It was a brutal dance of sweat and desperation, UConn and Purdue clawing at each other like drunks in a last-call brawl. The ball bounced wild and wicked, the crowd's roar a beast with a thousand throats. UConn came in with swagger, champions from another time, but Purdue wanted it like a man wants his next drink, teeth bared and fists clenched. The clock mocked them all, seconds ticking down like the last gasps of a dying dog. In the end, it was UConn in the winner’s circle, and Purdue was left to drown their sorrows somewhere far from glory’s spotlight.