UConn Huskies: The Undisputed Rulers of College Basketball After Dominant Title Run

GLENDALE, Arizona: The squad from northeast farmland of Storrs, Connecticut, where they get through the long and bitter winters with the warmth of basketball victory, made history as the cries of U-C-O-N-N sounded down for the 12th time straight on the NCAA Tournament stage.

You have company now, Billy Donovan, and this individual is named Dan Hurley. The 51-year-old head coach of UConn has accomplished something that seems increasingly unattainable in the modern era of college basketball: despite losing five of his top eight scorers from a team that won a national championship, he has managed to guide his team to back-to-back titles for the first time since Donovan and Florida in 2006 and 2007.

However, this year’s squad did more than just win a rematch; on Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, they defeated Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 to close out the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The cumulative score of 140 points that UConn scored in winning all six of their tournament games is the highest ever by an NCAA men’s tournament champion.

“Obviously, what could you say?” Hurley said. “We won … by a lot again.”

With the win, UConn raised their record in national championship games to 6-0, tying North Carolina for the third-most all-time, and solidifying their status as one of the best teams in sports history. The only teams with more national championships than the Huskies are UCLA (11) and Kentucky (eight).

“I think it’s up there in terms of the greatest two-year runs that a program has ever had,” Hurley said. “I can’t say anything about Duke because I’m going to piss my brother [Bobby] off. But I guess I can say stuff about Florida. But I love Billy Donovan.

“I just think it’s the best two-year run in a very, very long time just because of everything we lost from last year’s team. To lose that much and, again, to do what we did again, it’s got to be as impressive a two-year run as a program’s had since prior to whoever did it before Duke. To me, it is more impressive than what Florida and Duke did because they brought back their entire teams. We lost some major players.”

Three starters from the Huskies’ 2023 championship team were lost, including Adama Sanogo, the Most Outstanding Player of the previous year’s Final Four, and NBA Draft selections Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson.

However, Tristen Newton, Alex Karaban, and Donovan Clingan the three primary returnees from the championship squad from the previous season have cemented themselves in UConn legend and are just wired differently.

Newton, the Cool Hand Luke point guard, made history by being the only player to ever finish a national championship game with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists, and no turnovers. The senior floor general gave a masterful display on Monday night, delivering 20-7-5 without making a single error.

“This coaching staff trusts in me to run the team, so I have no choice at UConn but to capitalize off the opportunity,” Newton told FOX Sports. “The coaches did a great job getting me to come back. Our idea was to be one year and done, but after winning the first national championship, you immediately want to do it again.

“Our culture and relentless competitiveness helped us win two in a row. It’s selflessness. It’s buying into your role. It’s winning. Defense, rebounding and sharing the ball. Those are the three messages for every game. We did that every game this year, and I’d say it worked out pretty well.”

Karaban, a sophomore stretch forward, informed me after the game that Hurley and his all-star team, which includes Luke Murray, Kimani Young, and Tom Moore, have a talent for spotting players who are “wired on basketball.”

“What we showed tonight is that we have the best team in the country and the best staff in the country,” Clingan said. “Nobody practices two and a half hours the day before a game. This team just loves each other, man. It was the best decision of my life to come to this school.”

Hurley’s hiring by UConn athletic director David Benedict in 2018 was also the finest choice since it brought him from Rhode Island to Storrs, where he discovered the ideal marriage and a supportive community that thrives on basketball success. When it comes to college basketball in Storrs, nothing is typical since that would not be good enough to accomplish the spectacular.

It is the reason Cam Spencer decided to play college basketball for a fifth season at UConn, the reason he refused to talk to anyone after losing to his teammates in an exhibition shooting battle in October, and the reason he tackled Hurley in the closing seconds of Monday night’s game after he left the court.

“It’s the winning standard here, and accountability every single day,” Spencer told FOX Sports when asked what makes UConn such a special place. “This program is all about winning, and there’s a blue-collar toughness in Storrs, Connecticut. Everything here is about growing as a player and finding ways to win.”

Hurley’s postgame remarks reflected that relentless desire to keep stocking the hardware stores.

“Yeah, we’ll enjoy this for a couple of days,” Hurley said when asked what’s next. “On the flight home tomorrow, we’ll start talking about what the roster’s going to look like. Obviously, we graduate some players. We’re going to lose a couple potentially to the NBA early entry. We’re going to dive in and put together a roster that can play a comparable level of basketball to the one that you guys have witnessed the last two years. That will be our mindset.”

Hurley stated he is not considering taking the coaching position at Kentucky because of this same mentality and the unquestionable on-court performance.

“The last thing I’m thinking about is another place,” Hurley said. “We’re in a position right now to be back-to-back in an era that makes it tough to do it, and now you’re thinking about the chance to do it three times, like a dynasty in modern times. That’s what I’m thinking about.”

Hurley views the University of Connecticut’s remarkable run as an opportunity to honor Benedict and his hiring partners. Hurley has a high regard for the university.

“Dave Benedict and this school saw something in me, and I’m just thrilled to be able to pay this place back for what they’ve done and the opportunity they’ve given me,” Hurley told FOX Sports. “They’ve given us the resources to put together a dynasty.”

In the dynamic realm of collegiate basketball, securing consecutive championships is an outstanding feat in and of itself. However, Hurley and his team’s ability to identify gifted players who are born winners makes this UConn program a frightening train wreck for the rest of college hoops.

Even though Purdue’s two-time national player of the year, Zach Edey, scored 37 points on Monday night, the Huskies showed off their strength once more, and the outcome did not change. And this UConn program put together the most recent example of a run of brilliance that is unmatched while capturing a second consecutive national championship.

Hurley’s remarks during the trophy ceremony following the game are confirmed when a program achieves what UConn has managed to do:

“For the last 30 years, UConn has been running college basketball.”

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.