UConn head coach Dan Hurley's UFC 302 gesture sparks 3-peat buzz

06/05/2024 09:03 AM

UConn Huskies men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley is not one to shy away from making bold statements. Hurley famously called his shot back in 2020, claiming that opposing teams “better get us now” because he saw a reckoning coming. Then, after the Huskies won their second consecutive National Championship back in April, Hurley boldly declared, “for the last 25, 30 years, UConn’s been running college basketball.” And let’s just be honest, he’s not wrong.

In the last thirty years, not only has the UConn’s men’s basketball team won six National Championships — the most in that span — but the women’s team, led by Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma, has won eleven titles of their own. And now, Dan Hurley has the UConn Huskies men’s team on the brink of accomplishing something that Auriemma’s squads have done twice, but something no men’s team has done in over fifty years… winning three consecutive National Championships.

Dan Hurley isn’t shying away from the challenge. He’s openly discussed it multiple times since the Huskies defeated Purdue to win their second straight title, and while taking in the fights with his son Andrew at UFC 302 over the weekend, the Huskies fiery head coach couldn’t resist calling his shot.

Dan Hurley was hinting at a three-peat at UFC 302 last night pic.twitter.com/Hxv1BNCasd

— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) June 2, 2024

In early May, Dan Hurley made some noise when he told reporters, "We think, top to bottom, this could be our most talented roster,” (h/t Adam Zagoria of NJ.com). This was nearly a full month before Alex Karaban decided to come back to UConn for another season and a chance at a 3-peat. Following Karaban’s announcement of a return to Storrs for one more season, the Huskies’ championship odds jumped from +1300 to +900 on Hard Rock Bet, allowing UConn to overtake the Kansas Jayhawks and Duke Blue Devils as the favorites to win the 2025 National Championship. And rightfully so.

Can anyone stop a UConn 3-peat? 

Aside from Kansas (+1100) and Duke (+1200), perennial powerhouses who have loaded up once again heading into the 2024-25 season, the Huskies will likely be challenged by more of the usual suspects. The Alabama Crimson Tide (+1600), who got the good news of a Mark Sears return to Tuscaloosa last week, have the 4th-best championship odds. The Tide are followed by Houston and North Carolina, who are each listed at +2000. As pseudo-sleepers, I’m intrigued by both Arkansas (+4000) and Kentucky (+4000), who each enter new eras… the Razorbacks with John Calipari, and the Wildcats without him.

Within the Big East, there seems to be no legitimate contender to challenge the UConn Huskies. Creighton, Marquette, and St. John’s each have +5000 odds right now to win the National Championship, but all three schools will sit well-behind the two-time defending champs atop the Big East preseason polls come October.

As the 2024-25 season plays out, a handful of teams will position themselves as true contenders to keep Connecticut from making history, and as is always the case in the NCAA Tournament, there will be a Cinderella or two who has something to say about things come late March. But from now until the time somebody manages to defeat the Huskies in the Big Dance, the road to the championship still runs through Storrs.

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