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Get to know UConn, the Florida Gators' 2nd-round opponent

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•03/23/25•

On3Keith

UConn HC Dan Hurley
(David Butler II | Imagn Images)

After easily disposing of 16th-seeded Norfolk State on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Florida Gators, the No. 1 seed in the West Region, next face a program that hasn’t lost a tourney game since 2022. UConn, the eighth seed, is 24-10 this season, but the Huskies have claimed back-to-back national titles and own a 13-game NCAA Tournament win streak. Today, we take a closer look at the Gators’ second-round opponent, whom they play Sunday in Raleigh, N.C.

Meet the UConn Huskies

School location: Storrs, Conn.

Coach: Dan Hurley (7th season). Hurley, who is 52, played at Seton Hall. He owns a 165–68 record with UConn and led the Huskies to national championships each of the past two seasons. He has reached the NCAA Tournament five straight seasons and has a 13-2 tourney record at UConn. Hurley previously spent six seasons as the coach at Rhode Island and two at Wagner. His career record is 316–173. He is the younger brother of legendary Duke guard Bobby Hurley. Hurley’s father, Bob Hurley Sr., is one of the most well-known high school basketball coaches in the history of the sport.

Overall Record: 24-10

Conference/Conference record: Big East/14-6 (third place). Two of UConn’s regular-season losses were to St. John’s, the conference champion and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies reached the semifinals of the conference tournament before falling to Creighton, which finished second in the league.

NET Ranking and breakdown: No. 32. UConn was 6-6 in Quad 1 games, 7-3 in Quad 2, 4-1 in Quad 3 and 6-0 in Quad 4 entering the NCAA Tournament.

Biggest win: The Huskies beat then-No. 8 Gonzaga, which finished eighth in the NET Rankings, 77-71 on a neutral court in New York on Dec. 14. Freshman forward Liam McNeeley scored 26 in the victory.

Best loss: 68-62 to then-No. 12 St. John’s at home on Feb. 7. St. John’s didn’t take the lead for good until there was 5:30 left in the game.

Worst loss: Seton Hall, which finished 211th in the NET Rankings and went only 7-25, ended a nine-game losing streak with a 69-68 win over UConn on Feb. 15. The Huskies shot just 37.3 percent and committed 16 turnovers.

Last 10 games: 7-3

Top players: Sophomore shooting guard Solo Ball averages 14.6 points and 3.6 rebounds a game. He’s shooting 42.2 percent from 3-point range and makes 84.7 percent of his foul shots. He was All Big East second team. Ball led the Huskies with 14 points in a first-round win over Oklahoma.

Redshirt junior forward Alex Karaban also was All Big East second team. He scores 14.3 points a game and adds 5.3 boards a contest. McNeeley was All Big East third team and made the first-team All-Freshman squad. He averages 14.2 points and 6.1 rebounds.

Points per game/Points per game allowed: 77.4/67.8
Rebound Margin: Plus 6 (17th nationally)
Field goal shooting/Opponent field goal shooting: 48.0%/41.979%
3-point shooting/Opponent 3-point shooting: 35.4%/34.6%

NCAA Tournament history: The Huskies have appeared in 38 NCAA Division I tournaments and are a combined 71–31. They have been to seven Final Fours and are six-time National Champions (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024).

Notable basketball alum: Ray Allen, a star guard at UConn in the 1990s, was a 10-time NBA All-Star who won two NBA titles and retired as the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made.

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