Nine years after their first Elite Eight appearance — with three in between — UConn defeated Gonzaga in that fourth attempt to reach the Final Four for the first time. The Huskies had to defeat Ohip State in the national semifinals before facing Duke, its nemesis that had eliminated them from consecutive NCAA tournaments (1990 nd 1991). UConn was the underdog but didn’t play like it. UConn upended Duke 77-74 behind Richard Hamilton (27 points), Kevin Freeman and Khalid El Amin. The Huskies finished 34-2 to shock the world and build the foundation for a remarkable run of titles over the next 27 years.
UConn was the odds-on favorite to win its second national championship. The Huskies went 27-6, but were elite when it came time for the NCAA tournament. Led by Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, the Huskies handled their opposition en route to the Final Four, then beat Duke in the national semifinals. UConn faced Georgia Tech, defeating the Yellow Jackets 82-73. Okafor was named the tournament’s Most Outsanding Player. This was the first season both the men and women won national championships during the same season.
This postseason belonged to Kemba Walker. He was the Most Outstanding Player of the Big East Tournament, where UConn won five games in as many days to win the championship, then was the MOP in the NCAA tournament as UConn won six more. The Huskies won their last three NCAA tournament games against Arizona, Kentucky and Butler (53-41) to finish 26-9. It was the third and final NCAA championship for head coach Jim Calhoun.
The one national championship for coach Kevin Ollie, a former point guard in the early-to-mid 1990s under Calhoun. And it was probably the most improbable one for UConn. The Huskies had moved to the AAC and were seeded seventh in the East Region. The Huskies defeated the No 2 seed (Villanova), No. 3 seed (Iowa State) and No. 4 (Michigan State) to reach the Final Four. Then UConn defeated a No. 1 seed (Florida) before handling No. 8 Kentucky in the final 60-54 to finish 32-8. Shabazz Napier was the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. The UConn women also won, making it a pair of national championships for both programs in the same season a decade apart.
The first of back-to-back national championships for the Huskies under Dan Hurley. UConn became the first team to win all six of its tournament games by 13 points of more, capped by a 76-59 victory over San Diego State in the title game. UConn was the highest seed in the Final Four at No. 4. The Huskies finished 31-8 and Adama Sanogo was the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
This was an even more dominant UConn team than the season before, completing the first back-to-back seasons of national championships since Florida in 2006-07. The Huskies finished 37-3. They won every game by at least 14 points. That included a 77-52 win over Illinois, sparked by 30-0 run in the East Regional final. The Huskies defeated Purdue 75-60 for their sixth national title. Tristen Newton was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. This was UConn’s 12th straight NCAA tournament victory. The sixth title tied the Huskies with North Carolina third all-time, behind UCLA (11) and Kentucky (8).