Purdue needed a jolt of life in the national championship against UConn, and reserve forward Cam Heide tried to provide that.
The Boilermakers were being worn down by the Huskies, trailing by nine points in the first four minutes of the second half. Head coach Matt Painter had to dig deeper into his bench because senior forward Lance Jones picked up his third foul early.
He elected to go to freshman Heide, who has played sparingly throughout the NCAA Tournament. Heide instantly made the most of his minutes, throwing down one of the best dunks of March Madness.
MORE: Live updates, highlights from UConn vs. Purdue in national championship game
Purdue's Cam Heide dunk video
Early in the second half, Zach Edey attempted a righty hook over Donovan Clingan's outstretched arm. The air-tight defense caused the ball to ricochet hard off the backboard and rim, creating a juicy second-chance opportunity.
Heide capitalized on the miss, soaring in from the free throw line to throw down a putback dunk over UConn's Cam Spencer.
The highlight will get you out of your seat.
CAM HEIDE PUTBACK DUNK 😱
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 9, 2024
WOW. #MarchMadness @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/hngzzLYih2
We have to see another angle:
This angle of Cam Heide’s putback… 🤯 pic.twitter.com/mcNYx4Xot5
— SLAM University (@slam_university) April 9, 2024
This was Heide's first two points — and minutes — of the national championship. The freshman forward only played seven minutes in Purdue's Final Four win over NC State, but he got more burn earlier in the tournament.
Heide had 10 points in the Boilermakers' Round of 32 win over Utah State and five points in their Sweet 16 win over Gonzaga.
He averaged 12.3 minutes per game off the bench this season, posting 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds as a high-energy defender and rebounder.