The Huskies started the season strong and finish the ending NCAA Championship game being the best of the best of 2004 college basketball players. The Connecticut Huskies closed out the season by easily winning the title they expected all along. Five years removed from their last national championship, the Connecticut Huskies (32-6) defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (28-10), 82-73, Monday night in San Antonio to win the 2004 men's basketball National Championship. Connecticut became the first team since the 1996 Kentucky Wildcats to win the title after being ranked first in the preseason. Entering halftime with a 15-point edge, Head Coach Jim Calhoun's "squad" built as much as a 25-point lead in the second half behind the deadly inside-outside combo of Okafor and junior guard Ben Gordon. The best combination of two teammates in the country contributed 45 points in the game and combined with sophomore guard Rashad Anderson's 21 points, the trio alone was too much to handle for the Yellow Jackets in their first-ever trip to the national championship game. |
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Emeka Okafor will most likely finished off his college career, with earning Final Four most outstanding player honors with game-highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds. It was his 24th double-double of the season, and 53rd in his career.
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