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STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Not long after seeing the path ahead in UConn's quest for a third consecutive national title, coach Dan Hurley was determined not to repeat the error of his ways.
The last time the Huskies lost an NCAA Tournament game they had not gotten over a loss in the Big East tourney semifinals. Hurley and his staff walked the tightrope of addressing the miscues while trying to move on but UConn went out and lost its 2022 NCAA opener to New Mexico.
The Huskies have won their last 12 games in the NCAA Tournament, putting them in position for a threepeat that hasn't been done since the early 1970s UCLA dynasty. The loss to Creighton in this year's Big East semis is forgotten.
“I am not going to make the same mistake I did in ’22 when I let it linger too long,” Hurley said. “We didn’t do that.”
UConn will open this year's tourney against Oklahoma on Friday night in Raleigh. North Carolina, after a trying season that included a three-game skid at the Maui Invitational and no Big East titles. A team that opened at No. 3 in the preseason AP Top 25 eventually dropped out of the poll and it was clear that sustained success would be a grind for a roster that returned only one starter.
While the journey was a bumpy one, the process did not change.
"(A third straight national title) is something that quite honestly, early in the year, it was something that was talked about around here," Hurley said. "With the way that we played to this point, it is not something we are talking about. Right now, let’s just get our best performance together and lock in on Oklahoma."
If UConn and Florida meet in the second round, there will be plenty of references to the Gators, who were the last team to win back-to-back national titles (2006-07) before UConn. For now, the focus is squarely on Oklahoma.
“It is March and you want to play your best basketball as a team and individually. I am trying to do everything in my power to help this team win,” said UConn forward Alex Karaban, that lone returning starter.
Karaban, Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson are the only players who were members of the last two national championship teams. The trio got together to talk after a stunning loss at Seton Hall and a home defeat to Creighton. There were some moments of self-evaluation as they discussed what they could do to get the Huskies into position to make a run at another national title.
“We haven’t had the year as a team that we wanted and we lost some games that we wish we could have back” Karaban said. “We’ve learned a lot together and we are all going through this as one unit. We are embracing the struggles and everything that has come with it.”
It wasn’t easy playing without star freshman Liam McNeeley for eight games or missing Karaban for two others. Diarra had to deal with an ankle injury for many late-season games. All three say they are healthy now.
“We are holding up great,” UConn sophomore guard Solo Ball said. “Having a tight-knit locker room helps a lot. When you have someone to go to on the team, those situations where you can go and talk to a teammate or a peer helps so much.”
That was never more evident than a win over Marquette on March 5 when Karaban drained a 3-pointer in the final minute to give the Huskies their fifth win of the season against a ranked team.
“This year is different because we are still juggling a rotation and still trying to shore up some major vulnerabilities as a team,” Hurley said. “The last two years we were just trying to keep our team sharp and confident. We were excellent at both ends of the court. We were deep, and we knew who was playing when.
“Now, we are still searching a little bit. We are still trying to find a better version of ourselves. We are trying to play a complete game. We are still looking for production and minutes at critical spots.”
UConn is a No. 8 seed in the West Region. The Huskies have won national titles as the West Regional champion before and not all of the six previous national titles began with the Huskies as a pre-tournament favorite.
“We are all in it together because I don’t think any of us coaches or players feel right now that if any of us walked away if the season ended now and be happy with the year that we had,” Hurley said. “We are a group of people who are together in this.”
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