The UConn Huskies era in men’s college basketball is upon us. Dan Hurley tried to warn us all four years ago.
UConn on Monday secured its second consecutive national championship after outlasting Purdue 75-60 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The Huskies became the first program since 2007 to accomplish such a feat.
After clinching this year’s championship, a clip of Hurley from 2020 quickly made waves on social media.
Hurley had made an ominous warning to the rest of college basketball following a UConn loss to Villanova in January 2020. Hurley was adamant that the Huskies’ rise was coming sooner rather than later.
“People better get us now,” Hurley said in the 7-second clip. “That’s all. They better get us now. Because it’s coming.”
January 18th, 2020: Nova beats UConn by 6 in Philly. Dan Hurley ends his press conference by saying this.
April 9th, 2024: Dan Hurley secures a back-to-back title with the Connecticut UConn Huskies.
The streets will never forget this. pic.twitter.com/n1KrNlooQ7
— Jack Mac (@JackMacCFB) April 9, 2024
Hurley’s confidence certainly knows no bounds. The UConn head coach even exchanged words with Zach Edey during the championship clash (video here).
UConn’s time on the NCAA throne has indeed come. The Huskies completely demolished the field to win all 12 of their March Madness matchups en route to back-to-back titles. UConn won every single game by at least 13 points.
What made Hurley’s coaching performance even more impressive is the fact that this year’s title team had lost its top two scorers from last season to the NBA. Hurley successfully filled the void left by Adama Sanogo (17.2 points per game) and Jordan Hawkins (16.2 points per game), who accounted for nearly half of UConn’s team scoring average from last season.
Senior guard Tristan Newton emerged as the UConn’s top scorer, averaging 14.9 points per game this season. Sophomore center Donovan Clingan took a leap as an interior post presence. Cam Spencer, Alex Karaban, and Stephon Castle all played with poise under Hurley’s tutelage.
