PHILADELPHIA — Late-season stumbles against Creighton and Marquette likely pushed UConn off the fourth No. 1 seed line in the NCAA Tournament.
Instead, the Huskies are the No. 2 seed in the East Region, and coach Dan Hurley agrees with the prevailing sentiment that this quadrant of the bracket is stacked.
UConn’s quest for a third national championship in four years begins Friday against No. 15 seed Furman, the Southern Conference champions.
“That’s a heck of a region,” Hurley told reporters after the bracket reveal showed UConn in a region with No. 1 Duke, No. 3 Michigan State, No. 4 Kansas and Big East rival St. John’s as the No. 5.
“Michigan State probably looked like more of a two until Purdue’s run, ends up as a three. But we’ve wanted to play in Philly from the start. I think we’re excited that we’re able to earn Philly.”
UConn (29-5) began the campaign 22-1 with 18 consecutive wins and a handful of narrow escapes in Big East play before St. John’s beat the Huskies 81-72 at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 6. UConn disassembled the Red Storm 72-40 on Feb. 25 in Hartford, then were routed 72-52 by St. John’s in the Big East championship game in New York.
Most of the players from UConn’s most recent national championship team have moved on, but not Alex Karaban, who’s put up 12.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in his last stand in Storrs, Conn.
“All the experience that I have, all the games I’ve played in, that just gives me confidence heading into March Madness knowing that I’ve played on the biggest stage,” Karaban said. “I’ve been able to win two national championships. That gives me confidence to, you know, ‘Why can’t you do it again?’ I’m excited about it. It starts with Furman, obviously.”
Tarris Reed Jr. (13.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg) leads a balanced offense in which all five UConn starters score at least 10.9 points per game.
Hurley said point guard Silas Demary Jr. “is in pretty good shape” after he hurt his ankle in the Big East championship game.
Furman (22-12) and coach Bob Richey are not a first-round opponent to take lightly. The Paladins made the tournament in 2023 and upset Virginia in a 4-13 matchup.
The Paladins won five of their last six games and ran the table as the No. 6 seed in the Southern Conference tournament to grab the bid.
“We’ve got a (nationally ranked) opponent,” Richey said. “Got a program that we really respect and have watched and have studied, and maybe even run a play or two that they’ve utilized through the years. Might call it ‘Connecticut’ and ‘Connecticut 2.’ Coach Hurley is an unbelievable coach, and he’s built an unbelievable program at UConn and, again, one that we’ve admired from afar.”
Furman makes a point of getting to the rim, shooting 66.0% as a team on dunks and close 2-pointers this season, per BartTorvik.com. And it’s one of the tallest teams in Division I despite its low-major status. Freshman guard and leading scorer Alex Wilkins (17.7 ppg, 4.7 apg) is 6-foot-5, while starting frontcourt mates Cooper Bowser and Charles Johnston are both 6-foot-11.
Ben Vander Wal was a freshman contributor on the 2022-23 team that upset Virginia.
“I know how unbelievable that experience was for me and how I’ll never forget it, and now getting to see a bunch of guys who’re gonna get to do it for their first time, it’s really special,” Vander Wal said.
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
