UConn Basketball

UConn men's basketball is celebrating its 2023 NCAA tournament championship win in style.

The Huskies on Friday released the details of the team's championship rings, which are each studded with five diamonds to celebrate the program's five national titles in 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014 and 2023.

In addition to the image of the trophy, the Final Four logo and the team mascot, the ring is engraved with multiple memorable title run statistics.

The outer circle surrounding the logo on the face of the ring is filled with 76 stones, representing the final score of the Huskies' 76-59 win over San Diego State in the April championship game.

The side of the ring lists the Huskies' 31-8 regular-season record, which constituted the first 30-win season in five years at UConn for head coach Dan Hurley.

Inside the ring is the number "120," the number of total points by which UConn outscored opponents through six games. Beneath that total is the final score of each of the Huskies' six wins, including the title-sealing victory over the Aztecs.

UConn was just the fourth NCAA champion since 1985 to win by such a large margin of victory, so it makes sense the team would celebrate with equally large bling.

Five-star power forward Cooper Flagg, who is 247Sports' No. 1 prospect in the class of 2024, recently made a recruiting visit to UConn. While Flagg was there, he and UConn center Donovan Clingan did a photo shoot with both wearing their respective mothers' University of Maine basketball jerseys.

Kelly Bowman Flagg, Cooper's mother, posted about it on social media:

The two were teammates for Maine in the mid-90s, a very prosperous time for the program. Maine made the NCAA tournament for the first time in 1995, starting a string of six straight March Madness appearances.

Stacey Porrini Clingan passed away from breast cancer at the age of 42 in 2018. A tribute written on the Maine website read in part:

"Directly after graduation, Porinni Clingan became an elementary school teacher and to no one's surprise, she was one of the best. Just as she was with her teammates on the court and in the classroom, Porinni Clingan was a leader. She was described as the big teddy bear that had a gift of making each person feel so special, yet being able to hold them accountable for what needed to be done."

We'll see if Flagg ends up joining Clingan at UConn, the reigning national champions. Per 247Sports, he has 12 offers and also visits lined up with Kansas and Duke.

Connecticut has agreed to a new six-year contract with men's basketball coach Dan Hurley, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Mike Anthony of CT Insider reported the deal is worth $31.5 million and noted Hurley becomes the highest-paid head coach in the state's history.

The agreement comes on the heels of the Huskies winning their fifth national championship.

Hurley inherited a difficult situation when he was hired ahead of the 2018-19 season.

UConn fell off a cliff shortly after winning a national title under Kevin Ollie, and Ollie's tenure ended in June 2018 amid concerns he committed NCAA violations. He eventually settled with the school in September after challenging whether he was fired for cause.

Leaving those circumstances aside, the Huskies missed the NCAA tournament and had a losing record in each of Ollie's final two seasons. The program was trending in the wrong direction and desperately needed to hire the right coach to avoid a more prolonged slide.

Hurley didn't trigger an immediate turnaround as UConn went 16-17 in 2018-19 and likely would've missed the Big Dance if the COVID-19 pandemic hadn't forced the cancellation of the NCAA tournament in 2019-20.

Still, the Huskies were making clear progress and finally got back to the tourney in 2021. The results continued to improve before culminating in this year's success. Whereas the 2014 title run was a false dawn in retrospect, Hurley has built a solid foundation at Connecticut that should yield consistent results.

A pay raise was inevitable considering his $2.6 million average salary ranked 45th in Division I, per USA Today. By now making nearly $5.3 million a year, he moves up to sixth on the list behind Auburn's Bruce Pearl.

Doubling his payout should ensure Hurley isn't tempted to bolt UConn for another premier college job or an NBA gig.

The University of Connecticut confirmed that multiple students were expelled from the school for vandalizing the campus after the UConn men's basketball team won the NCAA national championship in April.

According to the Associated Press (h/t USA Today), UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz divulged the news Saturday, saying: "Although we can't address individual students' outcomes, we can say that some reviews have concluded with expulsions."

Reitz added that investigations into some students are still ongoing after they were arrested during the national title celebration.

Per the AP, some students damaged a police cruiser, flipped a van on its side, smashed windows and pulled down signs and light poles.

UConn officials said thousands of dollars in damage was done, and more than a dozen students were arrested.

Under the leadership of head coach Dan Hurley, the Huskies reached the NCAA tournament for a third consecutive year last season, going 31-8 and earning a No. 4 seed in the tourney.

UConn defeated Iona, Saint Mary's, Arkansas and Gonzaga en route to the Final Four. Once there, the Huskies beat Miami 72-59 and then San Diego State in the National Championship Game by a 76-59 score.

That marked Connecticut's first national title since 2014 and its third since the 2010-11 season.

Reitz said that while the students who were expelled were entitled to an appeals process, the appeals have already happened, and their expulsion is final.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is continuing to explore potential avenues toward expansion amid the ongoing era of conference realignment, and two storied basketball programs are being eyed.

According to CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd, Gonzaga and UConn are under consideration by the Big 12, but one school is more likely to be added to the conference than the other.

"There has been 'mutual admiration' at the presidential level between Gonzaga and the Big 12; however, there is stronger 'momentum' for UConn to join the league than Gonzaga at the moment," Dodd stated.

UConn, which won its fifth men's basketball national championship this year, reportedly would be added as a full member, while Gonzaga would be added for basketball only.

Nothing is imminent, as Dodd pointed out that the Big 12 "continues to wait for the Pac-12 to reveal a new media rights figure to its members before taking the next step in that pursuit." The Bulldogs are also being pursued by the Pac-12, which would make more sense for them geographically.

Yormark has lofty goals for Big 12 basketball, as Dodd noted he's seeking separate media rights contracts for basketball and football, which has never been done before in the modern era of Power Five conferences.

"We're going to consider all options," Yormark said at last week's Big 12 spring meetings. "We do see the upside in basketball for all the right reasons. We think it is undervalued and there is a chance for us to double down as the No. 1 basketball conference in America, but football is the driver. We all know that."

While adding a pair of powerhouse basketball programs would be an unprecedented move, Dodd said the local view of UConn joining the Big 12 "has been described as mixed." The Huskies would be sacrificing some of their ties to the Northeast in favor of playing in the South and Midwest. They would likely lose many of their longtime Big East rivalries.

Also, UConn would owe the Big East at least $30 million in exit fees if it departed before its seventh year as a member, and the school is about to enter its fourth.

In the ever-changing college athletics landscape, the Big 12 is potentially looking to shake things up again in terms of expanding its membership, according to ESPN's Heather Dinich.

The conference had its spring meetings in West Virginia this week and a source told Dinich that while there were no votes on new memberships, there were plenty of talks regarding different scenarios to grow the league.

One of those scenarios is adding blue blood basketball programs like Gonzaga and UConn to the mix as basketball-only schools, according to Dinich. And Commissioner Brett Yormark confirmed as much when asked about the possibility of adding a team like the Bulldogs.

"We do see the upside in basketball moving forward for all the right reasons," Yormark said without specifically mentioning either program. "We think it's undervalued and there's a chance for us to double down as the No. 1 basketball conference in America, but football is the driver and we all know that.

"As we think about the future and ways to create value," he added, "there is always that option to decouple basketball from football to see if there's further value we can create for the conference."

Set to lose a couple of heavy hitters to the SEC in 2024 with Oklahoma and Texas both leaving the conference, the Big 12 has been extremely quick in trying to create what Yormark has been calling a "national conference in our makeup from coast to coast."

Joining the conference in 2023 are a few well-known commodities in BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, which all have proved their worth, in both football and basketball, over the last several seasons.

If it's able to add Gonzaga and/or UConn in the coming years, the Big 12 will turn itself into the undisputed, best college basketball league in the country.

However, the Big 12's president and chancellors are waiting for the Pac 12's media deal to be announced before making any moves. They also have a number of priorities they are taking into consideration as expansion talks continue.

"Our institutions share the same high academic standards and we compete at a very high level athletically, so naturally those sort of criteria enter into our considerations, but also I think we have to open to this changing landscape of athletics," Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec said on the same call as Yormark. "That's one of the skills and perspectives Brett brings us. We're taking a very open attitude, weighing all the different issues that are presented, and when the timing is right and the situation is right, we'll make a decision."

While Gonzaga has been a longtime member of the West Coast Conference, a non-football league, UConn, the reigning men's national champions, is coming off a very recent switch back to the Big East.

After several years playing in the AAC, the Huskies rejoined the Big East ahead of the 2020 season, and it'd be hard to envision another move happening so soon.

The UConn Huskies and Gonzaga Bulldogs are set to begin a multiyear men's college basketball series with a game at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena in the 2023-24 season, according to Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today.

The teams will also play at New York's Madison Square Garden in 2024-25, per Rothstein. Dates and times have not been determined.

UConn and Gonzaga most recently met in the Elite Eight of the 2023 NCAA tournament. The Huskies defeated the Bulldogs 82-54 to reach the Final Four for the first time in nine years.

UConn then captured its first national title since 2014.

The Huskies and Bulldogs have met only six times, and Connecticut is 4-2. Gonzaga defeated UConn in the Bahamas in 2015 and in Boston in 2007. UConn won a 2008 meeting in Seattle and a 2005 matchup in Hawaiʻi. The Huskies also won another Elite Eight matchup in 1999 on the way to their first national title.

Both programs will look very different next season.

Four Huskies declared for the 2023 NBA draft this offseason: Jordan Hawkins, Andre Jackson Jr., Tristen Newton and Adama Sanogo.

However, UConn brought in the country's fourth-ranked recruiting class, per 247Sports, including 5-star prospect Stephon Castle; 4-stars Solomon Ball, Jaylin Stewart and Jayden Ross; and 3-star Youssouf Singare.

According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, the Huskies' projected starting lineup includes Castle, Ball, Stewart, Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan.

Gonzaga, meanwhile, is entering the post-Drew Timme era, as he declared for the draft alongside teammates Malachi Smith, Julian Strawther and Anton Watson.

The Bulldogs' recruiting class ranked 22nd with 4-star Dusty Stromer and 3-star Alex Toohey.

Gonzaga also landed transfers in Graham Ike (Wyoming), Ryan Nembhard (Creighton) and Steele Venters (Eastern Washington).

Borzello projected its starting lineup to include Nembhard, Venters, Ike and Nolan Hickman. He also included Smith, who may return for his fifth season. Otherwise, Ben Gregg could slot in.

With the new-look rosters, the matchup between UConn and Gonzaga should be a good one.

Ray Allen is a basketball Hall of Famer, two-time NBA champion and, now, a college graduate.

Allen earned his bachelor's degree from UConn on Sunday:

Joe Arruda of the Hartford Courant noted the basketball legend received his degree in General Studies. He started taking classes again in 2008 and dedicated more of his time to pursuing his degree during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When I was in school, there was a couple of RAs that were in their 30s and I thought, 'Wow, they're still in school. It's never too late to learn,'" Allen said.

"This day isn't about me, it's about the people that helped me along the way to finish this mission, be on this journey to graduate from college. And you got to do it by yourself but it's made up of a lot of people around you, so I didn't want it to be about me walking in and everybody, you know. These kids are on their individual journeys, so I was so inspired to be sitting next to them and talking to them."

Allen played for the Huskies for three seasons from 1993-96 and was an All-American, Big East Player of the Year and two-time All-Big East selection during his collegiate career. He averaged 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 44.8 percent from deep across the three seasons.

He remains the only UConn men's basketball player with a retired jersey.

He was the No. 5 overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft and played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat during his career. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2018.

UConn junior guard Andre Jackson Jr. plans to enter the 2023 NBA draft while still maintaining his college eligibility, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski added that Jackson is expected to take part in the NBA draft combine in May before deciding whether to remain in the draft or go back to UConn for his senior season. The deadline for that decision is May 31.

Jackson was one of several key contributors for the Huskies during their run to a national championship this past season.

While Jackson didn't put up gaudy scoring numbers for the Huskies, he was a do-everything player who contributed in all facets over the past couple of seasons.

After averaging 6.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 33 games in 2021-22, Jackson provided similar production in 2022-23, averaging 6.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals while also shooting 43.2 percent from the field.

The 6'6", 210-pounder was only sixth on the team in scoring last season, but he was tied for first in assists and steals and second in rebounding, meaning he often did the little things needed to play winning basketball.

UConn's leading scorer, Adama Sanogo, and Jordan Hawkins already declared for the 2023 NBA draft, while center Donovan Clingan announced he is returning for his sophomore season.

If Jackson were to end up returning to UConn next season as well, he would be among the team's top players and would perhaps see his offensive role expand even more.

A return may not be in the cards, though, as Jackson has increased his draft value significantly since the start of the NCAA tournament.

Per Wojnarowski, anonymous NBA executives said Jackson put himself in the conversation to be a first-round pick after his performance in the tourney.

Although Jackson still has some developing to do as a scorer, his defensive and playmaking abilities have him firmly on the NBA radar.

ESPN ranks Jackson as the No. 30 overall player in the 2023 NBA draft class, making him a borderline first-round pick.

Adama Sanogo cemented himself as a UConn legend by helping lead the Huskies to the national title, and he is now ready for the next step.

Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported Sanogo declared for the NBA draft and is focused on the next level. While Goodman noted he didn't completely rule out a change of heart and return to the Big East program, Sanogo made the decision official:

The question now is whether his impressive collegiate production will result in him being drafted.

Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant pointed out he is "considered a bit undersized" for the NBA as a 6'9" big man and "has not been appearing on any of the major analysts' mock drafts."

Yet UConn head coach Dan Hurley believes that can change with the predraft process.

"Listen, Adama's one of the best players in the country," he said, per Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. "How he's not an NBA Draft pick, how he can't immediately be on the 15-man roster of an NBA team. He's a special, special player, he's one of the greatest players in UConn history. His skill level's gone up every year to the point where he's making threes, driving the ball this year.

"I think by the time his draft process is over, his workouts, he'll prove himself to be an NBA player and there won't be any more speculation."

Sanogo wasted no time making an impact at UConn as a first-team Big East All-Freshman in 2020-21 and a first-team All-Big East selection as a sophomore the following season. However, he took notable strides during his junior year, averaging 17.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 60.6 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from deep.

The three-point shooting was an added dimension, but he made the biggest impression when it mattered most as the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 NCAA men's tournament.

He was brilliant right out of the gates with 28 points and 13 boards in a first-round win over Iona. That was the first of four double-doubles in the Big Dance, with the other three coming in the Elite Eight win over Gonzaga, Final Four win over Miami and national championship game win over San Diego State.

Sanoga was unstoppable by the basket, went up for lobs, protected the rim on defense and played with a notable motor all the way to the national title.

Perhaps that formula will help him play his way into the NBA as well.