UConn Huskies
2023–24 UConn Huskies men's basketball team
University	University of Connecticut
First season	1900-01 (1900-01)
All-time record	1,805–980 (.648)
Head coach	Dan Hurley (6th season)
Conference	Big East
Location	Storrs, Connecticut
Arena	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion 10,167 XL Center 15,564
Nickname	Huskies
Colors	National flag blue and white[1]
Uniforms
Home Away Alternate
NCAA tournament champions
1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024
NCAA tournament Final Four
1999, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1964, 1990, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1956, 1964, 1976, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996*, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024
NCAA tournament round of 32
1979, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996*, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2023, 2024
NCAA tournament appearances
1951, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1976, 1979, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996*, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Conference tournament champions
1976, 1979, 1990, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2011, 2016, 2024
Conference regular season champions
1925, 1926, 1928, 1941, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2024 *vacated by NCAA

The UConn Huskies men's basketball program is the NCAA Division I men's college basketball team of the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut. They currently play in the Big East Conference and are coached by Dan Hurley.

UConn has won six NCAA tournament championships (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023 and 2024), which puts the program in a tie with North Carolina for third-most all time and is the most of any program since the tournament expanded to 64 teams. The Huskies have won eight Big East tournament championships (tied for most all time) and 11 Big East regular season championships (most all time). UConn has 36 NCAA tournament appearances (tied for 13th-most all time) and has played in seven NCAA Final Fours (10th-most all time), 13 NCAA Elite Eights (11th-most all time) and 19 NCAA Sweet Sixteens (tied for 11th-most all time). UConn won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship in 1988 and the NIT third-place game in 1997, with 13 NIT appearances in total. The Huskies also have one American Athletic Conference tournament championship and two ECAC New England regional tournament championships.

Numerous players have gone on to achieve professional success after their time at UConn. In 2011, six former Huskies were included in SLAM Magazine's 500 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time: Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Clifford Robinson, Caron Butler, Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor.^[2] Kemba Walker is generally regarded as the greatest player in the history of the Charlotte Hornets franchise.^[3][4][5][6] Other successful former Huskies include Andre Drummond, Rudy Gay, Donyell Marshall, Toby Kimball, Jeremy Lamb, Charlie Villanueva, Scott Burrell, Travis Knight, Kevin Ollie, Jake Voskuhl, Shabazz Napier, Marcus Williams and Jordan Hawkins.

History[edit]

Early history (1901–1946)[edit]

Men's basketball at UConn began in 1901 with a single game played by Connecticut Agricultural College against Windham High School in January of that year. The college team won, and by 1903 basketball was a varsity sport.^[7]

The team's first head coach was John F. Donahue, who coached the school from 1915 to 1919. The team's first African American player was Harrison Fitch, who was controversially benched by coach John Heldman for a 1934 game against the US Coast Guard Academy.^[8] One of the first true stars from Connecticut was Hartford's Bernie Fisher. He was captain of the 1945 team, which was the first UConn team to play in Madison Square Garden.^[9]

Hugh Greer era (1946–1963)[edit]

After graduating from the Connecticut Agricultural College, former player Hugh Greer returned to his alma mater as a freshman coach.

Greer was named head coach of the Huskies six games into the 1946–47 season.^[10] He led Connecticut to a perfect 12–0 mark for the remainder of his first season and posted a record of 16–2 for the season. This was the best single season finish in school history to that point. In 1954, he famously led UConn to a 78–77 victory against undefeated Holy Cross, breaking the Crusaders' 47-game home winning streak and keeping them out of the NCAA tournament.^[11] Holy Cross won the NIT title a few weeks later. In 1956, Greer led UConn to the Sweet 16, where they lost in a close game to Temple.^[12]

Under Greer, UConn won 12 Yankee Conference titles in 16 seasons, including ten consecutive titles from 1951 to 1960. Greer also led UConn to its first seven NCAA berths and one NIT appearance while compiling an overall head coaching record of 286–112. Greer died of a heart attack in 1963, ten games into the 1962–63 season. He was replaced by assistant George Wigton.^[13]

Fred Shabel era (1963–1967)[edit]

The following season, UConn named Fred Shabel as Greer's permanent replacement at head coach. Shabel led the program to its first-ever Elite Eight after the Huskies upset Princeton in the Sweet 16. UConn's Dom Perno stole the ball from future Hall of Famer Bill Bradley to seal the 52–50 win. Under Shabel, the Huskies won three Yankee Conference championships in four years, leading to three NCAA tournament berths. By the mid-1960s, UConn had appeared in the NCAA tournament (11) more times than any team other than Kentucky (18).^[14]

After the 1966–67 season, Shabel abruptly stepped down as head coach to become the athletic director at the University of Pennsylvania.^[15]

Burr Carlson era (1967–1969)[edit]

After Shabel's departure, UConn offered the head coaching job to Larry Brown, then a young assistant coach at North Carolina. Brown declined, saying he felt he was too "young" to take a head coaching position.

The job ultimately went to Burr Carlson, a former player and an assistant under Shabel. Carlson led UConn to back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in over 30 years and was fired.^[16]

Dee Rowe era (1969–1977)[edit]

UConn named Dee Rowe head coach ahead of the 1969–70 season. Under Rowe, the Huskies returned to form, winning the Yankee Conference title in his first year. Rowe posted six winning seasons in eight years, with two NCAA berths and two NIT appearances. In 1976, UConn won the ECAC New England regional championship to earn an NCAA berth and then beat Hofstra in the first round of the 1976 NCAA Division I basketball tournament to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time ever.

At the end of the 1975–1976 season, the Yankee Conference dropped basketball, which left UConn as an independent. Rowe coached the Huskies' first season as an independent before retiring at 48 years old, citing heath issues at the time. He later cited "burn out" as the reason for his decision.^[17]

Dom Perno era (1977–1986)[edit]

Former UConn star Dom Perno was tapped as Rowe's successor for the 1977–78 season. Perno oversaw UConn's transition from an independent program to a member of the newly formed Big East Conference in 1979, where UConn was one of the seven founding schools.^[18] Under Perno, the Huskies had some early success, winning an ECAC New England regional championship in 1979 and earning one NCAA berth and three NIT appearances over his first five years. However, after four consecutive losing seasons, Perno resigned on April 14, 1986.^[19]

Jim Calhoun era (1986–2012)[edit]

UConn hired Northeastern head coach Jim Calhoun to take over the program in the 1986–87 season.^[20] Before coming to Connecticut, Calhoun spent 14 seasons at Northeastern, leading the team to the NCAA tournament five times in his last six years with the school.^[21] In his final season, Calhoun's Northeastern team defeated UConn 90–73 in a game at the Hartford Civic Center.^[22]

1986-87 season: Calhoun's first year[edit]

Calhoun inherited a team that included future NBA player Clifford Robinson. However, Robinson and fellow starter Phil Gamble were declared academically ineligible halfway through the year.^[23] Calhoun finished his first year with a record of 9–19, his only losing season as UConn's head coach.^[24]

1987-88 season: NIT champions[edit]

Heading into the 1987–88 season, Robinson and Gamble regained their academic eligibility and the team showed significant improvement.^[25] The Huskies won a game in the Big East tournament for the first time since 1980 and gained a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. UConn went on a run in the tournament and defeated Ohio State 72–67 at Madison Square Garden to win the NIT, the school's first national basketball title.^[26]

1989-90 season: The 'Dream Season'[edit]

The 1990 "Dream Season" would bring UConn basketball back to the national stage. Led by Chris Smith, Nadav Henefeld, Scott Burrell, Tate George, Rod Sellers and John Gwynn, UConn went from unranked in the preseason to winning the Big East Regular Season and Tournament Championships, both for the first time.^[27] 1990 also marked the opening of Gampel Pavilion, the program's new on-campus home.^[28] In the NCAA tournament the Huskies garnered a #1 seed in the East Region, but trailed Clemson 70–69 with 1 second remaining in the Sweet 16. Burrell's full-court pass found Tate George on the far baseline. George spun, fired, and hit a buzzer-beater that is known in Connecticut simply as "The Shot".^[29] They would be eliminated on a buzzer-beater two days later by Duke, losing in overtime 79–78.^[30] UConn finished with a 31–6 overall record.^[31]

During the 1994–95 seson, the Huskies hosted Syracuse on ESPN. During an exciting stretch of the second half of that game, ESPN color commentator Dick Vitale claimed that Storrs, CT was the "capital of the basketball world" as both the men's and women's teams were having undefeated seasons so far.^[32] The Huskies beat Syracuse but later lost to Kansas to end their undefeated season.

UConn continued to rise as a national program throughout the 1990s, winning five more Big East regular season and three more Big East tournament championships, as well as reaching several regional finals.

1998–99 season: 'We Shocked The World', 1st NCAA title[edit]

UConn entered the season ranked #2 in the AP Top 25 poll, returning its entire starting five from the previous year's Elite Eight team. Calhoun convinced leading scorer Richard "Rip" Hamilton to return for his junior season instead of departing for the NBA, putting the Huskies in position to make a historic run.^[33] UConn started the season 19–0, with wins over five ranked teams. By early December, the Huskies were ranked #1 in the AP poll, where they stayed for a program-record 10 weeks.^[34] The team's first loss came to #16 Syracuse on February 1, 1999, a 59–42 defeat in front of a sold-out crowd at the Hartford Civic Center. Both Hamilton and starting center Jake Voskuhl were out with injuries.^[35] UConn quickly rebounded, however, beating #4 Stanford 70–59 on the road.^[36] The Huskies finished the year atop the Big East, winning their fifth conference regular season title in six years.^[37] On March 3, 1999, UConn defeated #3 seed St. John's 82–63 to win the Big East tournament championship. Kevin Freeman was named the tournament's MVP.^[38] The Huskies received a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the third time in program history. On March 20, 1999, UConn defeated #10 seed Gonzaga 67–62 to advance to the program's first-ever Final Four. In the national semifinal, the Huskies defeated #4 seed Ohio State 64–58 to advance to the national championship game.^[39] Facing #1 overall seed Duke, UConn was an 9.5-point underdog heading into the matchup. However, the Huskies prevailed by a score of 77–74 to claim the program's first-ever national championship.^[40] As time expired, Khalid El-Amin ran over to a television camera on the court and shouted "We shocked the world!"^[41] Hamilton was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. UConn finished with a 34–2 overall record.^[42] After the season, Hamilton was selected in the 1999 NBA draft as the #7 overall pick.^[43]

2003–04 season: 'Calhoun's Best Team', 2nd NCAA title[edit]

Expectations were high in Storrs heading into the 2003–04 season. Returning their entire starting lineup from the previous year's Sweet Sixteen team, the Huskies were selected as the preseason #1 team in the AP Top 25 poll.^[44][45] UConn faced its first setback in the fourth game of the season, losing to Georgia Tech 77–61 in the Preseason NIT semifinals.^[46] However, the team responded with 11 consecutive wins, including a 86–59 victory over #7 Oklahoma at Gampel Pavilion on January 11, 2004.^[47] The streak ended with a 86–83 loss at #11 North Carolina on January 17, 2004.^[48] UConn finished the year second in the Big East. On March 13, 2004, the Huskies defeated #1 seed Pittsburgh 61–58 to win the program's sixth Big East tournament championship. Ben Gordon scored a tournament-record 84 points over three games and was named tournament's MVP.^[49] The Huskies were awarded a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the program's second Final Four with a 87–71 win over #8 seed Alabama on March 27, 2004.^[50] In the national semifinal, UConn came back from an 8-point deficit with three minutes remaining to defeat #1 seed Duke 79–78 on April 3, 2004.^[51] The Huskies won their second NCAA championship on April 5, 2004, defeating #3 seed Georgia Tech 82–73 in a rematch of their regular season contest.^[52] Emeka Okafor was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. UConn finished with a 33–6 overall record.^[53] After the season, Okafor and Gordon were selected in the 2004 NBA draft as the #2 and #3 overall picks, respectively.^[54] Calhoun said he considers the 2003–04 team to be the best he ever coached.^[55]

Calhoun was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.^[56]

2010–11 season: 'Cardiac Kemba', 3rd NCAA title[edit]

UConn entered the 2010–11 season unranked and picked to finish tenth in the Big East. But after a 10–0 start that included wins over #2 Michigan State and #8 Kentucky en route to the Maui Invitational Tournament championship, the Huskies catapulted to #7 in the AP Top 25 poll.^[57] The team reached #4 in the poll by the start of conference play.^[58] However, the Huskies struggled against their Big East opponents, finishing the regular season in a tie for ninth place after losing four of their last five games.^[59] In the first two rounds of the Big East tournament, UConn defeated #16 seed DePaul and #8 seed Georgetown. In the quarterfinals, Kemba Walker hit a step-back, game-winning shot as time expired to defeat #1 seed Pittsburgh 76–74. Dave Pasch immortalized the shot with his call on the ESPN broadcast: "Cardiac Kemba does it again!"^[60] The Huskies defeated #4 seed Syracuse in the semifinals and #3 seed Louisville in the championship game to claim the program's seventh Big East tournament title. UConn became the first school to win five conference tournament games in five days, and Kemba Walker scored a tournament-record 130 points.^[61] The Huskies were awarded a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to their fourth Final Four after a 65–63 victory over #5 seed Arizona. They defeated #4 seed Kentucky 56–55 in the Final Four and #8 seed Butler 53–41 in the national championship game. Walker was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. UConn finished with a 32–9 overall record.^[62] After the season, Walker was selected in the 2011 NBA draft as the #9 overall pick.

Calhoun officially announced his retirement on September 13, 2012.^[63]

Kevin Ollie era (2012–2018)[edit]

Kevin Ollie was named UConn's next head coach following Jim Calhoun's retirement.^[64] Ollie played for Calhoun from 1991 to 1995 and served as one of UConn's assistant coaches during the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons.

2012–13 season: Postseason ban[edit]

UConn came into the 2012–13 season facing a ban from postseason play by the NCAA because of a low APR score in 2010.^[65] In Ollie's first game, UConn upset #14 Michigan State 66–62 at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.^[66] The Huskies entered the AP Top 25 at #23 and reached #21 the following week.^[67] After a 4–0 start, they fell out of the poll for the remainder of the year following a 66–60 loss to New Mexico in the Paradise Jam championship game.^[68] The season featured wins at #17 Notre Dame and against #6 Syracuse at the XL Center, as well as a double-overtime loss to #7 Georgetown at Gampel Pavilion.^[69][70][71] UConn finished with a 20–10 overall record.^[72]

Conference realignment resulted in the breakup of the old Big East in 2013. UConn remained a member of the American Athletic Conference, the legal successor to the original conference.^[73] Until leaving the AAC in 2020 to join the new Big East, UConn was the only charter member of the original Big East still playing in the conference.^[74]

2013–14 season: 'Hungry Huskies', 4th NCAA title[edit]

The Huskies came into Ollie's second season ranked #18 in the AP Top 25 poll.^[75] They started the year 9–0, which included a 59–58 win over Indiana in the 2K Sports Classic championship game and a 65–64 win over #15 Florida on a buzzer-beater from Shabazz Napier.^[76][77] UConn climbed to #10 in the AP poll before losing its first game to Stanford on December 18, 2013.^[78] The team finished the year tied for third in the inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference and advanced to the AAC tournament championship game, where they lost to #5 Louisville. UConn was selected to the NCAA tournament as a #7 seed. On March 30, 2014, Ollie became the first UConn coach other than Jim Calhoun to lead the Huskies to a Final Four after defeating #4 seed Michigan State 60–54 in the Elite Eight.^[79] The Huskies beat the #1 overall seed Florida 63–53 in the Final Four and won the national championship on April 7, 2014, defeating #8 seed Kentucky 60–54.^[80] Napier was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and in his postgame remarks called out the NCAA for the previous year's postseason ban: "You're looking at the hungry Huskies. This is what happens when you ban us."^[81] Ollie's team was the first #7 seed to ever win the NCAA tournament. UConn finished with a 32–8 overall record.^[72] After the season, Napier and DeAndre Daniels were selected in the 2014 NBA draft as the #24 and #37 overall picks, respectively.^[82]

2014–15 season: 20-win season, no NCAA bid[edit]

Despite losing four of its top five scorers from the previous year, UConn entered the season ranked #17 in the AP Top 25 poll.^[83] The Huskies started the year 3–0, but fell out of the top 25 amid a three-game losing streak to West Virginia, #7 Texas and Yale — the last two of which were 1-point losses on last-second shots by the opponent.^[84][85] UConn finished the regular season tied for fifth in the American. In the AAC tournament quarterfinals, Ryan Boatright hit a game-winning 3-point shot against #3 seed Cincinnati as time expired. The team advanced to the conference championship game for the second straight year after a win over #2 seed Tulsa in the semifinals. However, UConn lost to #1 seed SMU 62–54 in the championship and missed the NCAA tournament as a result.^[86] The season ended with a first-round exit in the NIT, losing to Arizona State 68–61 in a game played at Gampel Pavilion.^[87] UConn finished with a 20–15 overall record.^[72]

2015–16 season: AAC champions[edit]

UConn entered the 2015–16 season ranked #20 in the AP Top 25 poll.^[88] The Huskies started 4–0 and climbed to #18 in the poll. However, they dropped three of their next four, losing to Syracuse, #10 Gonzaga and #6 Maryland, and fell out the top 25.^[89][90][91] The team bounced back and briefly re-entered the top 25 in mid-December. They would again re-enter the top 25 in January before falling out for the remainder of the year.^[92] UConn posted an 11–7 record in conference play, narrowly missing a three-way tie for third place at 12–6 in the American. Instead, the Huskies finished sixth, but received the #5 seed in the tournament because SMU was ineligible for postseason play.^[93] In one of the program's most memorable postseason games, UConn defeated #4 seed Cincinnati 104–97 in quadruple overtime the AAC tournament quarterfinals. Down by 3 with 0.6 seconds left on the clock in the third overtime, Jalen Adams hit a three-quarter court shot to force the fourth and final overtime.^[94] UConn then defeated #1 seed Temple in the semifinals and #6 seed Memphis in the championship game to win the American Athletic Conference tournament championship.^[95] Daniel Hamilton was named the conference tournament's MVP. UConn returned to NCAA tournament at a #8 seed and defeated #9 seed Colorado 74–67 in the Round of 64. However, the Huskies were eliminated by the #1 overall seed Kansas Jayhawks 73–61 in the Round of 32.^[96] UConn finished with a 25–11 overall record.^[72] After the season, Hamilton was selected #56 overall in the 2016 NBA draft.^[97]

2016–17 season: Ollie's first losing season[edit]

UConn entered the season ranked #18 in the AP Top 25 poll, but fell out of the rankings after opening the year with upset losses at home to Wagner and Northeastern.^[98] On December 5, 2016, the Huskies defeated Syracuse 52–50 in the Tire Pro Classic at Madison Square Garden.^[99] The team finished the regular season tied for fifth place in the American, and pulled off an upset win over #3 seed Houston in the AAC tournament quarterfinals.^[100] The Huskies' season ended with an 81–71 loss to #2 seed Cincinnati the AAC tournament semifinals.^[101] UConn finished with a 16–17 overall record, the program's first losing season in 30 years.^[102]

2017–18 season: Back-to-back losing seasons[edit]

The Huskies were unranked for the entire 2017–18 season and had 11 double-digit losses.^[72] On January 26, 2018, the school announced the NCAA was investigating UConn for possible recruiting violations related to three players.^[103] The team finished the regular season tied for eighth place in the American, and lost to #9 seed SMU 73–80 in the first round of the conference tournament on March 8, 2018.^[104] UConn finished with a 14–18 overall record.^[72] Two days after the loss to SMU, Kevin Ollie was fired for just cause related to the NCAA investigation.^[105] On July 2, 2019, the NCAA announced UConn's wins for the 2017–18 season would be vacated because of the school's recruiting violations, giving the school an 0–18 official record for the year.^[106][107]

Dan Hurley era (2018–present)[edit]

UConn hired Rhode Island head coach Dan Hurley as Ollie's replacement for the 2018–19 season. He was introduced on March 23, 2018.^[108] Prior to his six seasons at Rhode Island, Hurley spent nine years coaching at St. Benedict's Preparatory School in New Jersey and two years at Wagner College. His father is Bob Hurley Sr., a longtime New Jersey high school basketball coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and his brother is Bobby Hurley, two-time national champion as a player at Duke and current head coach at Arizona State.^[109]

2018–19 season: Hurley's first year[edit]

Hurley's first season at UConn was an up-and-down affair. The first marquee win under Hurley came in his third game when the Huskies defeated #15 Syracuse 83–76 in the 2K Sports Classic semifinals at Madison Square Garden.^[110] However, UConn lost to Iowa the following day in the tournament championship game.^[111] The team's 6–12 record in the American Athletic Conference was its worst record in conference play in over three decades.^[72] The season ended with an 84–45 loss to #11 Houston in the AAC tournament quarterfinals.^[112] While UConn's 16–17 record was an improvement from the previous year, it marked the third-straight losing season for the program.

On June 27, 2019, UConn and the Big East announced that the school would return to the conference for the 2020–21 season.^[113]

2019–20 season: Final year in the American[edit]

With UConn's return to the Big East imminent, the Huskies had one season left to play in the American Athletic Conference. UConn started the year 9–3, including an upset win over #15 Florida at Gampel Pavilion.^[114] On January 18, 2020, after a 61–55 loss at #14 Villanova — a non-conference game that would become a conference game the next year — Hurley remarked that other teams "better get us now. That's all, you better get us now. Because it's coming," foreshadowing the program's return to national relevance in the years ahead.^[115] In the penultimate game of the regular season, UConn defeated #21 Houston 77–71 at Gampel Pavilion on senior night and finished the year tied for fifth place in the American.^[116][117] UConn was set to face Tulane in the first round of the AAC tournament on March 12, 2020. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the AAC tournament being canceled mere hours before it was set to tip off.^[118][119] UConn finished with a 19–12 overall record.^[72]

2020–21 season: Return to the Big East[edit]

UConn's return to the Big East was overshadowed by the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Huskies played all of their home games in Gampel Pavilion with no fans in attendance.^[120] Five games were canceled and four others were rescheduled as players, coaches and staff tested positive for the virus.^[72] UConn finished third in the conference and lost in the Big East tournament semifinals to #2 seed Creighton.^[121] The Huskies returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time in five years and were awarded a #7 seed. The season ended with a first-round loss to #10 seed Maryland.^[122] UConn finished with a 15–8 overall record.^[72] After the season, James Bouknight was selected as the #11 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.^[123]

2021–22 season: Postseason shortfalls[edit]

Despite losing its leading scorer in Bouknight, UConn returned four of five starters and came into the year ranked #24 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.^[124] The Huskies started off 5–0, including a 115–109 double-overtime win against #19 Auburn in the Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals.^[125] The team lost to Michigan State in the semifinals the following day.^[126] On February 22, 2022, UConn defeated #8 Villanova 71–69 at the XL Center — securing the program's first 20-win season in six years and its first top-10 win in eight years.^[72][127] UConn again finished third in the Big East, entering the postseason with its highest regular-season win total since 2013–14. However, the Huskies lost in the Big East tournament semifinals for the second year in a row, this time to #2 seed Villanova.^[128] UConn was awarded a #5 seed in the NCAA tournament, but the season ended with another first-round exit — an upset loss to 12-seed New Mexico State.^[129] UConn finished with a 23–10 overall record.^[72] After the season, Tyrese Martin was selected as the #51 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.^[130]

2022–23 season: 'Blue Blood', 5th NCAA title[edit]

The Huskies entered the 2022–23 season unranked after losing eight scholarship players to transfer, graduation and the draft.^[131][132] Despite this, UConn jumped out to a 14–0 start, winning the Phil Knight Invitational championship and climbing to #2 to the AP Top 25 poll by mid-December.^[133] The team cooled off in January, losing six of their next eight games, but returned to form and went 8–1 to close out the regular season.^[134] The Huskies finished fourth in the Big East and, for the third straight year, lost in the Big East tournament semifinals.^[135] UConn was awarded a #4 seed in the NCAA tournament and then won six straight games by an average of 20.0 points to claim the program's fifth national championship.^[136] Adama Sanogo was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The Huskies were the first team since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to win every game by at least 13 points.^[137] UConn finished with a 31–8 overall record.^[72] After the season, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr. were selected in the 2023 NBA draft as the #14 and #36 overall picks, respectively.^[138] Sanogo signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bulls.^[139] Following the NCAA tournament, numerous analysts and commentators declared that UConn had earned "blue blood" status in college basketball — placing the Huskies among the highest performing programs in the history of the sport.^{[140][141][142][143][144][145]}

2023–24 season: 'Back-to-Back', 6th NCAA title[edit]

UConn entered the 2023–24 season ranked #6 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, and reached #4 after starting 7–0 and winning the Empire Classic championship at Madison Square Garden.^[146][147] On November 28, 2023, UConn won its 24th straight non-conference game by double digits, setting a new NCAA record.^[148] The team lost its first non-conference game in 624 days at #5 Kansas on December 1, 2023.^[149] The Huskies rebounded from the loss four days later with a 87–76 win over #9 North Carolina in the Jimmy V Classic.^[150] Hurley led UConn to a program-best 18 wins in Big East conference play, earning the Huskies their first Big East regular season title since 2006 and their 11th overall, a conference record.^[151][152] The Huskies defeated Marquette on March 16, 2024, to win their first Big East tournament championship since 2011 and eighth overall, tied for most in conference history.^[153] UConn received the #1 overall seed for the first time ever in the 2024 NCAA tournament and won its second consecutive NCAA title with a win over Purdue in the national championship game.^[154][155] The Huskies' scoring margin of +140 for their six games (23.3 points per game) is an NCAA Division I record.^[156] Tristen Newton was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.^[157] Hurley was named Naismith College Coach of the Year and Sporting News Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year.^[158][159] UConn finished with a 37–3 overall record.^[72] All five of the team's starters are projected picks in the 2024 NBA draft if they choose to enter — Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban.^[157] Clingan and Castle are projected lottery picks as of April 2024.^[160][161]

With a sixth NCAA championship, UConn moved into a tie with North Carolina for third-most all-time, trailing only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (8) and surpassing Duke and Indiana (5).^[162] ESPN's Jay Bilas said UConn's six national championships in 25 tournaments is the best run college basketball has seen since the John Wooden-era at UCLA in the 1960s and 1970s.^[163]

Facilities[edit]

• Hawley Armory (1915–1947)^[164]
• Storrs Cage (1948–1953)^[164][165]
• Hugh S. Greer Fieldhouse (1954–1990)^[164]
• XL Center/Hartford Civic Center (1975–present)
• Gampel Pavilion (1990–present)
• Werth Family Champions Center (2014–present)

Season-by-season records[edit]

Postseason results[edit]

Source^[166]

Regular season conference championships[edit]

UConn has won 34 conference regular season championships over the past century. The program currently holds the record for the most Big East regular season titles (11) as well as the most Yankee Conference regular season titles (18).^{[167][168][169][170]}

New England Conference (5)

• 1925, 1926, 1928, 1941, 1944

Yankee Conference (18)

• 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970

Big East Conference (11)

• 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2024

Conference tournament championships[edit]

For much of the 20th century, UConn was a member of conferences that did not hold a postseason tournament (New England and Yankee). The advent of the ECAC men's basketball tournaments in the 1974–75 season provided UConn with its first opportunity to win a postseason conference championship. Over the past half century, UConn has won 11 conference tournament titles. The program is currently tied with Georgetown for the most Big East tournament championships (8) all time.^[171]

ECAC New England Tournament (2)

• 1976, 1979

Big East Conference (8)

• 1990, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2011, 2024

American Athletic Conference (1)

• 2016

NCAA tournament seeding history[edit]

The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.

Year →	'79	'90	'91	'92	'94	'95	'96†	'98	'99	'00	'02	'03	'04	'05	'06	'08	'09	'11	'12	'14	'16	'21	'22	'23	'24
Seed →	5	1	11	9	2	2	1	2	1	5	2	5	2	2	1	4	1	3	9	7	9	7	5	4	1*

* Indicates overall number one seed

† Indicates vacated by the NCAA

#

Indicates NCAA championship

NCAA Final Fours[edit]

• 1999 – Champion
• 2004 – Champion
• 2009 – Semifinalist
• 2011 – Champion
• 2014 – Champion
• 2023 – Champion
• 2024 – Champion

National Championships[edit]

1999 NCAA Title[edit]

The Huskies were the top seed in the West region, and a win over Gonzaga in the regional final sent UConn to Tropicana Field for the program's first Final Four appearance. They defeated Ohio State 64–58 in the semi-final to face off against Duke in the final. Despite having been ranked #1 for half of the year, the Huskies entered the national championship game as 9-point underdogs.

UConn won their first national title with a 77–74 victory. Richard Hamilton was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

1999 NCAA Tournament
Round	Opponent	Score
Round #1	#16 Texas-San Antonio	91–66
Round #2	#9 New Mexico	78–56
Sweet 16	#5 Iowa	78–68
Elite 8	#10 Gonzaga	67–62
Final Four	#4 Ohio State	64–58
Championship	#1 Duke	77–74

2004 NCAA Title[edit]

In 2004, the Huskies returned to the Final Four. Once again they faced Duke, this time in the National Semifinal, and used a late run to beat the Blue Devils 79–78. Two nights later, led by Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, Connecticut won their second national title with an 82–73 victory over Georgia Tech. Okafor was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

One day later the UConn women's basketball team also won a national title, making UConn the first and only school in NCAA Division I history to have its men's and women's basketball programs win a national championship in the same season.

2004 NCAA Tournament
Round	Opponent	Score
Round #1	#15 Vermont	70–53
Round #2	#7 DePaul	72–55
Sweet 16	#6 Vanderbilt	73–53
Elite 8	#8 Alabama	87–71
Final Four	#1 Duke	79–78
Championship	#3 Georgia Tech	82–73

2011 NCAA Title[edit]

The 2011 Huskies won 11 straight games in postseason play, the final six of which resulted in the program's third national championship. On April 4, 2011, they defeated the Butler Bulldogs, 53–41. UConn junior Kemba Walker was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Many consider UConn's win in the Championship Game to be a great defensive performance, as the Huskies held Butler to only 18.8% shooting from the field (a record for field goal percentage defense in a championship game) and tied a title game record with ten blocked shots.^[172] An analysis by Sports Illustrated columnist Luke Winn credited the Huskies' defense by demonstrating, for instance, that they blocked or altered a staggering 26.6% of Butler's shots – compared to just 3.8% by Pittsburgh and 12.1% by VCU in earlier rounds.^[173] The 53 points scored by Connecticut were, in turn, the lowest point total by a winning team in a championship game since 1949.

2011 NCAA Tournament
Round	Opponent	Score
Round #1	#14 Bucknell	89–52
Round #2	#6 Cincinnati	69–58
Sweet 16	#2 San Diego State	74–67
Elite 8	#5 Arizona	65–63
Final Four	#4 Kentucky	56–55
Championship	#8 Butler	53–41

2014 NCAA Title[edit]

In 2014, led by American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Shabazz Napier, UConn became the first #7 seed to win the NCAA Championship, getting past No. 1 seed Florida, No. 2 seed Villanova, No. 3 seed Iowa State, and No. 4 seed Michigan State, before defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 60–54 in the championship game in Arlington, Texas. UConn is undefeated in the state of Texas in the Final Four (6–0).

As in 2004, the UConn women's basketball team also won a national title, making UConn the first and only school in NCAA Division I history to have its men's and women's basketball programs win a national championship in the same season twice.

2014 NCAA Tournament
Round	Opponent	Score
Round #1	#10 Saint Joseph's	89–81 OT
Round #2	#2 Villanova	77–65
Sweet 16	#3 Iowa State	81–76
Elite 8	#4 Michigan State	60–54
Final Four	#1 Florida	63–53
Championship	#8 Kentucky	60–54

2023 NCAA Title[edit]

In 2023, the UConn Huskies won all of their tournament games by more than 10 points. Their path to the championship began against #13 seed Iona in the first round, in which they would trail at the half but eventually pull away in the end. The Huskies would then beat #5 Saint Mary's, #8 Arkansas, and #3 Gonzaga. The national semifinal would be a 13-point defeat of #5 Miami, their smallest margin of victory in the tournament.

The national championship would be a 17-point defeat of #5 San Diego State University as UConn won their fifth national title, tying Duke and Indiana for the fourth spot in national championships.

2023 NCAA Tournament
Round	Opponent	Score
Round #1	#13 Iona	87–63
Round #2	#5 Saint Mary's	70–55
Sweet 16	#8 Arkansas	88–65
Elite 8	#3 Gonzaga	82–54
Final Four	#5 Miami	72–59
Championship	#5 San Diego State	76–59

2024 NCAA Title[edit]

In 2024, the UConn Huskies became the first team to repeat as NCAA tournament champions since the Florida Gators in 2007. They won their sixth title, putting them at a tie with North Carolina for the third-most championships of all time. Once again, they won every tournament game by double digits; their smallest margin of victory in the entire tournament was 14 points against Alabama in the Final Four. The Huskies also set the record for the largest combined margin of victory in all their games with 140 points; and largest-average margin of victory of 23.3 points per game.^[174] Because of that, the 2024 Huskies are considered one of the most dominant teams in the history of March Madness, following up 2023's strong performance.

2024 NCAA Tournament
Round	Opponent	Score
Round #1	#16 Stetson	91–52
Round #2	#9 Northwestern	75–58
Sweet 16	#5 San Diego State	82–52
Elite 8	#3 Illinois	77–52
Final Four	#4 Alabama	86–72
Championship	#1 Purdue	75–60

Complete NCAA tournament results[edit]

The Huskies have appeared in the NCAA tournament 36 times. Their combined record is 69–31. They have been to seven Final Fours and are six-time National Champions (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024).

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1951	N/A	Sweet Sixteen	St. John's	L 52–63
1954	N/A	First Round	Navy	L 80–85
1956	N/A	First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game	Manhattan Temple Dartmouth	W 84–75 L 59–65 L 64–85
1957	N/A	First Round	Syracuse	L 76–82
1958	N/A	First Round	Dartmouth	L 64–75
1959	N/A	First Round	Boston University	L 58–60
1960	N/A	First Round	NYU	L 59–78
1963	N/A	First Round	West Virginia	L 71–77
1964	N/A	First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	Temple Princeton Duke	W 53–48 W 52–50 L 54–101
1965	N/A	First Round	Saint Joseph's	L 61–67
1967	N/A	First Round	Boston College	L 42–48
1976	N/A	First Round Sweet Sixteen	Hofstra Rutgers	W 80–79OT L 79–93
1979	#5	Second Round	#4 Syracuse	L 81–89
1990	#1	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	#16 Boston University #9 California #5 Clemson #3 Duke	W 76–52 W 74–54 W 71–70 L 78–79OT
1991	#11	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	#6 LSU #14 Xavier #2 Duke	W 79–62 W 66–50 L 67–81
1992	#9	First Round Second Round	#8 Nebraska #1 Ohio State	W 86–65 L 55–78
1994	#2	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	#15 Rider #10 George Washington #3 Florida	W 64–46 W 75–63 L 60–69OT
1995	#2	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	#15 Chattanooga #7 Cincinnati #3 Maryland #1 UCLA	W 100–71 W 96–91 W 99–89 L 96–102
1996*	#1	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	#16 Colgate #9 Eastern Michigan #5 Mississippi State	W 68–59 W 95–81 L 55–60
1998	#2	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	#15 Fairleigh Dickinson #7 Indiana #11 Washington #1 North Carolina	W 93–85 W 78–68 W 75–74 L 64–75
1999	#1	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship	#16 UTSA #9 New Mexico #5 Iowa #10 Gonzaga #4 Ohio State #1 Duke	W 91–66 W 78–56 W 78–68 W 67–62 W 64–58 W 77–74
2000	#5	First Round Second Round	#12 Utah State #4 Tennessee	W 75–67 L 51–65
2002	#2	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	#15 Hampton #7 NC State #11 Southern Illinois #1 Maryland	W 78–67 W 77–74 W 71–59 L 82–90
2003	#5	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	#12 BYU #4 Stanford #1 Texas	W 58–53 W 85–74 L 78–82
2004	#2	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship	#15 Vermont #7 DePaul #6 Vanderbilt #8 Alabama #1 Duke #3 Georgia Tech	W 70–53 W 72–55 W 73–53 W 87–71 W 79–78 W 82–73
2005	#2	First Round Second Round	#15 UCF #10 NC State	W 77–71 L 62–65
2006	#1	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	#16 Albany #8 Kentucky #5 Washington #11 George Mason	W 72–59 W 87–83 W 98–92OT L 84–86OT
2008	#4	First Round	#13 San Diego	L 69–70OT
2009	#1	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four	#16 Chattanooga #9 Texas A&M #5 Purdue #3 Missouri #2 Michigan State	W 103–47 W 92–66 W 72–60 W 82–75 L 73–82
2011	#3	Second Round Third Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship	#14 Bucknell #6 Cincinnati #2 San Diego State #5 Arizona #4 Kentucky #8 Butler	W 81–52 W 69–58 W 74–67 W 65–63 W 56–55 W 53–41
2012	#9	First Round	#8 Iowa State	L 64–77
2014	#7	Second Round Third Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship	#10 Saint Joseph's #2 Villanova #3 Iowa State #4 Michigan State #1 Florida #8 Kentucky	W 89–81OT W 77–65 W 81–76 W 60–54 W 63–53 W 60–54
2016	#9	First Round Second Round	#8 Colorado #1 Kansas	W 74–67 L 61–73
2021	#7	First Round	#10 Maryland	L 54–63
2022	#5	First Round	#12 New Mexico State	L 63–70
2023	#4	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship	#13 Iona #5 Saint Mary's #8 Arkansas #3 Gonzaga #5 Miami #5 San Diego State	W 87–63 W 70–55 W 88–65 W 82–54 W 72–59 W 76–59
2024	#1	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship	#16 Stetson #9 Northwestern #5 San Diego State #3 Illinois #4 Alabama #1 Purdue	W 91–52 W 75–58 W 82–52 W 77–52 W 86–72 W 75–60

*NCAA vacated all of UConn's games in 1996 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Totals above do not include vacated games.

NIT results[edit]

The Huskies have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 13 times. Their combined record is 15–12. They were NIT champions in 1988.

Year	Round	Opponent	Results
1955	First Round	Saint Louis	L 103–110
1974	First Round Quarterfinals	St. John's Boston College	W 82–70 L 75–76
1975	First Round	South Carolina	L 61–71
1980	First Round	Saint Peter's	L 56–71
1981	First Round Second Round	South Florida Minnesota	W 66–55 L 66–84
1982	First Round	Dayton	L 75–76
1988	First Round Second Round Quarterfials Semifinals Final	West Virginia Louisiana Tech VCU Boston College Ohio State	W 62–57 W 65–59 W 69–60 W 73–67 W 72–67
1989	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Charlotte California UAB	W 67–62 W 73–72 L 79–85
1993	First Round	Jackson State	L 88–90
1997	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game	Iona Bradley Nebraska Florida State Arkansas	W 71–66 W 63–47 W 76–67 L 65–71 W 74–64
2001	First Round Second Round	South Carolina Detroit	W 72–65 L 61–67
2010	First Round Second Round	Northeastern Virginia Tech	W 59–57 L 63–65
2015	First Round	Arizona State	L 61–68

Coaches[edit]

The following is a list of Connecticut Huskies men's basketball head coaches. The team is currently coached by Dan Hurley, alongside associate head coach Kimani Young and assistant coaches Luke Murray and Tom Moore.

Tenure	Coach	Years	Record	Pct.
1900–1915[175]	No Coach	15	45–44	.506
1915–1919[175]	John Donahue	4	11–23	.324
1919–1921[175]	M.R. Schwartz	2	14–14	.500
1921–1922[175]	J. Wilder Tasker	2	15–5	.750
1922–1923[175]	Roy J. Guyer	1	8–6	.571
1923–1927[175]	Sumner Dole	4	39–25	.609
1927–1931[175]	Louis Alexander	4	35–19	.648
1931–1936[175]	John Heldman Jr.	5	19–42	.311
1935–1936[175]	J. Orlean Christian (interim)	1	3–10	.231
1936–1945[175]	Don White	9	94–59	.614
1945–1946[175]	Blair Gullion	2	14–7	.667
1946–1963[175]	Hugh Greer	17	287–113	.718
1963[175]	George Wigton (interim)	1	11–4	.733
1963–1967[175]	Fred Shabel	4	72–29	.713
1967–1969[175]	Burr Carlson	2	16–32	.333
1969–1977[175]	Donald "Dee" Rowe	8	120–88	.577
1977–1986[175]	Dominic "Dom" Perno	9	139–114	.549
1986–2012[175]	Jim Calhoun	26	625–243	.720
2012–2018[166]	Kevin Ollie	6	113–79	.588
2018–present[166]	Dan Hurley	6	141–58	.708

Huskies of Honor[edit]

On December 26, 2006, UConn announced inaugural inductees into the "Huskies of Honor" recognition program, a class of 13 players and 3 coaches that were later introduced at halftime during the February 5, 2007 UConn-Syracuse game.^[176] Former athletic director John Toner was inducted on February 28, 2009.^[177] On April 5, 2011, Kemba Walker was the first men's basketball player to be added to the program since the inaugural inductees, an honor he was bestowed after leading the team to a national championship.^{[citation needed]}

The Huskies of Honor are each recognized by a four by five foot panel which displays his name, jersey number and years of service, and a plaque which summarizes each's career accomplishments;^[176] Both the panels and the plaques are on permanent display at Gampel Pavilion on the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs, Connecticut.^[178]

Players[edit]

• Harrison Fitch 1932–1934
• Walt Dropo 1942–1947
• Vincent Yokabaskas 1948–1952
• Worthy Patterson 1951–1954
• Art Quimby 1951–1955
• Toby Kimball 1961–1965
• Wes Bialosuknia 1964–1967
• Bill Corley 1965–1968
• Tony Hanson 1973–1977
• Corny Thompson 1978–1982
• Clifford Robinson 1985–1989
• Chris Smith 1988–1992
• Scott Burrell 1989–1993
• Donyell Marshall 1991–1994
• Ray Allen 1993–1996
• Richard Hamilton 1996–1999
• Khalid El-Amin 1997–2000
• Caron Butler 2000–2002
• Emeka Okafor 2001–2004
• Rashad Anderson 2002–2006
• Rudy Gay 2004–2006
• Kemba Walker 2008–2011
• Andre Drummond 2011–2012
• Shabazz Napier 2010–2014
• Tristen Newton 2022–2024

Coaches and administrators[edit]

• Hugh Greer, Head Coach, 1946–1963
• Dee Rowe, Head Coach, 1969–1977
• John Toner, Athletic Director, 1969–1987
• Jim Calhoun, Head Coach, 1986–2012

Teams[edit]

• 1999 National Championship Team

Retired numbers[edit]

UConn Huskies retired numbers
No.	Player	Pos.	Years played	No. ret.	Ref.
34	Ray Allen	SG	1993–1996	2019	[179]
32	Richard Hamilton	SG	1996–1999	2024	[180]

On December 7, 2018, UConn announced that the #34 worn by Ray Allen would be permanently retired, effective with ceremonies to be held during the Huskies' final 2018–19 home game on March 3, 2019. In its announcement, UConn stated that going forward, number retirement would be reserved for former Huskies players inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as Allen was earlier that year.

At the same time, the Huskies announced that the #50 worn by Rebecca Lobo, a 2017 Naismith Hall inductee, would be retired by UConn women's basketball, with ceremonies held during the season's final women's home game on March 2, 2019.^[181]

UConn's announcement did not make it clear whether both numbers would be retired across both men's and women's programs, but a university spokesperson clarified that the retirements applied only to the teams that Allen and Lobo competed for, meaning that #50 will remain available in men's basketball and #34 in women's.^[182]

On January 30, 2024, UConn announced that the #32 jersey worn by Richard Hamilton would be retired at Gampel Pavilion at halftime of UConn's game against Villanova on February 24.

Notable victories[edit]

• December 10, 1921 – UConn upsets Army at West Point, 33–31. Phil Dean hits a game-winning shot with under 30 seconds left to secure the win over an Army squad ranked #3 in the nation that season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.^[183][184]
• February 27, 1954 – Worthy Patterson's buzzer-beater at #7 Holy Cross gives UConn an upset of the then-powerhouse Crusaders, 78–77.^[11]
• March 13, 1956 – UConn defeats Manhattan 84–75 to win an NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament game for the first time.^[12]
• March 14, 1964 – UConn upsets Princeton and star forward Bill Bradley 52–50 in the Sweet Sixteen. The victory is sealed when Dom Perno steals the ball from Bradley with 19 seconds to play. Perno would later become UConn's coach.^[185]
• February 28, 1970 ("The Slowdown Game") – With four players unavailable and a share of the Yankee Conference Regular-Season Championship on the line, UConn beats Rhode Island 35–32 at the Field House. Played before the shot clock-era, UConn dribbles endlessly for 38 minutes to make up for their limited roster.^[186]
• March 30, 1988 – UConn defeats Ohio State 72–67 at Madison Square Garden to win the 1988 National Invitation Tournament.^[187]
• January 27, 1990 – UConn beats #15 St. John's 72–58 in the first game played at Gampel Pavilion.^[188]
• March 11, 1990 – UConn beats Syracuse 78–75 at Madison Square Garden to win its first Big East men's tournament championship.^[189]
• March 22, 1990 ("The Shot") – Tate George makes a shot at the buzzer to beat Clemson 71–70 in the 1990 Sweet 16 at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.^[190]
• March 9, 1996 – With 4 minutes remaining, UConn trails Georgetown 74–63. The Huskies close the game with a 12–0 run and win the Big East Championship 75–74 on an off-balance floater from All-American Ray Allen at Madison Square Garden.^[191]
• March 20, 1998 (Hamilton "Rips" Washington's heart out) – Down 74–73 in the Sweet Sixteen to the eleven seed Washington Huskies, two seed UConn gets three shot attempts off in the final 15 seconds with Rip Hamilton's buzzer beating jumper winning it 75–74.^[192]
• March 20, 1999 – UConn defeats Gonzaga 67–62 to win the West Regional Final and advance to the Final Four for the first time.^[193]
• March 29, 1999 – UConn wins its first NCAA Championship, defeating Duke 77–74 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.^[194]
• March 27, 2004 – UConn defeats Alabama 87–71 to win the West Regional Final and advance to the Final Four for the second time.^[195]
• April 5, 2004 – UConn wins its second NCAA Championship, defeating Georgia Tech 82–73 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.^[196]
• March 28, 2009 – UConn defeats Missouri 82–75 to win the Arizona Regional Final and advance to the Final Four for the third time.^[197]
• March 12, 2011 ("Five Games in Five Days") – In the final of the Big East tournament, UConn defeats Louisville by a score of 69–66 to claim their seventh Big East Championship. The victory capped an unprecedented run wherein the Huskies won five tournament games in five consecutive days. Four of those wins came against top-25 opponents. Junior All-American guard Kemba Walker scored a tournament-record 130 points in the five-game run, and was named tournament MVP.^[198]
• March 26, 2011 – UConn defeats Arizona 65–63 to win the West Regional Final and advance to the Final Four for the fourth time.^[199]
• April 4, 2011 – UConn wins its third NCAA Championship, defeating Butler 53–41 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.^[200]
• November 9, 2012 – In Kevin Ollie's first game as Connecticut head coach, UConn beats the #14 Michigan State Spartans 66–62 at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.^[201]
• March 30, 2014 – UConn defeats Michigan State 60–54 at Madison Square Garden to win the East Regional Final and advance to the Final Four for the fifth time.^[202]
• April 7, 2014 – UConn wins its fourth NCAA Championship, defeating Kentucky 60–54 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.^[203]
• March 11, 2016 – With 0.8 seconds remaining and UConn down by 3, freshman point guard Jalen Adams hits a 70-foot 3 pointer to tie an American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament quarterfinal game against Cincinnati and force a fourth overtime. UConn wins the game 104–97, and then wins the final against Memphis two days later to advance to the 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.^[204]
• March 25, 2023 – UConn defeats Gonzaga 82–54 to win the West Regional Final and advance to the Final Four for the sixth time.^[205]
• April 3, 2023 – UConn wins its fifth NCAA Championship, defeating San Diego State 76–59 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.^[206]
• November 27, 2023 – UConn defeats New Hampshire 84–64 to set an NCAA record with its 24th straight non-conference victory by double digits.^[207]
• March 30, 2024 – In a game that notably included a 30–0 run, UConn defeats Illinois 77–52 to win the East Regional Final and advance to their seventh Final Four.^[208]
• April 8, 2024 – UConn wins back-to-back titles with its sixth NCAA Championship, defeating Purdue 75–60 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.^[209]

Awards[edit]

Source^[166]

Huskies in the NBA[edit]

Since the 1990s, UConn has been recognized as being a consistent pipeline for players to enter the National Basketball Association. During the 2006–2007 season, there were an NBA-high 14 former Huskies on active rosters. During the 2013–14 season, 13 former Huskies were on active NBA rosters. UConn has sent a total of 41 players to the NBA and ABA.

UConn has had 15 players selected as lottery picks in the NBA draft:

UConn Lottery Picks
Player	Year	Pick #	Team
Donyell Marshall	1994	4	Minnesota Timberwolves
Ray Allen	1996	5	Minnesota Timberwolves
Richard Hamilton	1999	7	Washington Wizards
Caron Butler	2002	10	Miami Heat
Emeka Okafor	2004	2	Charlotte Bobcats
Ben Gordon	2004	3	Chicago Bulls
Charlie Villanueva	2005	7	Toronto Raptors
Rudy Gay	2006	8	Houston Rockets
Hilton Armstrong	2006	12	New Orleans Hornets
Hasheem Thabeet	2009	2	Memphis Grizzlies
Kemba Walker	2011	9	Charlotte Bobcats
Andre Drummond	2012	9	Detroit Pistons
Jeremy Lamb	2012	12	Houston Rockets
James Bouknight	2021	11	Charlotte Hornets
Jordan Hawkins	2023	14	New Orleans Pelicans

• The 2006 Draft class was notable for tying the record of most first-round picks from one school, with four. With five players drafted in the two rounds, UConn tied for the second-most ever taken in an NBA draft.^[210]
• Two players (Clifford Robinson, 1992–93, and Ben Gordon, 2004–05) have been winners of the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.
• Emeka Okafor was the winner of the 2004–05 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
• Ray Allen was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018, and retired as the all-time leading scorer in 3-point field goals made.
• Five players (Scott Burrell, '97–'98, Travis Knight, '99–'00, Richard Hamilton, '03–'04, Ray Allen, '07–'08 and '12–'13, Caron Butler, '10–'11) have won NBA championships.

NBA Players Past and Present^[211][212]

* Bold indicates active players.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website