UConn vs. Purdue: Power ranking all 10 starters in March Madness national championship

The NCAA Tournament is as popular as it is because of its unpredictability. Let's face it, we all love watching Cinderella put on the glass slipper. Sometimes, though, it's nice to watch the two best teams in the country go toe-to-toe, and that's what we've got tonight.

This game is overflowing with storylines. This is the first time two 1-seeds have met for the title since North Carolina beat Gonzaga in 2017. With a combined record of 70-7, UConn and Purdue have been on a collision course all season, but they have come from very different places. One year after dominating the tournament as a 4-seed, the Huskies have proven that last March's run was no fluke with another overwhelming performance, and they're trying to become the first team since Florida in 2007 to repeat as national champions.

With its run to the title game, Purdue has already erased the sting of last year's historic loss to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson, vindicating both Matt Painter and two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey in the process. One more win would cement the Boilermakers alongside Virginia as not only the only two teams to ever lose to a 16-seed, but the only two teams to follow that with a title the following season.

Both UConn and Purdue have gotten it done on both ends of the court. The Huskies have the No. 1-ranked offense according to KenPom, while Purdue is just behind at No. 3, but while UConn already disposed of the No. 2-ranked offensive team when they beat Alabama on Saturday, the Crimson Tide don't play nearly the same level of defense as the Boilermakers. In fact, Alabama's run defied recent tournament history in that it reached the Final Four with the 111th-ranked defense. UConn and Purdue rank 4th and 12th, respectively.

As they say in boxing, styles make fights. Edey has put his team on his back all year, but in Donovan Clingan, he'll be facing arguably the best defensive center in the country (Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner might be the only one better), making this a fascinating clash of bigs. Much of Purdue's success lies in opposing teams' inability to contain Edey without a double-team, but if Clingan can handle Edey on his own, it will allow his teammates to stay home on the perimeter, a must since Purdue shoots over 40% from three.

Both teams rely heavily on their starters, but each has important bench pieces. Samson Johnson gets over 16 minutes a game to spell Clingan, and he'll be vital in the fight against Edey. Hassan Diarra gives the Huskies some extra defensive juice on the perimeter, while top Purdue sub Mason Gillis is a lights-out shooter from deep. These three players will factor into the final outcome, but this game will mostly come down to the 10 guys that begin on the court. Let's take a look at the starting lineups for each team, and create a list of power rankings to see which team has an edge, starting at 10 and working our way up.

10. Trey Kaufmann-Renn, Purdue

Check in on Purdue's power rankings next year, and Trey Kaufmann-Renn will almost certainly be much higher. The 6-foot-9 sophomore is a skilled post player, able to burrow his way inside with an array of moves to keep even the best defenders off-balance. With Zach Edey firmly planted in the paint, though, Kaufmann-Renn doesn't often get a chance to shine, so he ends up doing most of his damage on the fast break or after Edey kicks out of a double-team and the ball reverses to the other side of the court.

Edey has played all but three minutes in Purdue's last three games, which hasn't given Kaufmann-Renn much room to operate, and he's only totaled 15 points in those games. When given the opportunity, though, he's shown that he can come through, such as when he scored 18 against Utah State in the second round or when he went off for 23 in a win over Illinois back in early January.

9. Fletcher Loyer, Purdue

Fletcher Loyer is the template for what you'd want in a guard in the NCAA Tournament. The sophomore does many things well without taking much off the table. He shoots over 44 percent from 3 and 86 percent from the free-throw line, and he rarely turns the ball over.

At 6-foot-4, Loyer is able to get his shot off over most opposing guards, but UConn has the size to make him uncomfortable. If the Huskies can run him off the 3-point line, they could expose the one flaw in Loyer's game, as he's not great at finishing from inside the arc. He actually shoots far worse from two than he does from three, and with Donovan Clingan waiting at the rim, that doesn't figure to change tonight.

Only Lance Jones has taken and made more threes than Loyer on this team, but Loyer is much more efficient. Alabama showed that if you can push the pace and keep the ball moving, you can get open looks from outside. Purdue needs Loyer's shotmaking if it wants to cut down the nets.

8. Alex Karaban, UConn

I'll be honest: ranking Alex Karaban eighth on this list does not make me feel good. The 6-foot-8 sophomore is a perfect complementary player. This is the kind of guy you need if you're going to make a run at back-to-back championships, as he's additive in nearly every area of the game, but he never forces his shot or does anything at the expense of his teammates.

If you leave Karaban open on the perimeter, he'll make you pay. He shoots 38.5 percent from deep, but he's especially deadly off of an offensive rebound. It feels like he never misses when he gets a kick-out from Clingan after an errant UConn shot, but he can also take the ball to the basket and finish around the rim when the opportunity presents itself.

Like everyone else on UConn, Karaban is a willing rebounder and defender. He tied for the Huskies team lead with eight boards against Alabama while pitching in 14 points on only six shots. He won't be one of the top players that jump out at you against Purdue, but don't be surprised if his contributions put UConn in the winner's circle once again.

7. Lance Jones, Purdue

If you're looking for a reason why Purdue has avoided being upset for the fourth tournament in a row, look no further than Lance Jones. Despite not being one of the more heralded names in the portal last offseason, the Southern Illinois transfer has allowed Purdue to finally play to its ceiling by giving Matt Painter a dose of athleticism and toughness that this team has lacked in recent years.

Jones' 14 points against NC State helped pick up the slack as Braden Smith struggled, and he showcased his pick-your-poison game against the Wolfpack. Leave him with even a sliver of space and he'll let it fly with reckless abandon, but guard him tight and he can use his strength and quickness to drive and finish with a pretty floater before help can arrive.

Edey towers over everyone on the court, but UConn has a clear height advantage in the backcourt, where all three of UConn's starting guards are at least three inches taller than Jones. Whether he can get enough space to get his shot off will go a long way in determining the outcome.

6. Braden Smith, Purdue

If not for such a catastrophic showing against NC State, Braden Smith would certainly rank higher on this list. Smith shot 1-of-9 from the field and turned it over five times against NC State's average defense, which doesn't bode well for his prospects against the much more tenacious Huskies.

Matt Painter has to hope that he gets the version of Smith he saw all year on Monday night. The sophomore was terrific all season in earning First Team All-Big Ten honors, finishing fourth in the nation with 7.5 assists per game while also leading Purdue in steals. Despite being only 6-foot, Smith was second only to Edey on the team in rebounds per game, and he was often a one-man fast break, grabbing a miss and going coast-to-coast to either finish himself or find one of his sharpshooting teammates for a bucket.

Smith is a master at the forgotten art of the entry pass, and how he sets up Edey will be crucial tonight. The Boilermakers need the player that bamboozled Gonzaga with 15 assists to beat UConn, but if he wanted to hearken back to his 26- and 27-point outbursts against Alabama and Arizona earlier this season, that could work, too.

5. Stephon Castle, UConn

If we were ranking players based on their NBA Draft prospects, Castle would likely be No. 1. The talented freshman has a pro-ready game, and he put it on full display against Alabama with 21 points and five rebounds. It's easy to see why he's projected as a lottery pick, as his 6-foot-6 frame, quickness, and physicality allow him to get past defenders and finish through contact.

Unsurprisingly for a freshman, Castle hasn't been the most consistent player, even in the tournament. Before torching Alabama, he scored only two points against Illinois, and he had just seven against Northwestern in the second round. When he decides to take over, though, there's not a team in the country that can even hang with UConn, which is why he's ranked so high here.

Castle can take advantage of the attention Purdue will need to pay to Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer, and with Clingan also occupying Edey down low, he could again have a long runway to get into the lane and make things happen in the paint.

4. Tristen Newton, UConn

How is the Bob Cousy Award winner and First Team All-American fourth on this list? It goes back to what we said earlier about styles making fights, with a little bit of recency bias peppered in. Newton averages almost 15 points per game on the year, but against Alabama and Illinois, he struggled to put the ball in the hoop. He didn't make a single shot from the floor against the Illini, finishing 0-of-6 with five free throws made, and he was outplayed by Mark Sears of the Crimson Tide, who outscored him 24 to 14.

Newton can contribute in other ways, however, namely by distributing the ball (his 6.2 assists per game were second in the Big East behind Tyler Kolek of Marquette) and by using his size to smother most opposing guards. The former ECU transfer is the engine that makes UConn's offense go, and even as he struggled with his shot last game, he still dished out nine assists.

Newton was outstanding in last year's title game, putting up 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists to deliver UConn's fifth national championship. He's been even better this year in helping the Huskies navigate the loss of Adama Sanogo, Andre Jackson Jr., and Jordan Hawkins from last year's team.

3. Cam Spencer, UConn

Cam Spencer is a nightmare for opposing teams to deal with. The Rutgers transfer is like if JJ Redick was a better passer and trash-talker, without losing any of the volume or efficiency in his 3-point shooting, which stands at over 44 percent for the year.

Dan Hurley runs a lot of action for Spencer, forcing opposing defenders to chase him through a maze of screens most times down the court. Once he has the ball, Spencer can get his shot off in nearly any situation. He can run the pick-and-roll with Clingan, finding the diving big man for an easy dunk or kicking to a spot-up shooter for an open 3, or he can step back and knock it down on his own.

Spencer shoots over 90 percent from the line, which would come in handy late in games if teams were ever close enough to UConn to want to foul them. Like Newton, he made First Team All-Big East this year, and he's one of the great early success stories of the transfer portal era.

Spencer wasn't on the Huskies' title-winning team last year, so he's hungry for a ring of his own. If Purdue can't limit all the ways he can impact a game, it's going to be a long night for the Boilermakers.

2. Donovan Clingan, UConn

Enough with these relative munchkins, let's get into the big boys. As Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire continues to dominate the box office, it's only fitting that the national championship features a tussle between two dominant giants, as well.

Donovan Clingan will be UConn's most important player on Monday night. Few players have been able to limit Zach Edey's impact this year, but if anyone can do it, it's Clingan. The 7-foot-2 sophomore has the size to make Edey earn his points, and he can challenge the Wooden Award winner on the other end, too.

Clingan wore a wrap on his hand against Alabama after injuring it in practice earlier in the week, but it didn't seem to affect him as he scored 18 to go along with five rebounds and four devastating blocks on the Tide. Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith don't shoot it well from inside the arc, and Clingan's presence could discourage them from even venturing inside the 3-point line, making Purdue's offense predictable as they attempt to feed Edey and spot up from deep.

As we said earlier, Edey has rarely come off the court, and he never subbed out against NC State. Clingan has the luxury of having Samson Johnson behind him to give him some rest, but UConn really needs Clingan and his extra four inches to stick with Edey as long as he can. If Clingan can stay on the court (he averages just over 22 minutes a game but played 29 in a fast-paced game on Saturday), that could make the difference.

1. Zach Edey, Purdue

It's a difficult situation to have the hopes of an entire fanbase resting on one player's shoulders, but if you had to pick a player to bear that weight, Zach Edey would be a great choice. Individually, the senior has done just about everything a college player can do, twice being named National Player of the Year and breaking many records during his time in West Lafayette.

Edey hasn't been shy about wanting to experience team success after years of early tournament exits, and he's willed Purdue to victories these last few weeks with what can only be described as dominance. The gravitational force of the 7-foot-4 senior warps a defense to Purdue's will, which is why the Boilermakers are among the best teams in the country at 3-point shooting, offensive rebounding, and getting to the free-throw line.

Edey is attempting to become the first National Player of the Year to cut down the nets since Anthony Davis did it for Kentucky in 2012, while also giving Purdue its first title in school history and the Big Ten its first since Michigan State won it all in 2000. It will take a monster game from the big man to get it done, but he's been up to the challenge all year. This is his toughest test yet.