Dan Hurley said on the championship podium at State Farm Stadium, “I’m kind of getting used to this up here.” After back-to-back national championships, Hurley and the UConn Huskies have no choice but to get familiar with the view from the top. UConn executed their gameplan to perfection in a 75-60 win over Purdue to win another title, refusing to let the Boilermakers rattle their confidence in the first half and quickly tightening their grip on the game in the second half.
The Huskies won their 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament game by double-digits, a feat almost more remarkable than consecutive titles in such a gauntlet of a tournament. Zach Edey won the battle with Donovan Clingan early on, but UConn didn’t panic. The Huskies trusted their plan, clamped down on Edey’s supporting cast, and ultimately pulled away once their interior defense figured out how to handle college basketball’s player of the year.
UConn became the first team in 17 years to win back-to-back national championships and only the third since the tournament expanded from 32 teams four decades ago. After a tumultuous handful of years in college basketball that saw legendary coaches Mike Krzyzewski, Jay Wright, Roy Williams, and Jim Boeheim walk away, Hurley has now filled that void. The 51-year-old is a two-time national champion and the author of one of the most dominant two-year runs by any program in modern history.
With a fiery personality on the court but an introspective attitude off the court, Hurley will enter the 2024-25 season as the king of the sport. Known for building one of the best programs in men’s college basketball, Dan Hurley has built his life on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. While UConn is no stranger to March Madness success, the program was in freefall in 2018 when Hurley took over as head coach. The Huskies missed the tournament in back-to-back years, 2017-18, and coach Kevin Ollie faced an NCAA investigation for recruiting violations.
As defending champions, UConn and Hurley faced extra pressure as March Madness drew to a close. Yet, Hurley was confident he could handle anything this game throws his way for one reason: his faith. Hurley explained on “The Ed Mylett Show” last August, “My foundation is super strong. My foundation starts with my faith — my faith in Jesus Christ. That foundation that I have at home and my faith, like I can handle anything that comes with this job — the criticism, the losing, the going through tough stretches. I am built to handle everything that comes with this job because of my background, my foundation.”
Hurley says before he began coaching at UConn, he had no set routine for his day. However, he adjusted his schedule so he could wake up earlier to spend the first hours of his day with the Lord. “Your spiritual readings, your prayer, your meditation practice,” Hurley said, explaining the rhythm of his mornings. “For me, [it’s] my journaling, whether it’s free writing or gratitude journaling.”
With faith and determination, Dan Hurley and the Huskies were able to persevere through the hard times so they could stand back up on the mountain of victory.