Dan Hurley's Desire for Uncommon Triple Win at UConn as Big East Challenges Approach

NEW YORK -- Eleven tables surround the Madison Square Garden court at Big East media day. Reporters come and go from 10 different locations to interview coaches and players. At the UConn table, a large group of media stays put, waiting for the arrival of any Huskies representatives.

Dan Hurley was the main attraction on Wednesday as he returned to the arena that is synonymous with Big East basketball. This is where he and the Huskies celebrated their national championship victory last March before dominating the NCAA Tournament.

Hurley has not been shy about addressing the "elephant in the room." He has been reminding his players since June about the opportunity for UConn to become the first team to win three consecutive championships since John Wooden's UCLA teams in the 1960s and 70s.

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Hurley's message to his team is clear: "The upcoming season is a rare opportunity for us to accomplish something historic. We have the chance to join those legendary UCLA teams in the history of the game. To do so, we must give everything we have and reach the highest level of competition."

With the start of the new college basketball season just two weeks away, and four and a half months since turning down a job offer from the Los Angeles Lakers, Hurley is now defending the Big East and UConn from a perceived lack of respect on a national level. He is also fielding questions about the university's recent discussions with the Big 12 conference.

Although talks have since stalled, they revealed UConn's continued interest in finding a future home that benefits both football and basketball.

"I understand the external conversations that are happening, but I have very little influence over those things," Hurley stated. "However, I firmly believe that the Big East is the perfect fit for UConn from a basketball standpoint. It is a mutually beneficial partnership."

Hurley was in contact with Big East commissioner Val Ackerman while the Big 12-UConn discussions were ongoing. He expressed to her how much he loves coaching in the Big East.

Ackerman introduced Hurley as a "future Hall of Famer" at the media day event, while highlighting the conference's impressive record in the NCAA Tournament. In the past eight years, Villanova and UConn have won four national championships. However, Hurley still has some grievances with the conference, including its representation in the AP preseason poll and All-America teams.

"I can already see it in the AP poll, the lack of respect that the Big East gets," Hurley said. "We were also overlooked by the selection committee last year. It was clear once the tournament started, based on the results."

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Coincidentally, UConn begins its quest for a three-peat ranked No. 3, behind Kansas and Alabama. The team will have to overcome the loss of four starters to the NBA: Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, and Cam Spencer. It could have been all five, but forward Alex Karaban decided to return to Storrs in pursuit of his third championship.

For the Huskies, this is nothing new. They faced a similar situation after winning the 2023 championship.

"It may seem like a lot to lose four starters to the NBA, but we have been in this position before," Hurley explained. "We lost three starters and two key bench players the year before and still managed to improve."

This year, Aidan Mahaney, a career 37.5 percent 3-point shooter from Saint Mary's, will fill the role of Spencer. Samson Johnson will play a "point center" position, in contrast to big men Clingan and Adama Sanogo before him.

Then there is Karaban, the versatile wing player who decided to return to UConn despite Hurley's flirtation with the Lakers. Karaban believes that the team is stronger after going through that period of uncertainty.

"It was a stressful time. It was not the news that I wanted to hear personally," Karaban said. "But for Coach Hurley, I was extremely happy for him. He has changed my life and the lives of many other players. He deserved to make a decision for himself and his family. We were all thrilled that he chose to come back."

UConn will face tough competition in its quest for another Big East championship. Here are the three teams that have the best chance of dethroning the Huskies:

Marquette

Although UConn was picked to finish first in the Big