Dan Hurley has led UConn back to the Final Four for a third time in four years. UConn and Illinois will face off in the Final Four on Saturday night, with a chance to go to the National Championship.
As UConn prepares for Saturday, Hurley is making it clear the goal for his team in Indianapolis, according to Adam Zagoria of The New York Times.
“We came here for rings, not watches,” the UConn coach said. “Every team that comes to the Final Four gets a beautiful watch….We don't hang banners for Final Fours at UConn, we hang championship banners.”
Hurley has become accustomed to hanging banners at UConn. He became the head coach ahead of the 2018-19 season, and missed the tournament in his first season. The tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19 in his second year. In 2021, he led the Huskies back to the tournament, but lost in the first round. They would lose in the first round the next year as well.
UConn finally broke through in 2023. They would go 31-8 that season, coming in as a four seed. The Huskies would make it to the Final Four after defeating Gonzaga in the Elite Eight. They knocked out Miami in the Final Four and then dominated San Diego State to win a national championship.
The next year, the Huskies returned to the tournament. They entered the tournament in 2024 as a one-seed and ran through teams on the way to the Final Four. They then beat Alabama by 14 points before taking care of Purdue for their sixth national title.
UConn and Hurley were eliminated in the second round by Florida as an eight-seed in 2025, but now have a chance to win their third title in four years, and that is the clear goal for Hurley this weekend.
