Hurley: UConn ‘manifested’ path via ‘Storrs North’

Pete Thamel, ESPNMar 27, 2024, 06:45 PM ET BOSTON– In a quest for back-to-back national titles, UConn coach Dan Hurley saw a competitive advantage for the Huskies not long after they lowered the webs in Houston last year.Way back then,

he saw UConn’s potential path back to the Last 4 just needing bus trips. And with the Huskies dealing with company in the first two rounds of the males’s NCAA tournament in Brooklyn versus No. 16 Stetson and No. 9 Northwestern, Hurley said his group has made an anticipated home-court benefit in Boston this weekend.

“We hope the crowd can be a Storrs North for us,” Hurley stated, referencing the school’s home in Connecticut. “Maybe feel a bit like [Madison Square Garden] provides for us when we play there [in] the Big East tournament and during the Big East routine season, too.”

He estimated that 60% of the crowd might be using UConn blue when the top-seeded Huskies play No. 5 San Diego State in a rematch of last year’s national title game. UConn is the No. 1 total seed in the NCAA competition and has actually been thought about the best group in the sport for a huge bulk of this season.Editor’s Picks

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the Sweet 16 on a nine-game win streak, which includes the Big East tournament championship. The Huskies have simply one loss– a blowout at Creighton– because Dec. 21. That caliber of play developed the home-court advantage.”We’ve made that by the season that we

have actually had,”Hurley stated.” This wasn’t some present by the committee to attempt to make it as simple as possible for us. We’ve earned our position. We’ve manifested Brooklyn to Boston since, actually, April, given that last year when we won the championship.”We have actually worked exceptionally hard over that time duration to make the opportunity to

play in front of ideally a 60 %UConn type of crowd.” Hurley acknowledged Wednesday that the best team doesn’t always win the NCAA competition. That’s why he’s worked to develop a” bulletproof”team, that includes a top-10 offense and top-10 defense, according to KenPom’s effectiveness metrics. That offers the group the versatility to win in different ways.”When I talk about bulletproof, we’re susceptible,”he said.”This is not a best-of-five or best-of-seven.

You have one off night, you know, where whatever breaks down– you could be the best group in the country and not win the competition.”That formula helped UConn conquer a 3-for-22 shooting efficiency versus Northwestern in the round of 32.UConn coach Dan Hurley, acknowledging that the best team does not constantly win the NCAA tournament, has worked to develop a “bulletproof” team that consists of a top-10 offense and top-10 defense, giving the Huskies the flexibility to win in different ways. Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports

“We shot the ball horribly, but we were bulletproof the other night since of our defense and our death, our capability to score rim 2s,” he said. “We can win a great deal of various types of games.”

UConn is a balanced team, led by guard Tristen Newton, who averages 15.3 points. He’s one of five Huskies to typical double-digit scoring, consisting of 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan, who is averaging 12.8 PPG and 7.4 RPG and is considered a most likely top-10 choice in the upcoming NBA draft.While Hurley

is bullish on his group, he did bring up, unprompted, the “strange” concept drifting around talking heads about UConn having the ability to beat NBA groups, calling it “crazy talk.” He summed up this edition of the Huskies by stating the pieces fit better than possibly last year’s national title group.

“We do have a number of players on this group that are going to play in the NBA, are going to be drafted in the NBA, are going to be drafted in the lottery game in the NBA,” Hurley said. “You can’t deny when you enjoy this group play that it’s a fun team to enjoy since the ball relocations, and we share it, and we play for each other. You can see the culture. You can see the energy. You can see the dedication to defense. You can see the characters up and down the organization.”