Hurley, UConn honored to face Florida for trip to Sweet 16

UConn continues on in NCAA Tournament, now meeting Florida on Sunday for spot in Sweet 16. (Photo by UConn Men’s Basketball)

RALEIGH, N.C. — As UConn furthers its historic journey, head coach Dan Hurley has walked a tightrope between satiating his rabid hunger for success with remaining humble and properly respecting those that came before his program among the great teams in college basketball.

In the modern, 64-team NCAA Tournament era, only two other schools have done what Hurley and UConn have in winning consecutive national championships, a feat not lost on the coach as the Huskies chase immortality.

Next in UConn’s quest for a third straight title is the last program to have turned the trick in back-to-back seasons, as awaiting the Huskies on Sunday will be Florida, the No. 1 seed in the West regional, with a trip to San Francisco and the Sweet 16 at stake. Hurley has frequently spoken of former Gator coach Billy Donovan’s role as a mentor in his career, and has a similar reverence for current Florida boss Todd Golden, who has a national championship contender Hurley said is reminiscent in some ways of his own outfit.

“The bigs,” Hurley said early Saturday morning in the wake of UConn’s first-round win over Oklahoma, citing a particular similarity between the Huskies and this year’s Florida team. “It reminds me kind of what we had with (Adama) Sanogo and (Donovan) Clingan and Samson Johnson these last couple years. They keep trotting out big, skilled, tenacious two-way players that are all over the glass. And (Golden has) done a great job. Their roster construction is really impressive.”

“There’s a lot of honor in us being able to face the last team that went back-to-back. I think there’s honor in fighting and getting to the round of 32, and making somebody put you down in this tournament to end this run we’ve been on. The championship pedigree is still there for us. There’s a belief in the UConn jersey this time of year. Somebody’s gonna have to put us down in this tournament for us to go away.”

UConn won its 13th straight March Madness contest Friday in a manner not usually seen from a program that has exemplified a juggernaut this time of year. The Huskies nearly handed a victory to Oklahoma before righting the ship late in the second half, something Alex Karaban found value in as a teaching tool for a young roster not accustomed to how to handle postseason affairs.

“It gets us one step closer to reaching our goals,” the junior forward said. “It doesn’t matter how much you win by in March Madness. You gotta learn from your mistakes and just advance, and we did that. It’s a good way to gain momentum heading into Sunday.”

Hurley had projected an opening-round win could alleviate some of the pressure surrounding his group, citing that simply getting out of the round of 64 could ease some of the tension and make his team—already a tough out given its past history—more formidable. He did not back down from that stance 36 hours away from battling Florida, instead reasserting his claim as a means of motivation.

“I think we’re a dangerous team because most people picked us to lose the first game,” he restated. “I don’t think many people will give us a shot in the second one. We come into this tournament as back-to-back national champions. UConn getting out of the first round of the tournament, once we get out of the first round, we’ve been pretty good.”