Connecticut coach Dan Hurley didn’t hesitate when asked two years ago what it was like watching his men’s basketball players walk off the court following an NCAA tournament first round loss to New Mexico State.
“Crushing,” Hurley replied.
Hurley was in a much more jubilant mood following UConn’s 75-60 victory over Purdue in the NCAA tournament championship game on Monday night in Glendale, Arizona. The Huskies became the first men’s team since Florida in 2006 and 2007 to win back-to-back national titles.
After that 70-63 defeat to New Mexico State on March 17, 2022, some questioned whether Hurley would ever live up to the high expectations that come with coaching at UConn.
After all, the Huskies had won four national titles since 1999, but they had fallen on hard times. Since their last championship in 2014, the Huskies had won one NCAA tournament game and only made three tournaments. Hurley, who took over as coach from the fired Kevin Ollie in 2018, had lost in the first round in 2021 and 2002.
Now? Hurley is no longer seen as someone who can’t win in the postseason. Instead, he is viewed as an all-time great. And at age 51, he has plenty more years ahead to add to his accolades.
During a postgame interview on Monday night, CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson mentioned to Hurley that he’s now synonymous with former UCLA coach John Wooden, former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and former Florida coach Billy Donovan, the last three men to win consecutive national titles.
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“It means a lot because I’m a student of the game,” Hurley said. “Basketball has been my life. I’ve got so much respect for the history of this game.”
Hurley then mentioned that he and UConn assistant coach Luke Murray had discussed before the game that they could possibly retire on Tuesday if they won another title.
“This could be it for me and Luke,” Hurley deadpanned.
“Oh, c’mon, that can’t be true,” Wolfson said.
“No, that’s not,” Hurley admitted.
And why would Hurley quit? At this point, he’s arguably the top coach in college basketball and is in charge of the best program of the last 25 years. During the past quarter century, UConn has won six national titles. Duke and North Carolina are next with three championships apiece.
UConn’s six overall national titles are tied with North Carolina for third all-time, only trailing UCLA (11) and Kentucky (8).
“For the last 25, 30 years, UConn’s been running college basketball,” Hurley said during the postgame trophy presentation. “I see all the former champs over there. We’ve been running college basketball the last 30 years. Let’s go!”
Still, this two-year run is the best in UConn history and one of the top performances of all-time. During the past two NCAA tournaments, the Huskies won each of their games by at least 13 points. They were a No. 4 seed last year and trailed No. 13 seed Iona by two points at halftime of their first round game, but they pulled away for a 24-point victory. That was about as close as any team got to the Huskies.
On Monday night, UConn (37-3) faced its toughest postseason test when it played a Purdue team that was the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional and ranked third in the final Associated Press poll heading into the tournament. The Boilermakers (34-5) also had 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, the national player of the year for the past two seasons.
Edey got off to a fast start, making 7 of his first 9 field goals and scoring 16 points in the first half. Purdue trailed by only six at halftime, but the Boilermakers never got closer than that the rest of the way. Edey finished with 37 points on 15 of 25 shooting. The rest of the team scored 23 points on 9 of 29 field goals (31%). Purdue had season-lows in 3-point attempts (seven) and makes (one) as UConn took away the Boilermakers’ perimeter game, just as it had done to other teams.
UConn won its 13th consecutive game and 27th in its last 28 outings and had four players in double figures led by point guard Tristen Newton’s game-high 20 points. Newton, a first team All-American, was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.
Newton and forward Alex Karaban were the only two returning starters from last year’s team. UConn lost leading scorer Adama Sanogo, first round NBA draft pick Jordan Hawkins and second round NBA selection Andre Jackson, so few expected the Huskies to win another title before the season began.
Still, as the season progressed, UConn stood out from the rest of the nation. Donovan Clingan, a 7-foot-2 reserve on last year’s team, became a force inside, particularly on defense. Freshman guard Stephon Castle, a top recruit, accepted his role and shined as a lock-down defender and tough player to stop on the offensive end. Cam Spencer, a graduate transfer from Rutgers, became a first team All Big East performer and outspoken leader.
The Huskies also had talented players on their bench such as guard Hassan Diarra and center Samson Johnson. UConn could lose all five of its starters, as Newton and Spencer have exhausted their college eligibility, while Clingan and Castle are projected NBA lottery picks and Karaban is considered a second round draft prospect.
Still, the Huskies have some talented young players and incoming recruits, and Hurley and his staff have shown they can reload the roster with transfers and get the most out of their squad. But that’s all for the coming weeks and months.
On Monday night, it was about celebrating another national title. Hurley wasn’t crushed this time like two years ago. No, he was on top of the college basketball world. And he undoubtedly wants to stay there for as long as he’s coaching.
