UConn’s Championship Streak Ends as Florida Stuns Huskies in NCAA Tournament Upset
The Connecticut Huskies’ bid for a third consecutive NCAA men’s basketball championship ended in heartbreak as they fell 77-75 to the Florida Gators in the second round of the tournament on Sunday. The loss at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, means a new champion will be crowned on April 7 in San Antonio.
In a high-stakes matchup, either the two-time defending champions or a No. 1 seed from both the men’s and women’s tournaments would be eliminated. When the final buzzer sounded, it was eighth-seeded UConn who suffered the upset.
Hurley Reflects on UConn’s Loss
Following the game, a disheartened Dan Hurley, head coach of the Huskies, admitted, “There’s a lot of rewiring and things I’ve got to do in the offseason because you just get caught up in this tidal wave of success that we’ve had. You lose perspective.”
The Huskies had been aiming to become the first back-to-back-to-back NCAA champions since Florida’s title run in 2006 and 2007, but their streak ends at two.
Adding to the Big East’s disappointment, Creighton and St. John’s were also eliminated in the second round, leaving UConn as the conference’s last remaining team. With their departure, the Sweet 16 will now feature teams exclusively from the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, and ACC, with the SEC leading the way with seven teams still in contention.
Women’s Tournament: Defending Champion South Carolina Advances
On the women’s side, top-seeded South Carolina punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 with a 64-53 win over Indiana. Despite trailing 26-25 at halftime, the Gamecocks found their rhythm in the second half.
“It wasn’t pretty,” said USC head coach Dawn Staley, “but at this time, it doesn’t have to be. You’ve just got to score more points than the other team and work the kinks out.”
South Carolina will now face the winner of Monday’s Alabama vs. Maryland matchup as they continue their quest for another championship.
