Back-to-back National Titles for the Huskies
By Hagen Sparrow
UConn has established itself as one of the best programs in college basketball. They finished the season with a 37-3 record which earned them a 1 seed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) March Madness tournament.
This unstoppable force throughout these past two years has been led by Head Coach Dan Hurley. Since being named Head Coach in 2018, Hurley has turned things around for the school’s Men’s Basketball program by leading them to consecutive championships. He was named 2024 Naismith College Coach of the Year on top of being named BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
After winning the 2024 National Championship, Hurley said, “You can’t even wrap your mind around it, because you just know how hard this tournament is…What a special group of people.”
Winning takes a collective team effort, and there were many contributors to the team’s success throughout the season.
Tristen Newton, a Graduate Student, proved to be the best point guard in the country this season. He averaged an astounding 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. Newton was the winner of the 2024 Bob Cousy Award, which is given to the best point guard. On top of that, he was also named 2024 First Team All-American. He also adds two-time National Champion to his already-stacked resume.
The other half of the dynamic duo, Donavan Clingan, had yet another monster season as a returning Sophomore. The 7’2 big man was a force that could not be stopped. He averaged 13 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game this season. Clingan was an Honorable Mention All-American this season. Some may say he has had the perfect college career winning championships in both his first and second seasons.
Another big contributor to the Huskies’ success was Cam Spencer. He was a Grad Student who transferred from Rutgers University and found himself a home at UConn for the final season of his collegiate career. Spencer averaged 14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season.
During this team’s past two NCAA March Madness tournament runs, they have truly been unstoppable. In their last 12 tournament games, UConn has beaten their opponent by double digits (10 or more points). They also joined an elite club, UCLA, Kentucky and North Carolina, as being the only Men’s Basketball programs to win 6 or more National Titles.
The Huskies also joined the historic 1967-1969 UCLA Bruins as being the only two squads to win back-to-back men’s championships by 15 or more points.
“I think it is up there in terms of the greatest two-year runs that a program maybe has ever had,” stated Head Coach Dan Hurley.
The 2024 National Championship game against Purdue University was expected to be the Huskies' toughest matchup during their two-year run. They had to face 7’4 center, Zach Edey, who was averaging 29.5 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game during the tournament. Even though this was said to be UConn’s toughest matchup, the team still managed to come away with a 75-60 victory.
It is safe to say that the University of Connecticut Men’s Basketball team has solidified itself as one of the best programs in collegiate basketball history. Can they join elite company and be only the second team in NCAA history to three-peat?