It’s the matchup all the college basketball world has been ready for: Zach Edey vs. Donovan Clingan.Two of faculty basketball’s finest — and tallest — huge males within the nation will go head-to-head within the national championship game of the NCAA Tournament at State Farm Stadium. Talk about rarity within the matchup between Clingan and Edey: It’s simply the second time ever two 7-foot facilities are beginning in an NCAA Tournament title game, based on CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander.REQUIRED READING: Scouting report: Purdue basketball vs UConn; Prediction for NCAA Championship“There’s no one in college basketball I’ve got more respect for than him (Edey),” Clingan instructed Norlander Sunday on the Final Four. “He is a great player. He’s been one of, if not the most dominant player in college basketball the last two years.”Through UConn’s run in the postseason — each within the Big East and NCAA Tournaments (and the common season for that matter) — Clingan has prompted important challenges for opponents to attempt to stop him as he brings a dominating presence to the courtroom, notably when inside the paint. He is averaging 15.3 factors and seven.5 rebounds in these two tournaments.And it isn’t solely simply by means of his offensive manufacturing. Like Edey, Clingan creates this dominance together with his 7-foot-2 body that makes it onerous for opponents to attain in opposition to him inside the paint both with a layup or a jumper.Here’s the whole lot you need to find out about Clingan forward of Monday evening’s national championship between UConn and Purdue:Who is Donovan Clingan?Clingan, who has develop into identified by followers and members of the media by the nickname of “Cling Kong,” is a livid presence on the glass on the defensive finish for the Huskies. He may get scorching offensively at any level both with dunks — because of his top — or mid-range jumpers.In UConn’s NCAA Tournament run — wherein the Huskies have outscored every of their 5 opponents by 25 factors per game — Clingan has been a beast on each ends of the ground. He is averaging 16.2 factors per game in March Madness and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional final week after averaging double-double figures within the Huskies’ first 4 video games in opposition to Stetson, Northwestern, San Diego State and Illinois.How tall is Donovan Clingan?The UConn huge man is listed at 7-foot-2, based on the Huskies’ official roster.Clingan is the tallest participant on UConn’s roster by 4 inches, with the closest being forwards Samson Johnson and Youssouf Singare, who’re each 6-foot-10. Clingan was tied for the second-tallest participant on this yr’s NCAA Tournament with Purdue redshirt freshman center Will Berg behind solely Edey.REQUIRED READING: ‘Moment wasn’t too big for him.’ Lance Jones plays his part in Purdue’s Final Four win.Where is Donovan Clingan from?Clingan is a homegrown expertise for UConn as he hails from close by Bristol, Connecticut. He attended Bristol Central High School the place he set a faculty file of 2,268 profession factors and averaged 30.3 factors, 18.4 rebounds and 6.2 blocks per game during his senior season.The 7-foot-2 participant was a four-star recruit and the No. 76 total prospect within the 2022 recruiting class, based on his 247Sports page. He selected the Huskies over Big Ten faculties akin to Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. He was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year honoree as effectively.He comes from an athletic household as his late mom, Stacy, was a three-sport all-conference athlete at Bristol Central earlier than turning into a star basketball participant on the University of Maine.Why does Donovan Clingan put on No. 32?Clingan wears No. 32 on his jersey as a approach to pay tribute to his late mom, Stacy, who handed away in 2018 after a fight with Breast Cancer.“I wished to make her proud, and that was the best approach to do it,’’ Clingan told Dana O’Neil of The Athletic final yr on why he plays basketball. “So I caught with it.’’Donovan Clingan statsHere’s a year-by-year breakdown of Clingan’s stats:Career: 686 complete factors, 457 complete rebounds, 153 blocks, 9.9 factors per game, 6.6 rebounds per game and 64.7% capturing from the field2023-24: 444 complete factors, 253 complete rebounds, 85 complete blocks, 13.1 factors per game, 7.4 rebounds per game and 64% capturing from the field2022-23: 242 complete factors, 204 complete rebounds, 68 complete blocks, 6.9 factors per game, 5.8 rebounds per game and 66.6% capturing from the fieldREQUIRED READING: Big Maple vs. Cling Kong: How Zach Edey, Donovan Clingan match up in Final FourDonovan Clingan NBA mock draftsClingan’s efficiency within the NCAA Tournament has solely helped enhance his NBA draft profile even more. He was already slated as a projected prime 5 total choose heading into the event.Here’s the place some NBA draft analysts have Clingan going into the NBA draft:ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (as of April 2): No. 3 to the Charlotte Hornets.Bleacher Reports’ Jonathan Wasserman (as of April 3): No. 5 to the Portland Trail Blazers.USA Today Sports’ Jeff Zilgritt and Scooby Axson (as of March 20): No. 14 to the New Orleans Pelicans.