5 reasons why Dan Hurley’s UConn could fail to secure their 3rd straight national championship
Dan Hurley guided UConn to their second straight national championship this past season to join coaching legends John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski, Billy Donovan, Ed Jucker, Phil Woolpert, Adolph Rupp and Henry Iba. This 2024-25 NCAA men's basketball season, Hurley has a chance to duplicate Wooden's feat of winning three straight national titles.
However, history and the current lineup of teams competing for this year's tournament would make Hurley's quest for coaching immortality a difficult task.
Here are five reasons why UConn could not win its third straight national title.
5 reasons why Dan Hurley’s UConn could fail to secure their 3rd straight national championship
#1. History is against those coaches who seek a 3-peat
Only legendary UCLA coach John Wooden has guided his team to seven consecutive national titles from 1967 to 1973. But Wooden's first quest for a three-peat in 1966 was stopped after finishing second to Oregon State in the 1965-66 AAWU Conference regular season tournament.
At that time, the champion of every conference qualifies for the NCAA Tournament, halting UCLA's bid for a third straight title. Wooden would guide the Bruins to their third crown in 1967 and kept it for six more seasons til 1973.
Other coaching legends like Mike Krzyzewski, Billy Donovan, Ed Jucker, Phil Woolpert, Adolph Rupp and Henry Iba have failed to secure a three-peat. Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils were ousted by California in the 1993 Midwest Regional quarterfinals while Donovan's Florida didn't make it to the 2008 NCAA Tournament after having a 21-11 record in the regular season.
Jucker was the closest to securing a three-peat but Loyola Chicago edged back-to-back champs Cincinnati 60-58 in overtime of the 1963 national championship game. Phil Woolpert's bid in 1957 was stopped in the Final Four, losing to Kansas, 80-56.
Kentucky had their bid stopped by CCNY in the National Invitation Tournament final, losing the opportunity to make the NCAA tournament, which was also won by CCNY. Oklahoma A&M didn't make the 1947 NCAA Tournament, after finishing second in the Missouri Valley Conference.
#2. The competition gets tougher
The 2024-25 NCAA men's basketball field is tougher than ever with transfers and highly-rated high school recruits taken by other collegiate basketball programs. The Duke Blue Devils had a great haul from the prep ranks, getting 2024 top recruits Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans, Patrick Ngongba II and Kon Knueppel.
Nate Oats' Alabama is determined to improve on their Final Four stint, parading a much-improved squad, while Arkansas, Kentucky, Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Purdue, Michigan and a bunch of strong teams are looking to dethrone and derail the Huskies' bid for a third straight crown.
#3. Clingan and Co. are gone
Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton led UConn to their second-straight title after beating Purdue 75-60 in the national title game. The quartet left an open gap that Alex Karaban, Hassan Diarra and the rest of the Huskies will try to fill in the coming season.
Hurley and his staff were able to recruit standout players from the transfer portal and the high school ranks — Aidan Mahaney, Tarris Reed and Liam McNeeley — to fill up the void. The burning question that every college basketball would like to ask is how will UConn compete in the 2024-25 season with the enormous losses that Clingan and company had left.
#4. The competitive Big East
The departures of UConn's four major contributors have suddenly leveled the Big East playing field. Marquette has upgraded its lineup as has Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall.
Expect the conference to be competitive this season as five teams will vie for the Big East regular season crown.
#5. Hurley's offseason distraction
Although Dan Hurley remained in Storrs to coach UConn in a bid to secure the unprecedented three-peat, college hoops fans are wondering if the contract offer to call the shots for the Los Angeles Lakers could distract his title retention preparations.
Whether he likes it or not, Hurley will now be in the crosshairs of every coaching change rumor in the NBA. His exploits in UConn make him a top candidate for arguably any coaching vacancy that an NBA team could have.
This could affect the team's makeup and make them prone to distractions that may just be enough to derail their bid for a three-peat.
Do you think Dan Hurley will lead his UConn to a third straight national championship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.