4 questions to be answered in Monday's tourney title game

From the 363 teams that tipped off the season in November, only UConn and San Diego State remain with a chance at the NCAA Tournament championship.

Just over 7,000 brackets - a paltry 0.04% of all entries - had those two combatants meeting in the title game, so it's safe to say this matchup is a surprise to most.

UConn is certainly the favorite, but San Diego State has shown throughout the tournament that it can hang with any team in the nation.

Here are four questions to be answered in Monday's title game.

Can UConn join elite company?

UConn isn't often mentioned among the blue bloods in men's college basketball, but that list will need serious revising if the Huskies close the deal on Monday. With a victory over San Diego State, UConn would join an elite list of programs with its fifth national title. UCLA leads the way at 11 national titles, followed by Kentucky with eight and North Carolina with six. The Huskies would stand alongside Duke and Indiana with five - a fact made even more impressive when you consider that UConn didn't win its first tournament until 1999.

Jim Calhoun built UConn into the powerhouse it is today, with three championships between 1999-2011 before Kevin Ollie led the program to its most recent title in 2014. Dan Hurley would become the third different coach to win the NCAA Tournament with the Huskies - a feat that would put UConn alongside just Kentucky and North Carolina as programs to have three different coaches win March Madness.

History indicates UConn has a great chance at the title Monday, as the Huskies' dominant performance has them poised to cash in. Hurley's team has punished the competition from the opening round, claiming each tournament game by double digits.

Will SDSU have an answer for Sanogo?

One of the most impressive things about UConn this season is incredible depth across the lineup. Eight different players for the Huskies score at least five points per contest, and nine play at least 13 minutes each game. While that balance will be a challenge for San Diego State on Monday, the Aztecs' defensive game plan must start with one of the most daunting tasks in college basketball: slowing down Adama Sanogo.

The junior forward has turned in an absolutely dominant run through the bracket, proving impossible to stop. Sanogo is averaging 20.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in the tournament while making an outrageous 68% of his shots from the floor.

San Diego State is as equipped as anybody to slow Sanogo down, as the Aztecs are one of the nation's best defensive units. San Diego State allows just 53% shooting on attempts around the basket, ranking 22nd nationally, according to Haslametrics.com.

The individual who'll likely need to rise to the occasion against Sanogo is Nathan Mensah. The Aztecs' interior stopper has blocked 15 shots in the tournament already, including five against Alabama. Mensah is a force when on the court but was plagued by foul trouble in Saturday's win over FAU. He'll need to provide resistance versus Sanogo - while staying out of foul trouble - for the Aztecs to have a chance at the upset.

Can UConn crack SDSU's 3-point defense?

Another extremely impressive element of UConn's historic tournament run has been its efficiency and volume from the 3-point line. The Huskies made at least nine 3-pointers in all five of their March Madness contests and are making 40.3% of their long balls. Further, an insane seven different players have made at least two 3-pointers in at least one tournament game thus far.

This hot streak will be put to the test against San Diego State's 3-point defense. The Aztecs rank third nationally, allowing opponents to make only 28.1% of their threes. That number has improved to an uber-impressive 21.6% in March Madness, even though FAU found a way to make over 40% of its looks in the Final Four. San Diego State's rim protection allows it to pressure opposing guards, making open looks difficult to come by.

A major key in this contest will be whether UConn's immense shooting talent and depth are able to overwhelm San Diego State's perimeter defense. The Huskies are 13-0 this season when making at least 40% of their 3-pointers, but the Aztecs have allowed opponents to hit that mark just six times all year and are 28-4 when they hold teams below that number.

Which backcourt steps up?

Both teams have their clear strengths in this contest. For UConn, it's getting the ball inside to Sanogo, and for San Diego State, it's continuing to play elite defense. However, the ultimate X-factor will be which backcourt can play the best mistake-free basketball.

Each team has just one guard that averages double figures in scoring: Jordan Hawkins for the Huskies and Matt Bradley for the Aztecs. Hawkins is a sharpshooter who'll have his fair share of open looks due to the attention on Sanogo, and Bradley makes difficult shots and finally broke out against FAU with 21 points after struggling of late. Beyond those two, questions start to arise.

Tristen Newton is as close to a pure point guard as UConn has but can struggle with turnovers against pressure. Bench scorers Joey Calcaterra and Nahiem Alleyne can be difference-makers but are streaky. On the San Diego State side, Final Four hero Lamont Butler has alternated single- and double-digit scoring games throughout the tournament. Darrion Trammell leads the Aztecs in threes during March Madness but is heavily undersized compared to the Huskies he'll match up against.

All told, the depth of both teams' guards makes it so either one could have a single player put on a memorable performance. Chances are, whichever team can gain that extra boost from the backcourt will come out victorious on Monday.