Huskies. "Kinda getting used to this up here," Hurley said after the victory. The thing is, though, he's not merely talking about Monday's championship or a second straight title. UConn has formally laid an inarguable claim to the throne atop this era of college basketball.