UConn head coach Dan Hurley has not lost his swagger despite his team no longer being this year’s NCAA Tournament favorite.
Hurley’s 8th-seeded Huskies beat 9th-seeded Oklahoma 67-59 in their first-round clash Friday at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C. UConn only trailed in the contest for a total of 17 seconds, when Oklahoma took a brief 47-46 lead with 9:03 left in the second half. Huskies guard Solo Ball quickly answered with a jumper to give his team a lead they would never relinquish.
Despite leading for nearly the entire game, the Huskies never built up a lead of more than 10 as the Sooners stayed within striking distance all throughout.
During his postgame interview, Hurley treated the contest like it was business as usual for UConn.
“It feels normal,” Hurley said of advancing to the second round of the tournament.
"It feels uh … it feels normal."
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 22, 2025
Dan Hurley is getting used to this winning in March thing. pic.twitter.com/yoTDRNrR0E
Friday’s win marked UConn’s 13th straight victory, which is tied for the second-longest winning streak in tournament history.
Hurley has gone on record saying that UConn has been burdened by the weight of expectations this season in their quest for a three-peat. The reigning back-to-back champions may no longer be this year’s juggernaut, but Hurley still expects his team to perform like they’ve been there before.
