The UConn Huskies defeated the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60. The team has now won two straight NCAA Finals, trouncing San Diego State Aztecs by 16 points in the 2023 Finals. In that wake, Paul Pierce stated that the men’s college program is lacing the firepower. For him, the Huskies’ ascension doesn’t bode well for the NCAA basketball scene overall.
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While acknowledging these two feats are impressive, the Truth claimed that the margin of victories implies that the college men’s basketball program suffers a slide. He pointed out that their margin of victories is 23 but then brought out the question of ranking them in the history of the NCAA.
“Where do they rank in NCAA history? Was it impressive? Absolutely. But it also tells us how down the college game is. I’ve never seen this before, why are they winning by the average of 23 points in NCAA tournament,” Paul Pierce told Keyshawn Johnson and Skip Bayless.
The 2008 NBA Champion was worried that the gulf between the Huskies and the rest of the field was impenetrable. It implies there is a lack of depth in the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball. Perhaps his disappointment can be traced to the fact that the last couple of NCAA Men’s Basketball tournaments have lacked storylines.
Comparing the storylines of the men’s and women’s basketball scenes
The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament had a ton of story angles heading into the final stages of the NCAA tournament. The biggest storyline was Caitlin Clark breaking the NCAA All-Time Scoring Record across the men’s and women’s tournaments. Angel Reese and LSU were the defending champs and had a lot of off-court drama during the season.
Besides, coach Dawn Staley and her South Carolina Gamecocks were hunting for their second title in three years. In addition, Paige Bueckers was on fire after the Huskies missed her services for a couple of years. The future of the top crop in the WNBA was in full flow.
Then Hailey Van Lith and Kamilla Cordoso made for an epic five-star recruiting class. UConn has been the worst-hit top program in terms of injuries, Bueckers lifted them to great heights despite an injury-stricken roster. These were just some of the five-star high-school hoopsters that made for one of the best storylines in NCAA sports history.
Adding these primary reasons made for the most-watched NCAA women’s basketball season by a long shot. However, the men’s tournament also enjoyed a terrific viewing. Their top prospects like Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan have made noise. However, this season, safe to say that women’s basketball overshadowed them. In terms of talent, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament still has a lot to show.
