Graphic by Leah Han ’27/The Choate News
By Reid Bock ’27
The University of Connecticut (UConn) has long been known for their exceptional collegiate basketball teams. Once again, both the men’s and women’s teams have experienced tremendous success, advancing to the national championship and final four in this year’s March Madness Tournament.
Holding a 37-3 record, the UConn Huskies Men’s Basketball (UConn MBB) have won the National Championship. Led by Coach Dan Hurley in his sixth year in the position, UConn MBB possesses the “ability to blitz teams and just be able to kill off the game right away,” UConn freshman Udayan Chidambaram said. The team demonstrated this athletic prowess with a commanding 91-52 win over Stetson University, a 75-58 win over Northwestern University, and a 77-52 win over Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
What sets UConn apart from these other teams, Chidambaram said, is that “a lot of teams in college basketball rely on one guy, while at UConn … there is not one superstar; everyone has their role.” With this team-oriented game style, UConn MBB managed an 86-72 win over the University of Alabama in the final four and bested Purdue University with a score of 75-60, winning the national championship for the second year in a row.
While everyone played crucial roles in the final championship victory, Coach Dan Hurley is certainly an important figure to spotlight throughout the season. “When you go anywhere online, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, you can just see videos of Dan Hurley just ripping the players, just making them want to train harder,” Chidambaram said.
The team’s success fosters strong school-spirit throughout UConn’s campus. “Oh, [the campus atmosphere is] ridiculous and it gets bigger every game,” UConn freshman Ryan Heuer said.
The men’s team has had a long history of success, which first began in 1999 when they defeated Duke University in the finals. Since then, UConn MBB has gone on to win four more National College Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Championships.
Most recently, UConn MBB defeated San Diego State in the 2023 finals, becoming the fifth team in history to win all six of their NCAA March Madness Tournament games by double-digits since the bracket expanded. UConn MBB is currently tied with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for holding the fourth most NCAA March Madness Tournament championships. UConn MBB has also earned a record 11 Big East Regular Season titles.
Under the guidance of Coach Geno Auriemma, UConn Huskies Women’s Basketball (UConn WBB) started off the season on a successful note, defeating Jackson State University 86-64. The Huskies accumulated wins over Syracuse University with a score of 72-64 and Duke University with a score of 53-45. Ultimately, the UConn WBB team triumphed over the first-seeded University of Southern California with a score of 80-73, which secured their position within the final four.
“There was one player that stood out,” Chidambaram said. “Especially in the last game, Paige Bueckers, taking over the game and making us go to the final four.” Bueckers had a great game, earning 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Even with a tough 71-69 loss to the University of Iowa in the semifinals on April 5, Bueckers continued to stay positive, according to USA Today. “Everybody can make a big deal of that one single play, but not one single play wins a basketball game or loses … Maybe that was a tough call for us, but I feel like I could’ve done a better job preventing that from even happening,” Bueckers said.
UConn WBB is also a dominant program. With 11 NCAA titles, the team holds the most NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship wins of all time. In the past two decades, the Huskies have accumulated 29 All-Americans, 21 final four appearances, 21 Big East titles, and seven American Athletic Conference titles, making them among the most respected and feared teams in March Madness history.
Overall, the 2023-2024 season was a tremendous success for both UConn’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, who showcased their talents on the court and managed to secure a win at the National Championship and reach the final four respectively.
