University of Connecticut Athletics
Gampel Fans Celebrate Net-Cutting With Huskies
3/3/2024 11:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By PHIL CHARDIS
Special to uconnhuskies.com
STORRS – With so many firsts and so many lasts packed into the UConn men's basketball Sunday home finale, the Huskies' 91-61 domination of Seton Hall was almost historic.
UConn's first outright BIG EAST regular season championship since 1998-99.
UConn's first BIG EAST regular season championship of any kind since 2005-06.
UConn's first 16-win BIG EAST season since 1998-99.
UConn's first undefeated home season (16-0) since 2005-06.
UConn's last home game of the season.
The last home appearance for UConn grad students Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer, and possibly for seniors Hassan Diarra and Andrew Hurley, and maybe for NBA Draft possibles Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, and Alex Karaban.
The last official home event appearance for mascot Jonathan XIV.
The first official home event appearance for mascot Jonathan XV.
And it was Senior Day.
Therein lie the reasons why UConn Coach Dan Hurley and his staff decided to have the Huskies cut down the nets after Sunday's final buzzer. Why would a team that just won a National Championship bother to celebrate a regular season title? First of all, not every UConn fan was able to travel to Las Vegas and Houston last season. This was a chance for the Gampel Pavilion faithful to celebrate with their team.
"This was for Connecticut today," Hurley said. "This was to have the students, our in-state fans … it brought you back to the parade. It was the chance to celebrate with the great people of Connecticut. Husky sports are Connecticut's teams -- football, men's and women's basketball, baseball -- all the great sports here. So, it was just great to have the celebration with our fans in-state. We mean a lot to the fans in-state."
Second of all, it's an achievement that's worth celebrating because it's so hard to accomplish.
"Next to getting to a Final Four or winning a National Championship, I think winning the regular season of a conference like this is the hardest thing to do," Hurley said. "Harder than the BIG EAST Tournament because you have to earn it in a true round robin in this league in some incredibly tough places to play, in the most physical games in college basketball, against the best coaches in the country. The hardest thing to do is to be excellent over the course of three of four months in a brutally hard league."
The UConn players have bought in to Hurley's way of thinking. They have had to in order to maintain their level of excellence for so long.
"It's one of the hardest thing to do, to win day in and day out, all season long, especially in the league that we play in," Clingan said. "It's impressive and I'm proud of the guys. We've worked really hard for this."
Since Jan. 31, 2023, the Huskies have played 46 games and won 41 of them, a remarkable record, made even more remarkable by the fact that only six of those games have been against mid-major opponents. With the Huskies clinching the regular season title with a week still remaining in the season, however, they have to guard against a loss of intensity at Marquette on Wednesday and at Providence on Saturday. The solution, however, is already in place as Hurley and the team have been talking about a "Brooklyn to Boston to Phoenix" mantra since last summer – alluding to the NCAA venues where the Huskies would play as a No. 1 seed.
Talk about planning ahead.
"Our mindset is momentum into the Big East Tournament," Hurley said. "We're playing for big things in terms of seeding. We have a heck of a resume as it stands right now, but want to go Brooklyn to Boston to Phoenix."
There are more nets waiting to be cut.
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