Coming into the 2024-2025 season, the expectations were towering for the UConn men’s basketball team. They were the preseason No. 3 team, largely because of the magic that Dan Hurley worked in 2023 and 2024. There was a lot of trust nationally in the self-proclaimed best coach in the sport, even though this team’s roster was considerably less good.
It wasn’t clear how much less good the roster was heading to the campaign. There was no Tristen Newton (All-America selection), Steph Castle (No. 4 NBA pick), Donovan Clingan (No. 7 NBA pick) or Cam Spencer. The only remaining starter was Alex Karaban, who was definitively the least talented of the five, though still exceptional.
Stepping up in place of their options was Solo Ball, who showed flashes of excellence last year, but didn’t get a real chance on a loaded championship squad. Transfer Aidan Mahaney was asked to fill the Cam Spencer hole, which wasn’t crazy given his 2X All-WCC honors. Liam McNeeley was also set to take on a big role, as an incoming 5-star recruit. The team seemed clearly poised to be at least good, and the hope of a three-peat always lingered.
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Now, we sit in the offseason, as other teams are basking in the glory of the Final Four, the same glory that the Huskies enjoyed each of the past two years. Watching the weekend from home is a place that UConn fans have familiarity with, from Kevin Ollie’s third year to Hurley’s fourth.
Even though the Huskies didn’t come home with the hardware for the third straight season, all isn’t lost.
Yes, the goal was an NCAA championship. At a place like UConn, that’s the standard at this point. But realistically, you can’t win it every year. Jim Calhoun *only* did it three times in 26 years. Heck, he *only* made it to the Sweet 16 13 times, one every two-ish years. Both of those figures are still a lot.
Losing in the round of 32 isn’t the end of the world. Especially with the season that the Huskies had. They had moments of brilliance and excitement. McNeeley had an awesome game at ranked Creighton, scoring 38 points. It was the first time the Huskies beat the Bluejays on the road.
They also continued their dominance of Marquette, sweeping them. Connecticut did manage to win a Big East tournament game, an exciting comeback victory against underperforming Villanova. Other notable successes came against tournament teams Texas, Baylor, Gonzaga and Xavier, all decent squads but none exceptional.
But with the good this year came the ugly. The Maui Invitational was the first sign that things might go a bit haywire. Partially by bad luck and an untimely technical foul, the Huskies went 0/3 in Maui, losing to Memphis, who lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament, along with Colorado and Dayton, neither of whom even made the dance.
They stacked up defeats from January to late February, never really able to put together a meaningful win streak. One came against a putrid Seton Hall team, arguably the worst loss of the Hurley era.
The result of all of this was an 8-seed in the NCAA tournament, a spot that nearly guarantees death in the first round. Even if you make it past the 9-seed, who in theory is about equal in quality to you, waiting on the other side is a hungry 1-seed, who just thrashed their 16.
UConn fought hard. They really did, with Hurley drawing up the perfect game plan against Florida. A few more open threes connected on, and they had themselves an upset for the ages. But they didn’t, because you need to play a perfect game against the Gators. And a perfect game plan wasn’t enough without the proper execution.
So here they are. Players are announcing whether they’re staying or leaving. New transfers are starting to trickle in. Before we get too caught up in the new of next year, it’s important to reflect on the year that passed.
The verdict? It wasn’t a failure, but also wasn’t a success. They’re going to deliver yet another first round pick to the NBA in McNeeley. He might even go in the lottery. There was a lot for fans to cheer about. Connecticut had a handful of big wins as mentioned. Heck, their win total was the third most since 2016. But their efforts paled in comparison to 2024’s 37-3 mark, which really does color the way the season is viewed.
Following up one of the most dominant seasons in the history of the sport isn’t easy, especially when the 2025 roster wasn’t nearly as talented. There wasn’t a great way of knowing this heading into the season though, which is the unfortunate part of the transfer portal era. You don’t truly know what a team is made of until they start playing games.
Next year will be an opportunity for redemption. Hurley certainly learned a lot about what not to do this year. Which types of players not to recruit. How to–or not to–act on the sidelines. There were so many comical moments this year that weren’t basketball-related that it likely took attention away from the team.
All the more so in the portal era with so much change, sometimes you need a year to adjust or learn. After getting an ‘A+’ on the past two campaigns, a ‘B’ maybe tempers expectations for the future. There are dozens of teams that could realistically win the title every year. It’s not going to be UConn every year.
Each year has its own special flares and storylines. It’s important to enjoy the season for what it is. This year was a fun struggle to remind everyone that not everything comes easy. Next year will present its own morals and stories as it unfolds. But more on that as we watch the team come together now and even more when we return to the court in the fall.
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