For the first time in quite a while, UConn coach Dan Hurley didn’t get the chance to empty his bench at the end of a win.
The Huskies did it in all six games of their NCAA tournament title run last March. Hurley’s son, Andrew, even got to dribble out the final seconds of the championship game, alongside other little-used Huskies. It had become something of a tradition in games outside of Big East play: coming into Monday’s Legends Classic title game against Texas, UConn had won 21 straight non-league games by 10 or more points. That included all six NCAA tournament games, all three at last year’s Phil Knight invitational and Sunday’s 20-point win over Indiana. Generally, it hasn’t mattered the competition level: take UConn outside of the grind of the Big East, and the Huskies have rolled.
UConn continued that double-figure win streak Monday night by beating the Longhorns, 81–71. A strong second-half from the Longhorns stopped Hurley from being able to take his foot off the gas late, but the Huskies controlled play from the tip, never trailing and leading by as many as 16. That the absence of true “garbage time” made this game something of an outlier for the Huskies considering their recent dominance is an illustration of just how good UConn has been lately. If they’ve taken a step back from last year’s title-winning team, you’d have a hard time noticing. The 2023-24 season may only be in its infancy, but the Huskies passed their first two real tests of the season with flying colors and look like a team with a very real chance of repeating as national champions.
