Dan Hurley has earned the right to talk smack. As annoying as the UConn head coach may be at times to rival Big East fans, when you win two straight National Titles, clearly you are doing something right. Hurley's woe-is-me mentality often rubs opponents the wrong way, especially in conference play, but no one can deny the results once he makes the NCAA Tournament.
Hurley was hired in 2018 and quickly became one of the more accomplished coaches in program history. Of course, the Huskies once featured Jim Calhoun on the men's side and Geno Auriemma in women's college basketball. However, these Huskies didn't lose a tournament game in two years – it is tough to argue against those results.
This was considered a down season for UConn, yet they were still able to win one tournament game and push No. 1 seed Florida to the brink. The best compliment we can give Hurley is that none of his losses are comfortable. Hurley turned down a chance to coach the Lakers to remain in Storrs, and it's easy to see why.
When is the last time UConn lost in the NCAA Tournament?
The last team to beat UConn in March was New Mexico State, which was a classic 12-5 upset. That was before the Huskies were knocked off by the No. 1 seed Florida Gators in 2025. Florida managed to hold off a talented UConn team led by Hurley and Alex Karaban. The Gators turned up the heat defensively late in the second half, as the SEC displayed its dominance with under two minutes remaining.
That New Mexico State squad was a tricky one, led in scoring by Teddy Allen, who had 37 points and could not be stopped on the night. Unlike their loss to the Florida Gators on Sunday, UConn was favored to defeat New Mexico State, as they were the No. 5 seed in said game.
Longest winning streak in March Madness history
With a win in the first round, UConn tied the Duke Blue Devils run from 1991-93 with 13 straight tournament games won. Any time Hurley can tie Mike Krzyzewski in an NCAA Tournament record, it is surely a good sign. The longest March Madness winning streak of all-time is held by the UCLA Bruins during the 1960's and 1970's, as they won 38 straight games on their way to seven straight titles from 1967-73.
Those Bruins teams were loaded with future NBA talent, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, two imposing centers who could not be stopped in the paint.
We'll have more on this story shortly.