The college basketball world eagerly anticipated a potential UConn-Purdue battle in the national championship game. Wins by both teams in Saturday's Final Four turned that possibility into a reality.
UConn handled Alabama, 86-72, while Purdue took down NC State, 63-50, in their respective semifinal matchups to set up a battle between two No. 1 seeds for the national title.
These titans of college basketball are led by a pair of titans on the court.
Donovan Clingan has been a blocks machine and a dominant scoring presence for UConn, particularly in the NCAA Tournament. And Zach Edey is likely headed to a second straight year winning both the Naismith and Wooden awards after averaging a double-double on the season.
"A battle of the giants, and I think it’s just great for college basketball," Huskies coach Dan Hurley told TBS' Tracy Wolfson after the game. "Us and Purdue have clearly been the two best teams in the country the last two years and I think it’s just great for college basketball to get two big dogs playing Monday night."
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Alabama has faced off against both UConn and Purdue this season, with 6-11 forward Grant Nelson largely drawing the responsibility of facing off against the two towering stars in the post. Asked after the Crimson Tide's Final Four loss to compare the two, he spoke highly of the looming matchup in the national championship.
"I think they match up pretty well," Nelson said. "They both draw a lot of fouls, they're tough to play against as a team, really, so I think it'll be a good matchup. It's tough guarding both of them, but if you put them up against each other, it's really just who's more physical and who can foul less."
While the physicality and foul battle won't be determined until Monday, it's possible to look at least at the height battle between the two. Here's what you need to know about the size of the two imposing centers.
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Donovan Clingan height
Clingan stands at 7-2 and 265 pounds. He's one of only 18 players that are 7-2 or taller in Division I college basketball, per Stathead.
He has put that height to use in the NCAA Tournament so far. He tallied 18 points and four blocks with five rebounds in Saturday's win over Alabama. Clingan has averaged 16.2 points, 9 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in his five tournament games. Overall, he's averaging 12.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game this season.
"You play at this level to play big-time matchups, big-time games. I have a lot of respect for Zach Edey. He's a great player," Clingan said.
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Zach Edey height
Clingan might be a towering center, but Edey has him beat, at least in height. Edey stands at 7-4, putting him just below the top of the tallest players in Division I men's college basketball. He also weighs in at 285 pounds.
Edey will be the only player Clingan has faced in the 2023-24 season that is taller than him, based on the players listed by Stathead as 7-3 or taller.
Edey has been a machine in the NCAA Tournament. He racked up 20 points and 12 rebounds in the win over NC State, his fifth double-double in five NCAA Tournament games. He has averaged 28 points and 15.4 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament, and is posting averages of 25 points and 12.2 rebounds overall this season.
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When Clingan and Edey face off, it will be the first time a pair of centers at least 7-2 matched up in Final Four history, according to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander. The only other time a national championship featured two centers at least 7-foot was in 1984, when Georgetown's Patrick Ewing matched up with Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon. Both centers measured at 7 feet.
Tracy Wolfson height
TBS reporter Tracy Wolfson stands only 5-2, at least two feet shorter than either the UConn or Purdue centers.
Wolfson interviewed both players after their respective games. Edey and the Boilermakers played first, and TBS announcer Ian Eagle joked he had bought her a ladder.
"Tracy, we just ordered you a ladder." - Ian Eagle after Tracy Wolfson interviews Purdue star Zach Edey 🏀🎙️🪜😂 #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/zEfGAraJWI
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 7, 2024
When it came time to interview Clingan after the second Final Four game, she had her ladder at the ready.
Tracy Wolfson stood on a ladder to talk with Donovan Clingan postgame 🤣#MarchMadness @UConnMBB pic.twitter.com/5lQBLG9bkE
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 7, 2024
Wolfson will likely need that ladder at least one more time if she winds up interviewing either Clingan or Edey after Monday's national championship game.
Tallest players in college basketball
Edey is almost the tallest player in Division I men's basketball. He comes in just an inch shy of Ole Miss center Jamarion Sharp, who comes in at 7-5, per Stathead.
Here's a look at all the players listed by Stathead at 7-2 or taller from the 2023-24 NCAA season.
| Player | Team | Height |
| Jamarion Sharp | Ole Miss | 7-5 |
| Zach Edey | Purdue | 7-4 |
| Naheem McLeod | Syracuse | 7-4 |
| Gabe Dynes | Youngstown State | 7-3 |
| Connor Vanover | Missouri | 7-3 |
| Aday Mara | UCLA | 7-3 |
| Jordan Wilmore | Austin Peay | 7-3 |
| Mathok Majok | Massachusetts | 7-3 |
| Rocco Muratori | Stony Brook | 7-3 |
| Donovan Clingan | UConn | 7-2 |
| Motiejus Krivas | Arizona | 7-2 |
| Zvonimir Ivisic | Kentucky | 7-2 |
| Chol Marial | Oregon State | 7-2 |
| Will Berg | Purdue | 7-2 |
| David Craig | Tennessee Tech | 7-2 |
| Mabor Majak | Missouri | 7-2 |
| Ryan Mutombo | Georgetown | 7-2 |
| Max Brackmann | Southeastern Louisiana | 7-2 |
