To build what the University of Connecticut built in the era of Jim Calhoun requires decades of patience, dedication, and success. To tear it all down, it only took five seasons in the American Athletic Conference.
Five years ago, UConn was a rapidly aging train wreck of a men’s basketball program. The shine the Huskies had after winning the 2014 NCAA title under head coach Kevin Ollie quickly faded as the team failed to land big recruits – surely unexcited with the prospects of playing Tulane, UCF, and Tulsa in conference play – and suffered back-to-back losing seasons.
But in 2018 – two years into his tenure at the helm of the Huskies’ sports teams – athletic director Dave Benedict made a shocking decision when he fired Ollie. He hired a man who comes from an esteemed basketball coaching pedigree. A man who took a Rhode Island program in obscurity to consecutive Round of 32 appearances at the NCAA Tournament. A man Benedict landed over schools in bigger conferences.
It was a gamble for all parties, but it was determined that Dan Hurley was the right man to lead the Connecticut Huskies into the future. And that gamble has paid off.
The gamble in hiring Hurley, the gamble Hurley took moving to a school that needed a severe identity resuscitation, the gamble UConn took in 2019 by essentially sacrificing its crumbling college football program to save the basketball team by moving to the Big East Conference – it’s all paid off. It’s paid off because these words are now going to be etched into time:
For the fifth time in school history, the University of Connecticut Huskies have won the national championship.
Connecticut Huskies hoist the NCAA trophy aloft after an epic victory against the Aztecs
Connecticut Huskies celebrate wildly after their brilliant victory on Monday night
UConn beat San Diego Aztecs 76-59 with an outstanding, dominant display in Texas
Huskies head coach Dan Hurley is mobbed by two of his players on an emotional night
Jordan Hawkins led the way once against as UConn emerged victorious against Aztecs
Tristen Newton pictured taking a shot as the Huskies beat the Aztecs on Monday night
With this win, UConn has tied ‘blue blood’ schools Duke and Indiana for the fourth most national titles all time and broke a deadlock with Kansas that lasted only a year. Now, most assuredly, after winning a fifth title in 24 years, UConn can be counted as one of those truly elite programs.
Jordan Hawkins began the scoring on the night on a jumper from the right elbow. That was quickly followed by a 3-pointer from Saturday’s hero Lamont Butler.
Mistakes for the Huskies started early as their second possession began with an over-and-back turnover. Trammell scored on their ensuing possession with a tre’ to go up 6-2 by the 18:00 mark.
Adama Sanogo’s physicality showed itself early with a swished layup after backing his defender down. Aztecs forward Keshad Johnson returned the favor quickly after.
At the under 16:00 media timeout of the first half, the game had gone back-and-forth as both teams missed shots and failed to get rebounds. Things stood at 10-8.
Out of that timeout the teams exchanged offensive fouls on both ends of the court before a Sanogo block sent the UConn half of NRG Stadium in roars. Sanogo then put up a layup that went in to tie the contest at 10-10. Minutes later, the Mali-born big man scored again to give the Huskies their first lead of the night at 12-10.
Joey Calcaterra – the former University of San Diego guard looking to beat his cross-town rivals – hit a perfect lob pass to freshman Donovan Clingan for the slam to make it a 14-10 game at the under-12:00 timeout.
At that point in the game, the Huskies had been able to return to doing what they had done so well this season – grabbing rebounds. They had eight to SDSU’s five – of which seven were defensive boards. Transfer guard Tristen Newton had four of UConn’s boards to his own while only standing at 6-foot-5.
Huskies guard Newton is challenged by Darrion Trammell of the Aztecs during the game
The Aztecs were frustrated by a stubborn Huskies defense on a tough night in Texas
Huskies guard Joey Calcaterra celebrates on the sideline in a dominant first half for his team
Huskies got stronger as the first half went on and led by 14 points at the halftime interval
Adam Seiko vies for the ball with Connecticut guard Andre Jackson Jr in the first half
The Aztecs started well but it didn’t take long for the Huskies to settle and click into gear
Virginia Tech transfer guard Naheim Alleyne hit the first basket at the under-10:00 minute mark and Hawkins added to the scoreboard to make it 20-12 Huskies when SDSU coach Brian Dutcher called timeout at the 8:50 mark.
Coming out of that timeout, transfer guard Matt Bradley missed his shot and Alleyne hit a perfectly executed jumper to make the lead double-digits at 22-12.
Bradley took a trip to the free throw line at 7:21 and hit the first points SDSU had scored in over three minutes. But they still had to go all the way back to the 16:34 mark to find their last field goal. That FG drought didn’t end until 5:24 with a Darrion Trammell floater – a lack of a shot that lasted more than ten minutes.
Nevertheless, UConn kept putting up points. Hawkins drilled a shot from beyond the arc to make it 26-14 at the 6:35 mark. After Trammell’s made field goal, Newton hit a layup, then immediately followed that up with a steal and a putback to make it 30-17. Moments later he drilled a crucial three pointer.
The next sequence caused a shockwave through the arena. Calcaterra was being guarded by Trammell – his childhood friend. Trammell stole the ball and seemed to have a breakaway to the lane. Newton contested it and the ball just didn’t fall through the hoop. Up the court UConn drove, and Andre Jackson Jr handed the ball off to Calcaterra off a screen.
‘Joey California’ took his shot. Swish. An explosion of sound from the UConn fans in the north end zone. UConn 36, SDSU 20.
Keshad Johnson broke yet another points drought for SDSU – this one lasting over 2:30 – to make it 36-22 as we reached under a minute left in the half.
By the half’s end, the score was 36-24 in favor of UConn. The Huskies had shot 50 percent in the first half at a rate of 15/30. Meanwhile, SDSU was shooting an appalling 8/28. Neither team had taken particularly good care of the ball – with nine turnovers for San Diego State and eight for Connecticut.
The first attempt of the second half should have been a monster dunk from Hawkins only for it to hit the back iron and fly away. His second chance shot missed and Bradley went down the court, broke Jackson’s ankles, and drained the first bucket after the break.
After getting trapped in the paint, Lamont Butler called a timeout – leaving SDSU with only two for the rest of the game. But out of that timeout, Trammell drew a foul and sank both free throws to cut the deficit to ten.
The game took on a bit of a back-and-forth tone – with SDSU trimming the lead down to ten just to have UConn extend it shortly after.
Freshman Alex Karaban responded with a shot beyond the arc to make it 41-28 just before the 17:00 mark. By the time the under-16 minute media timeout had come, two Johnson free throws, two Sanogo free throws, and a Butler layup brought things to 43-32.
When the game had reached under 14 minutes, Adam Seiko had drilled a three to bring the lead down to ten. But Sanogo was standing at the line and hit both free throws to make it a 47-35 contest.
San Diego State typically keeps out of foul trouble, but UConn sat in the bonus by the 13:04 mark of the second half. Individual players on the Huskies weren’t at much risk of fouling out at that point while Nick Mensah and Darrion Trammell each had three fouls.
At the under-12 media timeout neither team had hit a field goal for an extended period of time. SDSU had gone 3:08 without a FG while UConn didn’t score one for over five minutes. But as the Aztecs kept getting called for fouls, the Huskies managed to keep growing their lead. It sat at 15 points by a 51-36 score after Alleyne drained two coming out of the timeout.
Jaedon LeDee – SDSU’s bench hero from the Final Four – quickly snapped their drought. Clingan did the same on the following possession.
Butler drained a three to cut the lead to 12. Calcaterra responded in kind with an arcing shot that made things 56-43 as we went below the midway point of half number two.
Back-to-back jumpers from LeDee cut the deficit to 11 points as UConn called timeout with 8:33 to go. The SDSU band played Muse’s song ‘Uprising’ – the battle cry song that was the turning point of the previous game. UConn missed a shot and Keshad Johnson buried a triple. Trammell stole the ball on the next possession and layed it in perfectly. The deficit was just six. Could this really be happening again?
Sanogo was able to clean up a poor jump shot to bring the lead back to eight just before a TV timeout. The Huskies were reeling once again. San Diego State’s fans outnumbered UConn’s by a wide margin – possibly because the SDSU athletic department flew 1,000 fans out to Houston, which UConn did not do.
SDSU had been relatively drought proof up to this point in the second half. Just before the game passed the six minute mark, Trammell managed to poke the ball free for a score to make it 60-53. At the five minute mark, Johnson had hit two free throws to cut the deficit to five. Hawkins put some life in the Huskies with a dagger 3-pointer.
UConn had been put in the double-bonus around the 6:45 mark. So when Tristen Newton stepped up at 3:41 to knock in both free throws for the Huskies – he made it a 10 point lead once again.
Huskies duo Jordan Hawkins and Alex Karaban stretch to beat Keshad Johnson to the ball
Aztecs guard Lamont Butler and Huskies guard Andre Jackson Jr. battle for the ball
Nathan Mensah of the Aztecs goes up against Adama Sanogo in the tip off on Monday night
It was a euphoric atmosphere in Houston in the moments before the start of the game
The San Diego team pictured sharing one last moment before a momentous night began
It’s at this point the impact that Andre Jackson Jr. had on the game became apparent. His return to the court after resting provided a significant defensive improvement. His court vision and ability to distribute the ball and set up plays was needed as Newton hit a layup to make it 67-55 at the 2:12 mark.
Seconds later, Sanogo went to the line and drained both free throws to make it a 69-55 game as we went under two minutes to go. Trammell buried a jumper and Brian Dutcher called timeout at 1:55 as the Huskies held a two point lead.
Out of that timeout, the Aztecs began their full court press. UConn got the ball out, Jackson laid off a bounce pass to Hawkins and he put it back with ease to make it 71-57.
Bradley drained two free throws. Newton responded with two of his own. As hard as they tried, the Aztecs just couldn’t cut the deficit any shorter. For the sixth time in six NCAA Tournament games, the Huskies brought on Hasan Diarra for the first time of the night and their walk-ons: Apostolos Roumoglou, Richie Springs, Samson Johnson and the coach’s son Andrew Hurley.
Chants of ‘Hurley, Hurley, Hurley’ rang out throughout the arena. Final free throws were hit – the fight song rang out. The rebuild of the program had been completed. The Huskies were back in their rightful place once again.
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