For the third time in four years, the UConn men are back in the national championship game.
And contrary to what most college basketball fans might think, if you’re a Huskies fan who watched the team all season long, you’re probably a little surprised.
It’s not that this isn’t an incredibly talented roster, a tough UConn team littered with future pros, a ton of grit, experience and of course, almost inarguably at this point, the best coach in the country.
It’s just– after the 20-point beatdown to St. John’s in the Big East championship game, after a head-scratching home loss to Creighton and an abysmal defeat at league bottom-feeder Marquette, this team seemed to be sputtering to the finish line.
Before the NCAA Tournament began, most UConn fans debated whether or not to take the Huskies in their bracket. In the pool the author is in, one Huskies fan even named their bracket: “Picked UConn So I’m Screwed.”
The implication was that they went with their heart instead of their head, and that clear heads were reasoning that the Huskies didn’t quite seem to have enough this year. Yet, five games later, here they are again.
Although another title might start up dynasty talk, this UConn team isn’t as dynastic as Hurley’s first two title squads. They struggled mightily and needed beast-out-of-a-parable numbers from Tarris Reed Jr. (31 points, 27 boards) to get past Furman, flirted with losing to UCLA, led a huge lead slip vs. Michigan State and needed a miracle shot from Braylon Mullins to outlast Duke.
“Everyone’s doubting us right now. They didn’t think we were going to beat Illinois. Definitely didn’t think we were going to beat Duke,” Reed said after the national semifinal win over the Illini. “They thought we could lose the second round vs. UCLA. Michigan State was supposed to beat us. I feel like it’s just having the resiliency, the fight of a lion.”
They’ve also been that horror-movie-villain, tough-to-knock-out group that fans across the country have come to expect from UConn. The program has earned the reputation as dawgs, with the Huskies nickname befitting. Whether it’s under Hurley or Jim Calhoun, UConn has seen tough, clutch, hard-nosed players who never quit and never shy away from big moments. The program has now won 19 straight games in the Sweet 16 or later, an absolutely remarkable streak that encompasses four titles and goes back to 2009. UConn may not have had the decades of success that other Blue Bloods like Kansas or Kentucky have, but they are notorious in March. You don’t want to see your name opposite theirs in the bracket.
So maybe this title-game run should have been expected. The Huskies are now 34-5, and 17-1 against non-Big East teams. This has become a bit of a pattern.
In 2023, before a sublime run to the title, UConn went 14-8 in the Big East and bowed out to Marquette in the conference semifinals. They were 17-0 against the rest of the nation, though, and mauled their way through the tournament field in dominant fashion.
Under Jim Calhoun in 2011, Kemba Walker’s Huskies went 9-9 in Big East play and 23-0 against everyone else. In 2004, Emeka Okafor and crew were 12-4 in the Big East and 21-2 against everyone else.
In what’s been thought of as a down year in the Big East, with only three teams reaching the tournament, UConn has once again carried the flag for the conference. It’s shown competition there isn’t exactly easy, either.
Whatever happens on Monday night, this UConn championship-game run has been as magnificent as it’s been unexpected. No. 1 Michigan has been dominant, but given the Huskies’ history, nobody’s going to count them out.
