UConn basketball is appearing in the Sweet Sixteen for the 19th time in program history after beating Stetson and Northwestern.
The opening weekend in Brooklyn treated the Huskies well as they showed America why they deserve to be the top seed in this tournament. No one expected Stetson to pose any sort of challenge for UConn basketball, but the manner in which they ran through Boo Buie and Northwestern was surprising.
The goal for UConn has been to get to this Boston regional. Now that they have made it all eyes are set for San Diego State University in a highly anticipated rematch of last season’s title game.
Shipping up to Boston.#MadeForMarch | #MixForSix pic.twitter.com/prdnccbeK5
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) March 25, 2024
Takeaway #1: Dan Hurley is the fuel that propels this team
It’s certainly not a unique take to say that one of the most important jobs for a head coach is to motivate their players, but if you have ever listened in to a Dan Hurley huddle then you understand why he is different. His ability to effectively fire up his players is second to none in the college game right now.
From “foot stays on gas” to “our toughness meter has risen”, Hurley is electric in his huddles and his players feed off of that energy. It gives UConn basketball the freedom to express themselves on the court as evidenced by the countless Cam Spencer fist pumps and Tristen Newton phone celebrations.
Beyond just being this team’s hype man, Hurley is never satisfied and constantly wants more out of his team. With a 52-19 lead at halftime against Stetson, Hurley was upset in his halftime interview because of the way his players cruised into the halftime break rather than maintaining the intensity that got them their big lead. Dan Hurley is never going to stop being demanding of his players especially if they continue to deliver the way they have so far this season.
Takeaway #2: The non-conference domination continues
Over the past two seasons, UConn basketball has gone 29-1 in non-conference with the lone loss coming in the ultimate road test against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. Dan Hurley has built this roster to be able to compete with any team in the country regardless of conference or play style and the Husky players believe it too.
UConn has shown their ability to win games in multiple ways whether they play in a track meet (95-90 win over St. John’s), a rock fight (62-48 win over Creighton), or a more balanced game (76-63 win over Gonzaga). This makes it incredibly hard for opponents to game plan against them as they not only have to force the game into the style they want, but then they have to beat UConn at that style of play too.
Sunday night against Northwestern was a display of UConn’s ability to go “old school” on offense as they shot an abysmal 13.6% from deep for the game. Despite not making their first three-pointer until 3:05 left in the first half, the Huskies held a 33-14 lead over the Wildcats because of their incredible passing and finishing in the paint.
Takeaway #3: There’s no “I” in team
One of the hardest things to figure out with this UConn basketball team is who is the de facto star or go-to guy. There really is no clear answer as all five starters can take over the game on any given night. Of course, Tristen Newton is the All-American and has been unbelievably good for the Huskies this season, but it doesn’t stop there.
Cam Spencer joined Newton on the Big East All-First Team, Stephon Castle is the Big East Freshman of the Year, and Hassan Diarra is the Big East Sixth Man of the Year. Then there’s Alex Karaban (1 of 2 players in the country to be a 50/40/90 shooter in the regular season) and Donovan Clingan (14 points, 14 rebounds, 8 blocks against Northwestern) to round out the lineup.
With star power like that, it’s important to get the ball into everyone’s hands and this team does just that as they assisted on 42 of 66 field goals in the opening weekend of the tournament. A lot of credit is due to Dan Hurley and his coaching staff for putting together some creative offensive sets, but at the end of the day, it’s up to the players to execute and boy do they make it look easy at times.