UConn HC Dan Hurley Says Expanding NCAA Tournament Would Devalue Regular Season
Apr 2, 2023
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 01: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies reacts during the first half against the Miami Hurricanes during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at NRG Stadium on April 01, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Increasing the number of teams invited to March Madness is not the way to fix the NCAA tournament's flaws, according to University of Connecticut men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley on Sunday.
NCAA President Charlie Baker said Saturday the NCAA's Division I Transformation Committee could officially recommend tournament expansion as soon as this summer.
Ahead of the Huskies' championship game against the San Diego State Aztecs on Monday, Hurley told ESPN's Myron Medcalf that expanding the NCAA tournament field risks "devaluing the regular season."
"For me, I think it's great the way it is," said Hurley. "I feel like devaluing the regular season, I think, potentially hurts the regular season and what it means... I don't think expanding it is a good idea. And we only got five teams in the Big East, so it's not like we got nine."
The Huskies head coach added, "I think it's a privilege to play in this tournament, not a right."
Although Hurley said he likes the current format for putting teams under pressure to win games, and rewarding them even for nonconference wins, he said it also favors teams from major conferences.
Before taking over in Connecticut in 2018, Hurley coached the Atlantic 10 Conference's Rhode Island Rams for six seasons. He told reporters the NCAA should ensure mid-majors are not forced out of the tournament field by brand-name schools that "game the numbers."
"There's probably mid-major programs a lot of times that are more deserving of like a 10th-place team in a power conference that has figured out how to kind of just game the numbers," Hurley said. "I'll say that. I see that on Selection Sunday sometimes, and I cringe at that."
The men's tournament last changed size in 2011, when the field expanded from 64 to 68 teams. The women's tournament expanded to the same number in 2022.
The recommendation proposed by the Transformation Committee encouraged the NCAA to include "25 percent of active Division I members in good standing," which would increase both fields to approximately 90 teams.
Baker, who took the helm of the NCAA on March 1, said he will leave it up to the committee to decide what to recommend.
UConn's Jordan Hawkins: I'll Be 100% for NCAA Championship Game vs. SDSU amid Illness
Apr 2, 2023
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 01: Jordan Hawkins #24 of the Connecticut Huskies reacts during the second half against the Miami Hurricanes during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at NRG Stadium on April 01, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Jordan Hawkins isn't expecting to encounter any issues as it relates to UConn's national title matchup with San Diego State.
The sophomore guard suffered from an illness leading up to the Huskies' 72-59 Final Four win over Miami. He started that game and finished with 13 points and three rebounds in 26 minutes.
Hawkins said he thought he was suffering from food poisoning because of bad calamari he ate.
"I love calamari, too," he said. "I don't think I'm gonna ever eat it again. Yeah… yeah, never again."
Hawkins is averaging 16.2 points and shooting 38.6 percent from three-point territory this season. He has been excellent throughout the NCAA tournament, putting together 20-point scoring efforts against Arkansas in the Sweet 16 and then again in the Elite Eight against Gonzaga.
While Hawkins suited up against Miami, he was probably still dealing with some of the effects from his illness. He came in below both his average minutes (29.4) and shot attempts (12.1) per game.
Having a full day off plus the hours before Monday's 9:20 p.m. ET tip should help him feel more like his usual self.
UConn will certainly need Hawkins at 100 percent in the title game. San Diego State is 24th in scoring defense (63.1 points per game) and ranks fourth in KenPom.com's adjusted defense.
UConn's Adama Sanogo Ranked in NCAAM Top 10 NIL Value Ahead of Championship vs. SDSU
Apr 2, 2023
Connecticut forward Adama Sanogo scores past Miami guard Isaiah Wong during the second half of a Final Four college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
UConn junior power forward Adama Sanogo ranked No. 7 on On3's list of top 10 college basketball NIL valuations at a cool $773,000 ahead of Monday's Division I men's basketball national championship game versus San Diego State.
Northwestern State's Hansel Enmanuel tops the list at $1.4 million, followed by Texas Southern's Shaqir O'Neal ($1 million), Gonzaga's Drew Timme ($903,000), Alabama's Brandon Miller ($862,000) and UCLA's Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($847,000).
However, Sanogo's valuation is purely hypothetical as he cannot sign NIL contracts, as the Mali forward is on a student visa that makes him ineligible, barring a separate visa or a change to the current law, per Dan Breclin of CTInsider.com.
Jordan Hawkins thinks it's "really unfair" that Adama Sanogo can't benefit from NIL as an international student: pic.twitter.com/qe5B86zR7U
Sanogo has been excellent during the NCAA tournament, averaging 20.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. The 21-year-old has led the Huskies on another deep NCAA tourney run, with the school now one win away from its fifth national championship in men's basketball, all since 1999.
UConn Dismantles Miami, 1 Win Away from an All-Time Dominant Championship Run
Kerry Miller
Apr 2, 2023
Connecticut's Dan Hurley and Adama Sanogo
HOUSTON — With Kemba Walker back in the building where he led the Connecticut Huskies to the 2011 men's national championship, his alma mater took one more convincing step toward what would be its fifth title in the past quarter century, throttling the Miami Hurricanes by a final score of 72-59 in Saturday night's Final Four showdown.
Throughout the 2023 men's NCAA tournament, gigantic second-half runs by Miami had been a common theme. The Hurricanes finished their opener against Drake with a 16-1 flourish. They pulled away from both Indiana and Houston with big runs midway through the second half. They made an incredible second-half comeback against Texas. And they tried like heck to storm back from a 20-point second-half deficit against Connecticut, briefly getting the margin down to eight.
But as has also been a common theme in this tournament, yet another team drowned in UConn's overwhelming depth.
Adama Sanogo was the player most commonly hurting Miami to the tune of 21 points and 10 rebounds—his third double-double of the tournament.
But it was just a relentless wave of Huskies that sent Miami packing. Eight different Connecticut players made multiple field goals in a 13-point win that wasn't that close.
After starting the day questionable to play with a stomach bug, Jordan Hawkins repeatedly nauseated Miami fans with each of his trio of three-point buckets.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 2, 2023
Like he did in the previous round against Gonzaga, Alex Karaban hit a dagger triple right before halftime, eventually finishing with eight points and nine rebounds. And for a guy who finished with a modest four points, six rebounds and one block, Donovan Clingan was maybe the most impactful player on a minute-by-minute basis, which has often been the case this season from the dominant backup center.
Throw in a few Andre Jackson Jr. dunks, four buckets from Naheim Alleyne off the bench, a deep three from each of Tristen Newton and Joey Calcaterra and—most importantly—tenacious D, and it was just too much.
"It all starts with defense," Hawkins said after the game. "On the defensive end we've been very elite."
Very elite indeed.
Miami had just scored 89 points against Houston's excellent defense and 88 points against a Texas defense that certainly had been excellent in the seven games leading up to the Elite Eight.
But the Hurricanes didn't put up 88 points on Connecticut.
Heck, they wouldn't have even gotten to 58 points were it not for UConn's 12th man (Andrew Hurley) fouling Miami's 12th man (Jakai Robinson) for a pair of garbage-time free throws at the end of a blowout.
"They really did a good job of sending two at you whenever we would drive," said Miami's Jordan Miller. "That bothered us again. Uncharacteristic of us, but all credit to them."
Miami never led, and outside of a brief run midway through the first half, it never felt like the 'Canes had much of a chance in this game.
When it comes to Connecticut facing non-Big East opponents, though, what else is new?
Connecticut's Andre Jackson Jr.
For the first five weeks of this season, the Huskies were a runaway freight train, winning their 11 nonconference games by an average of 26.5 points. That even included a 15-point, neutral-site victory over Alabama—aka the No. 1 overall seed in this tournament.
Incredibly, they never spent a week at No. 1 in the AP poll, but by mid-December, the Huskies were pretty much everyone's pick to win it all. And since losing to Marquette in the semifinals of the Big East tournament, they sure have gotten back into that habit of perpetually demoralizing their would-be competition.
"We were just all over our identity today," said UConn head coach Dan Hurley. "When we're playing harder than the other team—which is our calling card—going, like, plus-nine on the glass, playing elite defense and having a lot of answers on offense, there's nowhere we're weak as a team."
Connecticut has won each of its first five games of this run by at least 13 points, steamrolling its way to a title game by a cumulative margin of 103 points.
Unless Monday's game against San Diego State gets all sorts of ugly, the Huskies aren't going to break 1996 Kentucky's record of winning its six games by a combined total of 129 points.
But one could argue that this run that started with a blowout win over a team coached by Rick Pitino has been even more impressive than the one made by Pitino's Wildcats of 27 years ago.
Because if the game against San Diego State gets at least a little bit ugly, here's a fun factoid: Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, no national champion has won each of its six games by at least 13 points.
2000 Michigan State, 2001 Duke, 2009 North Carolina and 2018 Villanova did each win each of its six games by double digits. However, 13-plus for six straight games has never been done.
Until Monday?
Kerry Miller covers men's college basketball and Major League Baseball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @kerrancejames.
UConn's 'Dominant' Final Four Win vs. Miami Hyped by Fans as SDSU Looms in Title Game
Apr 2, 2023
Connecticut forward Adama Sanogo scores past Miami guard Isaiah Wong during the second half of a Final Four college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The UConn men's basketball team is rolling into the national championship after a 72-59 win over Miami in the Final Four on Saturday.
UConn went on an 18-5 run to close the first half and take a 37-24 halftime lead.
The Huskies opened up a 20-point advantage in the second half that got whittled down to as little as eight, but UConn's edge was never in doubt as the team stormed into the title game for the first time since 2011.
The Huskies defense was simply tremendous against a Miami team that averaged 87.3 points over its last three matchups. Miami shot just 32.3 percent from the field as the team consistently found trouble making layups all evening.
In the box score, UConn big man Adama Sanogo posted a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the way, and teammate Jordan Hawkins added 13 points.
In a tournament characterized by chaos, UConn has been a shining model of consistency and power. The Huskies have won each of their five NCAA tournament games by 13 or more points, and they've defeated their opponents by an average of 20.6 points.
Twitter raved about UConn's remarkable dominance during the team's latest masterpiece.
Yeah man, no one has anything for UConn. It's their year and they're gonna put the finishing touches on an all-time dominant tournament run.
UConn isn’t the best team in the country, but this is an all-time great tourney run. They’re gonna win via blowout in all six games, even if it wasn’t overly tough competition.
A national championship game no one saw coming is on tap, with the 2023 NCAA men's tournament concluding with a matchup between the San Diego State Aztecs and…
UConn's Jordan Hawkins to Play in 2023 Men's Final Four vs. Miami Despite Illness
Apr 1, 2023
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 30: Jordan Hawkins #24 of the Connecticut Huskies smiles during media availability for the Final Four as part of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at NRG Stadium on March 30, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
UConn's Jordan Hawkins is "a go" to play in the team's Final Four matchup against Miami on Saturday despite an illness, according to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Hawkins has "an illness that teammates and staff are calling a stomach bug and stayed at the team's hotel Friday to rest."
A UConn spokesperson said Hawkins "participated somewhat" in Saturday morning's shootaround, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
"We obviously isolated him," head coach Dan Hurley told reporters Friday. "Started to not feel well [Thursday] night. For him to miss today, obviously, tells you he's not in a great way.
"But, obviously, you hope that we contained it in time. We moved him out, moved his roommate out and obviously kept him away from the team. Hopefully, it just doesn't continue to spread."
Hawkins is averaging 17.3 points per game during the NCAA tournament and was the team's second-leading scorer during the regular season, averaging 16.3 points per game. He scored 24 and 20 in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight as the Huskies defeated Arkansas and Gonzaga last weekend.
The West Region All-Tournament Team!
🏀 Jordan Hawkins 🏀 Adama Sanogo 🏀 Drew Timme 🏀 Julian Strawther 🏀 Jaime Jaquez Jr. pic.twitter.com/EtuCQMHQCk
He's also a potential first-round prospect, with ESPN's Jonathan Givony projecting him to be picked at No. 23 by the Sacramento Kings in his latest mock draft. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman wrote that "NBA teams will ultimately covet Hawkins' off-ball scoring and shot-making for a role alongside established playmakers and top options."
Freshman center Donovan Clingan told reporters: "No matter what, whether he's 100 percent or 75 percent or whatever, I know Jordan is one of the toughest dudes that I've ever played with. He'll be out there, ready to go [Saturday]. Even if he wasn't, this team has so much depth and talent, we'd still be ready to go. It doesn't change our mindset, and it doesn't make us think of anything different."
UConn will face Miami at 8:49 p.m. ET Saturday on CBS. That will follow Florida Atlantic vs. San Diego State at 6:09 p.m. ET, which is also on CBS.
2023 NCAA Men's Final Four Won't Feature Top-3 Seed for 1st Time in History
Mar 26, 2023
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 25: The Florida Atlantic Owls celebrate after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats in the Elite Eight round game of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 25, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
It turns out anyone who felt like there weren't any overwhelmingly dominant teams in men's college basketball this season may have been on to something.
Miami's win over Texas in Sunday's Elite Eight game meant history was made, and not the kind the typical powerhouses will like. ESPN's Field Yates noted this is the first year that there will not be a top-three seed in the men's Final Four.
Instead, the Final Four will consist of fourth-seeded UConn from the West Region, fifth-seeded Miami from the Midwest Region, fifth-seeded San Diego State from the South Region and ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic from the East Region.
In a typical year, any of those teams might be the Cinderella story.
Yet the distinction goes to the Owls from the Conference USA, even though they are now 35-3 on the season after Saturday's dramatic win over Kansas State. They reached their first Final Four in program history and are just two wins away from taking home the national title.
And there won't be any top-three seeds in their way.
Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.
South Carolina's Dawn Staley Says UConn Will 'Start a New Streak' After Sweet 16 Loss
Mar 26, 2023
GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 25: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks on during the first half against the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 25, 2023 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
University of Connecticut women's basketball will dominate in 2023 even after the team failed to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in 16 years, said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley.
During a press conference Sunday ahead of South Carolina's Elite Eight matchup against Maryland on Monday, Staley said she expects UConn to start a new streak next year.
"UConn is going to continue to be UConn," Staley said. "They're going to reload. If you see their roster that's coming in and who they're bringing back next year, they'll reload. They'll start a new streak."
The end of an era: UConn will not advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2007, as the 3-seed Ohio State Buckeyes upset the 2-seed Huskies in the Sweet 16. UConn last lost this early in the tournament in 2005.
The Huskies' elimination Saturday in a 73-61 Sweet 16 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes finished off a season marred by injuries.
In addition to the season-long losses of Paige Bueckers to an ACL tear and Ice Brady to a dislocated patella, UConn suffered so many injuries that the team only had 10 players available in four out of 34 games, according to CT Insider.
Even facing a total of 116 combined games lost to injury, the Huskies won their 10th consecutive conference championship before being eliminated in the Sweet 16.
"It's not over," Staley said. "It's a scary thing because they lost a lot more games than they normally lose. But they were hampered by injuries, and once they get healthy, once they get Paige back, once this year's recruiting class is able to play and who they'll bring in, it's back to the drawing board."
Just a hunch: UConn will have what occurred today fuel it for the next 12 months. The Huskies are due for a special season if they can just find a way to stay healthy. Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and company will be back next year. I expect Geno Auriemma and the program to respond.
Staley knows just how the confident Buckeyes, who advanced to the program's first Elite Eight in 30 years with their historic elimination of the Huskies, are feeling. After all, she understands what it means for a team to best UConn.
"UConn is a great program, a great team, but we're a great team too."
Last year, the Gamecocks and Huskies met on April 3 for the 2022 NCAA title game, and South Carolina's 64-49 victory marked a turning point for the Gamecocks.
The team has not lost a single game since that victory and will now head into Monday's Elite Eight matchup with a perfect 35-0 record.
"You get a chance to beat UConn, it's always going to be a big win for you and your program," Staley said.
The Gamecocks will tip off against the Maryland Terrapins at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, while the Buckeyes will take on the Virginia Tech Hokies at 9 p.m. in a pair of Elite Eight matchups.
UConn Hailed as Title Contenders by Twitter in Dominant Win vs. Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Mar 26, 2023
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 25: Jordan Hawkins #24 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates after making a three point basket during the second half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 25, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
UConn is the real deal.
The No. 4 UConn Huskies defeated the No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs 82-54 on Saturday in Elite Eight action to clinch a berth in the Final Four for the first time since 2014, when they went on to win the NCAA title as a No. 7 seed.
Gonzaga's entire lineup underperformed against UConn. Two of the team's best players, Drew Timme and Julian Strawther, put together particularly disappointing performances. Timme finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists as he got into foul trouble, and Strawther finished with 11 points, six rebounds and one assist. The two combined to shoot 9-of-29 from the field.
The remainder of the team's starting five—Rasir Bolton, Nolan Hickman and Anton Watson—were essentially non-factors for the Bulldogs.
UConn, meanwhile, received consistent performances from their starting lineup and several bench players.
Jordan Hawkins notched 20 points, six rebounds and one assist, and Alex Karaban finished with 12 points, four rebounds, one assist and one block. Adama Sanogo, Tristen Newton, Andre Jackson Jr., Nahiem Alleyne and Joey Calcaterra all finished with at least eight points.
The Huskies were also dominant on defense, limiting the Bulldogs to just 33.3 percent shooting from the floor and 10 percent shooting from deep.
UConn has been bulldozing opponents since the beginning of the tournament, but not many expected this type of performance out of the Huskies on Saturday night against a Gonzaga team that had been pretty good this season.
Following UConn's big win, fans on Twitter hailed the Huskies as legitimate NCAA title contenders:
UConn is reminiscent of Florida in 2006. Good year, but not a popular championship pick. Just rolling teams. I don't know if there's anyone left who can stop them.
This marks the sixth time in program history that the Huskies are in the Final Four. They're looking to win their fifth-ever title, which would put them in a tie with Duke and Indiana for the fourth-most all-time.
UConn will face either No. 2 Texas or No. 5 Miami in the Final Four on April 1.
The No. 9 Florida Atlantic Owls already clinched a berth in the Final Four with a 79-76 win over No. 3 Kansas State. They'll face No. 5 San Diego State or No. 6 Creighton in the next round.
With the way the Huskies are playing, they could beat anyone remaining in this year's tournament.
Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.
