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How many men's Final Fours has UConn made? Huskies' March Madness history
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- How many men's Final Fours has UConn made? Huskies' March Madness history
The Final Four , for the UConn Huskies , is setting up to potentially be memorable.
UConn has joined the handful of teams in the history of the NCAA tournaments to have both its men's and women's teams reach their respective Final Fours in the same season. The men's team is looking to become the first program to repeat as men's NCAA Tournament champions for the first time since Florida did it in 2006 and 2007.
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The Huskies men's team has been in operation 121 seasons and saw their most sustained stretch of success in the early-to-mid 2000s, beginning with their first national championship season in 1997-98.
Here's everything to know about UConn men's basketball national championship history:
How many national titles has UConn won?
Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley cuts the net after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini in the finals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden.
The UConn men's basketball program has won five NCAA Tournament championships in its history, each of them coming in the last 25 years. The first Huskies team to win a title was during the 1998-99 season, and the following championships came during the 2003-04, 2010-11, 2013-14 and 2022-23 campaigns.
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The three head UConn coaches who have won titles are Jim Calhoun — who won three times — Kevin Ollie and the current coach, Dan Hurley.
When was UConn's last national title?
Last season. Dan Hurley broke through in what was his fifth season as Connecticut's head coach, reaching his first Final Four with the team and then eventually taking down San Diego State in the final, 76-59.
UConn NCAA Tournament championship game history
While the Connecticut men's basketball team isn't as accomplished as its women's team — the women's team has won 11 national championships — the men's program has essentially been flawless once it gets to the big game. The Huskies actually have a pristine 5-0 record in men's NCAA Tournament championship games.
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The Huskies have seven Final Four appearances, including the current 2024 run.
UConn 1997-98 championship team
Coach Jim Calhoun secured the program's first-ever men's NCAA Tournament championship after the Huskies rolled through their schedule, going 34-2. UConn toppled the Duke Blue Devils in the championship game, winning 77-74.
Guard Richard Hamilton led all scorers in the final with 27 points, taking down a Duke team that had several future NBA players like Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Trajan Langdon and Corey Maggette.
UConn 2003-04 championship team
It would take five more seasons for Calhoun and UConn to once again climb the mountain, and this time the Huskies defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets , 82-73, in the final. UConn got three clutch performances from center Emeka Okafor (24 points and 15 rebounds) and guards Rashad Anderson (18 points and six rebounds) and Ben Gordon (21 points and two assists).
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UConn finished with a 33-6 record that season.
UConn 2010-11 championship team
The final title of the Jim Calhoun era would come seven years later, when UConn compiled a 32-9 record to set up a date with Butler in the championship game. Guard Kemba Walker starred for the Huskies all season long, and he led all scorers with 16 points and added nine rebounds. Guard Jeremy Lamb added 12 points and seven rebounds and forward Alex Oriakhi posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
This was the season that Walker thrilled in the Big East Tournament, scoring 33 points in the semifinal to take down Syracuse in overtime the game after he hit a step-back game-winner in the quarterfinals against Pittsburgh.
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UConn 2013-14 championship team
In just his second season as UConn's head coach, Kevin Ollie — who played four seasons with the Huskies under Jim Calhoun from 1991-95 — led the program back to the top. Guard Shabazz Napier poured in a game-high 22 points and tied for the UConn lead in rebounds with six, as the Huskies defeated the Kentucky Wildcats, 60-54.
The Huskies finished 32-8.
UConn 2022-23 championship team
The most recent UConn title came in coach Dan Hurley's fifth season as the team's head coach. The Huskies beat San Diego State, 76-59, behind guard Tristen Newton's game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds, center Adama Sanogo's 17 and 10 and guard Jordan Hawkins' 16 points and four boards.
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UConn finished 31-8, and several players from that team — Newton, forward Alex Karaban, center Donovan Clingan and others — remain on the current roster.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UConn men's basketball Final Four, championship history explained
