Since 2023, the UConn Huskies have just one loss in the NCAA Tournament, a two-point defeat to Florida in last year's second round. Seriously: That’s it. During that span, the Huskies have now reached the Final Four in three of the four years, with consecutive national championships in 2023 and 2024. Love him or hate him, Dan Hurley knows how to win in March. And that’s exactly why this year's Huskies might be the new favorite to win it all again.
UConn needed a Hail Mary to defeat Duke, and its prayers were answered. The Huskies erased a 19-point deficit to defeat the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament behind one of the most memorable buzzer-beaters in college basketball history. And with all due respect to the talent of Michigan and Arizona especially, if there’s a team I’d be afraid of running into in Indy, it's UConn. They’re battle-tested, and they were the ones to survive the brutal East Region against all odds.Â
No matter how good Michigan and Arizona have been, they don’t have a recent NCAA Tournament resume that's even close to comparable.
Why UConn’s recent March Madness dominance will be key in 2026 Final Four
In last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Huskies had a down year after every key player on that 2024 national title team either graduated or went to the NBA. The result was an early loss to the eventual national champions.
This year, they’re dominating in a different way. These Huskies have to fight through adversity to get their wins. Sure, they didn’t have too much of a problem in the first two rounds, but having to face Tom Izzo and then Duke in the same weekend will test anyone's will. UConn had to stave off a Michigan State comeback in the Sweet 16 before Sunday’s exhilarating win.Â
No team in recent history has had a dominant stretch like UConn has. Regardless of how much of a tear Michigan and Arizona are going on during their NCAA Tournament runs, they don’t have that sort of experience to fall back on. That might be what sets them apart from the rest of the field.Â
Why UConn is the most dangerous team in the Final Four
One of UConn’s greatest strengths is its ability to have such a solid inside-out game. Tarris Reed Jr. has been one of the most dominant post players in the March Madness field this year, and yet everyone is still talking about UConn’s ability to shoot the 3. They thrive on high-volume shooting, but when you have Alex Karaban and Braylon Mullins who can light it up from deep, it makes them hard to guard.Â
On top of that, they might have one of the most efficient half-court offenses we've seen. The plays Hurley comes up with makes this team so hard to game-plan for. He runs decoys, he sets up his shooters; it’s hard to find holes in their offense. That’s where the downside comes in: Hurley generates lots of open looks, but if they aren’t hitting their 3-pointers, it puts them behind the 8-ball.Â
As good of a team as they are on offense, they’re just as good on defense. They have the No. 9 -ranked defensive rating in the country, per KenPom. They know how to keep teams from running the score up, which keeps them hanging around. Though they gave up 71 to Furman, they held UCLA and Michigan State to under 65 points apiece. Hurley’s teams are problematic; if they weren’t, they wouldn’t be 17-1 in their last 18 NCAA Tournament games.Â
UConn didn’t enter the NCAA Tournament as the best team in the field. If anybody’s going to be able to survive the Final Four, though, it’s the Huskies.