RALEIGH, N.C. — Dan Hurley and two-time defending national champion UConn find themselves in unfamiliar territory entering their second-round NCAA Tournament game against No. 1 seed Florida.
The Huskies are a 9 1/2-point underdog.
The Huskies put their remarkable 13-game NCAA Tournament win streak on the line Sunday against a red-hot Gators team that has won seven straight, including its first Southeastern Conference championship since 2014 and a 95-69 first-round win over 16 seed Norfolk State.
The odds seem stacked against the Huskies (24-10). Then again, it is UConn.
“UConn at this time of year, they believe they’re going to win,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “They go into games believing they’re going to win. Whether they’re 1 seed or 8, which they are now, I can’t imagine that changes Alex Karaban’s mentality. He’s coming in here to try to bust our butt tomorrow. I know Coach Hurley is the same. He’s no different. He’s just expecting to win.”
The Huskies won the 2023 title in Houston and last year in Glendale, Arizona. That allowed Hurley’s program to join Duke (1991-92) and Florida (2006-07) as the only teams to win back-to-back since UCLA’s under John Wooden.
But UConn’s roster has seen significant turnover.
Only three players are still around from both national titles. Four starters from last year’s national championship team — Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle — are now in the NBA.
Hurley found out early this season that replacing them and earning a three-peat wouldn’t be easy. The Huskies stumbled out of the gates and lost to Memphis, Colorado and Dayton at the Maui Invitational.
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