David Hale
RALEY, N.C. –UCONN coach Dan Harley was asked how he felt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night after the team won Oklahoma 67-59.
He offered something obvious: “It felt normal.”
In fact, two-time defending national champion’s Friday night victory with the Husky was the 13th straight in the tournament, tied with the Duke Blue Devils in 1991-93 with the longest winning streak since the tournament expanded in 1985. Harley has the ability to maintain his ability to maintain close losses, more stress, as he has the ability to maintain his ability to maintain this year’s tournament.
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“If only I had all my antics and viral moments,” said Harley, who has repeatedly attracted attention for his candid commentary.
Friday’s victory is a microcosm of UCONN’s 2024-25 campaign, Harley said.
In the first half, No. 8 seed UConn, led by up to 10 points, saw No. 9 seed Oklahoma Storm take the lead. And with 3:20 left in the game, the Husky just rose to points, without a field goal in more than three minutes.
That’s when Alex Caravan drains a vital three-pointer and gives UConn a cushion that he never abandoned.
“Whenever we started playing good basketball and started separating, we tended to shoot ourselves with our feet,” Harley said. “But what we’re talking about is that we’re really being combat-tested and we had to fight hard all year round, so we did a few things, made some important shots, and showed a lot of toughness to do some important stops.”
UConn is one of three programs to win consecutive national titles, each performing in Raleigh this weekend. The last double dip before UConn was Florida. The Husky will face the chance to set a tournament record for Sweet 16 on Sunday, with a chance to set a tournament record for back-to-back wins. (Duke is the other repetition.)
“We’ve now got the opportunity to come here, make tournaments, fight our way, get out here, come here and play one of the best teams in the country,” Harley said.
