Purdue Basketball: 3 keys to winning national title over UConn Huskies

Purdue Basketball has the chance to win it all against the UConn Huskies. What are the keys to the Boilermakers winning?

After losing to Fairleigh Dickinson in the Round of 64 game a year ago, Purdue Basketball has been on a mission for redemption. Starting out as a preseason top-3 team, the Boilermakers have been one of the best teams in the country all season, going 34-4 overall. After beating NC State in the Final Four, they're now one win away from winning its first-ever national title.

In their way is UConn, (36-3), who has won 26 of the last 27 games, most by 10+ points. That includes the latest 86-72 win over Alabama in Saturday's Final Four clash. They say these are the two best teams in the country but only one of them can win it all. Here's how the Boilermakers can pull off the minor upset.

1. Zach Edey winning matchup over Donovan Clingan

The one big individual matchup everyone will watch is 2-time National Player of the Year big man Edey going up against Clingan, one of the best interior defenders in the country. He singlehandedly dominated Illinois in the Elite 8 matchup and can go for 20+ points. Purdue will need to limit his effectiveness on both ends. They say that UConn has the positional edge everywhere except center. That's why they're going to need Edey to have one of his best games yet to win.

2. Bounce back game from Braden Smith

Purdue only scored 63 points in the win over NC State, due to its second-leading scorer having arguably his worst offensive game. Smith had three points on 1/9 FG shooting and turned the ball over five times in the first half. He's going to need to give Purdue 10+ points at least to have a shot to beat Uconn. Smith also will take on Tristen Newton, an All-American starting guard who is on triple-double watch. The sophomore ball-handler will need to match his impact on Monday.

3. Lance Jones, the x-factor

The second-leading scorer for Purdue on Saturday was Jones, who had 14 points to make up for Smith's poor game. On the season, the 5th-year transfer put up 11.9 ppg and shot 36% from three-point range. He's had some big games this season, including 13 points to beat Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational, 24 against Michigan, and 26 in the victory over Northwestern.

Jones is going to have to have a big game for Purdue to have a shot at the upset. It's possible, but Edey can't do it alone. Who else will step up? Maybe it'll be Lance Jones.