HARTFORD, Conn. — The University of Connecticut men's basketball team, fresh off back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024, is once again positioning itself as a powerhouse in the 2025-26 season. Under head coach Dan Hurley, the Huskies have climbed to No. 4 in the national rankings and are on track for a top seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. This resurgence comes after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, where the pressure of chasing a rare three-peat derailed their season, leading to a third-place finish in the Big East Conference and an early exit as an 8-seed in the tournament.
Hurley, who has guided UConn to two titles in as many years, admitted that his intense focus on building a dynasty last season backfired. "Last year's experience was grueling and miserable for the most part," Hurley told ESPN in early February 2025. He explained that the team's ego and frustration boiled over during a "survival fest," especially with a roster featuring only three players from the championship squads. The Huskies suffered multiple nonconference losses before November 2024 even ended, a stark contrast to their dominant runs in prior years.
To rebound, Hurley shifted his philosophy, emphasizing process over perfection and rediscovering joy in coaching. He drew inspiration from a conversation with UConn women's basketball legend Geno Auriemma, who questioned, "Where's the joy in the things that you've always been about as a coach before you went on the championship run?" according to Hurley's forthcoming book. Hurley applied this lesson immediately, focusing on enjoying milestones like Alex Karaban's senior year and Big East matchups. "Just be about how we pursue things," Hurley said. "If we pursue things honorably, preparation, how hard we play, putting everything in pursuit of championship glory, then we'll give ourselves a real shot."
Central to this turnaround was roster construction, particularly at point guard. After Tristen Newton's pivotal role in the 2023 and 2024 titles — where he earned All-America honors and was named Most Outstanding Player at the 2024 Final Four — UConn sought a suitable replacement. An experiment with Saint Mary's transfer Aidan Mahaney faltered, with Hurley acknowledging he failed to position the guard effectively. Instead, the Huskies targeted Georgia transfer Silas Demary Jr., a 6-foot-4 playmaker who mirrors Newton's size and versatility.
Demary has transformed the team, according to teammates. "He's changed everything for us and we play off his energy on the defensive end," said Karaban, a redshirt senior forward and the program's all-time winningest men's basketball player. "He came in, he bought into everyone, he bought into the coaching staff and now he just changed us. He made us a national championship contender again, which is really a credit to him, a credit to the coaches. It's crazy how one position could really change everything and he did that."
Karaban himself has evolved into the team's emotional core. Last season, under immense pressure as the face of the program, he admitted struggling with leadership. "I really let games affect how I was as a leader," Karaban reflected. Drawing from the highs of two titles and the lows of 2024-25, he now provides steady guidance. During a February 2025 practice before a game against Xavier, Hurley consulted Karaban on the scouting report, highlighting his influence. "A guy like that really is the culture for UConn," said forward Tarris Reed Jr. "He really sets the tone, sets the standard for what UConn is and he won two national championships. I haven't been there. He's been to the mountaintop twice. I'm trying to get there."
Improved leadership has fostered stronger team chemistry, a key difference from last year. Players like Reed and guard Solo Ball pointed to summer workouts as the turning point. "We had a different energy every single practice we went into and it's everyone uplifting each other," Ball said. "Being loud throughout the whole practice and in the squad scrimmages. That's really when I knew how competitive [we] were. I just knew. I was like, 'Yeah, no, we're going to be special.'" This camaraderie has helped the Huskies navigate adversity, including a rash of injuries.
The season has not been without hurdles. Five-star freshman Braylon Mullins missed the first six games due to an ankle injury and another in January for concussion protocol. Reed dealt with hamstring and ankle issues early on, while Ball nursed a wrist injury, Karaban battled nagging ailments, and Jaylin Stewart sat out a win over St. John's in February 2025 because of knee inflammation. These setbacks forced Hurley to rely on his bench, building exceptional depth. "It forced us to develop a will to win," Hurley said. "It created situational basketball where we're comfortable and at the end of close games executing and having a belief that we're going to find a way to win."
Despite the injuries, UConn has shown resilience in Big East play, though not with the dominance of past seasons. The 2023-24 team set records with consecutive double-digit nonconference wins and led the nation in scoring margin by over two points per game. This year, of their 17 Big East victories, two went to overtime and five were decided by two possessions or fewer. The team's offense and defense have occasionally misaligned: through January 30, 2025, they ranked No. 39 in adjusted offensive efficiency but No. 2 defensively. By mid-February, the offense improved to No. 14, but defense slipped to No. 99.
"There's not a whole lot for me to complain about," Hurley told reporters after a blowout win over St. John's in February 2025. "Just a lot of soul-searching by the group during that stretch that started at MSG, where our defense kind of tanked. And then you saw today, its capabilities when we're dialed in."
Recent performances signal a return to form. In wins over Villanova and St. John's, UConn ranked third nationally in adjusted efficiency margin over the past three games, per Bart Torvik metrics. Mullins has emerged as a scorer, hitting double figures in seven straight games before St. John's, including a career-high 25 points against Creighton. Ball has regained his shooting touch and bolstered his defense, while Reed delivered a standout 20-point, 11-rebound, six-block game against St. John's — "as good as a center has played for us in a game," Hurley noted.
Hurley's fire remains undimmed, even in lopsided victories. With 11:48 left in the St. John's game, up by 23, Hurley berated his team during a timeout for rebounding lapses, captured on NBC broadcast: "So after how hard we fought, right now we're gonna give in on the glass? That's what we're gonna do? We talk of not letting each other down. Don't let each other down. Don't regret something we watch on film where you could've dug a ball out. Don't give them life right now. Beat their ass!" The Huskies responded with a 7-0 run, extending the lead to 30 and sealing the win.
This season's path echoes previous championship journeys, with midseason stumbles giving way to late surges. In 2022-23, UConn lost six of eight games midseason and went 5-6 in Big East play at one point, yet won the title. The 2023-24 squad dropped a 15-point decision at Seton Hall before Christmas and a 19-point loss at Creighton on February 20, 2024, before peaking in March. "Those first two years ... we didn't peak," Karaban said. "We didn't peak at a certain moment. We continued to get better and better. And that's something I want this group to know, too. The point is you want to play your best basketball in March and April."
Despite setbacks like a close loss at St. John's earlier and a home defeat to Creighton on February 18, 2025, UConn's trajectory suggests they're ahead of the 2022-23 pace. The team boasts unmatched pedigree: Hurley and his staff with two titles, Karaban with two rings, three others with one, and only Florida matching that championship experience on its roster. Ball dubbed it "UConn swagger," while Reed added, "Sweet 16s and Elite Eights aren't good enough here."
Looking ahead, Hurley believes this experience provides a tournament edge. "I think it gives us an edge come March because we know we could do it," he told ESPN. "If you've never done it and you've never won it, you've never gotten to a Final Four, there's going to be doubt. ... I've been there. I've had that doubt before. And the thing about UConn is, once we get out of that first round, we think we're supposed to win it." As the postseason nears, the Huskies' blend of veteran savvy, newfound balance, and relentless drive positions them for a potential third title in four years — a feat not achieved in men's college basketball since John Wooden's UCLA Bruins over 50 years ago.