In his five years with UConn, Dan Hurley has brought immense success to the team. Since March 22, 2018, the day he took the helm, he has had his eyes set on a national championship. The title finally came to him after years of determination in 2023. He converted it to two the next year, etching history. Still, he is as hungry as ever.

He’s now on a quest for a three-peat. While the season start is nearly perfect with UConn winning the first two games, Hurley isn’t fully content. For him, the team needs to improve so the championship title is within reach.

In a pre-game conference, he shared his concerns: “We’ve got to win games by being tough and well-prepared and doing winning things until we get really good at basketball. Which, right now, we’re not.” Despite a strong start, it seems the team is still searching for its identity. But why? Because simply winning games is not the goal—the national championship title is.

The early games serve to make adjustments and test out concepts and lineups that may or may not work. In their last game against Hampshire, the Huskies struggled in the first half but emerged strong in the second, scoring 39 points to secure a win. “We’ve got a long way to go, defensively, offensively, for where we want to be, just like most teams in the country are experiencing,” added Hurley.

As of now, the team has a 51.2% field goal percentage and 37.3% from three-point range over the last two games. But with an average of 92.0 points, the team ranks 37th while 44.5 rebounds have them tied for 47th. It is only the beginning though, and Alex Karaban and freshman-contender worthy Liam McNeeley have been elevating the status. They will need to continue on the role as Hurley remains “way more intense this year,” in Karaban’s words.

Next in line for Dan Hurley’s roster

After two straight wins, the Huskies will return to Hartford, hoping for a more cohesive start as they welcome Le Moyne. This is a team that reminds Hurley of his own, with its impressive offensive ability. “They have skilled players and shooters, and they play smart,” Hurley said. The concern is valid—the Dolphins, with a 1-2 record, just moved to Division 1 last year.

Their last game was a game-changer. Against SUNY Poly, they maintained dominance right from the first minute to record a comfortable 107-73 victory It was their highest score since 2019-2020 campaign.

This is why Le Moyne, coached by Nate Champion, prides itself on offensive efficiency. They average 28.3 attempts from beyond the arc across three games, with an impressive 32.9% shooting accuracy. But will Le Moyne be able to take down the two-time defending champions? Stay tuned to find out!