2023 is a great year to be a part of UConn Nation. The men’s basketball team crushed the University of Miami Hurricanes in Saturday’s March Madness Final Four game, advancing to the national championship. The men have been to four national championship games, and have won all of them (1999, 2004, 2011, and 2014). UConn fans are ecstatic and confident heading in to this game versus the San Diego State Aztecs on April 3rd. From the students here in Storrs at the Basketball Capital of the World, to the players out in Houston, Texas, UConn school spirit is fierce and unstoppable.
UConn in the Final Four
Let’s talk about the Final Four matchup of UConn and UMiami on April 1st. With a final score of 72-59, UConn is still dancing. During this 13-point game, there was no lack of excitement, with many impressive moments from our team — Alex Karaban’s incredible buzzer-beater 3-pointer just at the halftime mark; Donovan Clingan’s thrilling shot-blocks; Adama Sanogo with 21 points on 11 shots (scoring himself Player of the Game), and much more. In fact, Sanogo is actually fasting as he observes Ramadan, making his performance even more impressive. Just as they’ve done throughout the entire March Madness bracket, the Huskies dominated the court and played together methodically.
What’s to Come: National Championship
Only 0.04% of those who made March Madness brackets predicted that the national championship would come between the UConn Huskies and the San Diego Aztecs. Should the UConn Huskies win, it will be their 5th title in 25 years — something only Duke and UCLA have managed to pull off. UConn Nation’s hopes in the Huskies are high, and we are ready to support them. Dan Hurley, UConn Men’s Basketball head coach stated: “There’s nowhere where we’re weak as a team, and we’re deep. So we’re able to kind of body blow our opponent and continue to just put together quality possessions at both ends.” UConn Huskies are 7-point favorites in their matchup against the Aztecs, with an over/under for total points scored of 133 (CBS Sports). The odds are in the Huskies favor, and UConn Nation is ecstatic to watch, whether it be court-side, on TV, or here on campus.
School Spirit
The excitement pre-national championship game is evident, and will only grow should UConn bring back a win. After the 2014 win, UConn Nation celebrated (and some rioted) in the streets. UConn students have even already emailed professors asking to cancel classes the next day, preparing to go out and celebrate their win. What makes this national championship even more exciting, is that no one expected it. Despite that, the Huskies have been steamrolling through March Madness. It is an incredibly thrilling time to be a Husky, and the energy on campus is at all time high. Best of luck to our Huskies! #rollskies