UConn basketball hit a thud before the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies must clean up the debris and mistakes from the St. John's loss on Saturday. But the 72-52 defeat doesn't lessen UConn's championship probability ahead of March Madness.
Teams in the 68-team field will take Dan Hurley and company seriously. Foes especially in the East Region know Hurley and UConn have national title winning experience on their side. That includes the likes of Duke, UCLA, Michigan State, even the Red Storm…all of whom fill the eastern bracket.
This Huskies team looks ready for a seventh championship since 1999, even despite missing out on a No. 1 seed. And it's not just because of Hurley's past title winning resume.
We present the reasons why UConn is national championship material as fans fill out their brackets.
Elite defense sets the tone for UConn
Hurley built an East Coast tough defense on the hardwood.
Connecticut swats baskets at a high rate, ranking fifth in block percentage. Senior Tarris Reed Jr. leads the block party with 2.7 per game, including delivering six against St. John's back on Feb. 25.
Nothing flashy about Tarris Reed Jr.'s game, but so tough to stop in the paint. Finished with 21, 9 and 3 blocks last night. Uses 265 pounds to carve out space, instincts to know when to fake, use patience, spin the other way, etc, and soft hands to convert. Good passer as well. pic.twitter.com/tmjjxU9baP
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) January 14, 2026
Guards Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins add to the defensive identity in Storrs. Both average more than one steal a game, with the former grabbing three or more nine times this season.
The trio of Huskies hand Hurley the confidence to run his high-pressure man-to-man defense. His system creates aggressive ball pressure, misaligns opposing offensive rotations, dominates the boards on rebounding and finally, forces mutiple turnovers. Plus it eliminates any open looks down the middle including passes down low toward the hoop.
The Huskies overall surrender just 64.3 points per game, ranking them 11th nationally. But UConn is more than defense.
Balanced offense spearheads UConn
Reed is the newest dominating post presence at a place that produced Emeka Okafor, Hasheem Thabeet and Donovan Clingan (who starred for Hurley's title winning teams).
The 6-foot-11 senior handles the dirty work in the paint and averages 13.7 points per game. The Huskies are 8-1 this season when he scores 17 points or more.
Hurley brings sharpshooters to the floor too. Demary nails 41.6% of this three-pointers. Forward Alex Karaban is another effective shooter in hitting 38.6% from behind the arc.
But Hurley can turn to as many as five different double-digit scorers here. Guard Solo Ball (13.5 PPG) and Mullins (12.0) rise as two more trusted scorers.
How UConn avoids falling before Final Four
Free throw shooting must improve. UConn became inconsistent from the white stripe during the Big East Tournament.
The Huskies must rediscover their behind the arc touch too. St. John's bottled them to under 16% shooting there in the conference finals.
Lastly, UConn must take care of the basketball when its the one dribbling. They've committed some costly turnovers as of late.
Still, the Huskies look like they have a lighter load to the Final Four compared to Duke. UConn still gets a struggling UCLA team or No. 10 seed UCF (which struggled on the road against ranked teams) in the second round. Then could face two more that briefly fell apart late in Michigan State and Louisville.
UConn landed in the roughest bracket. But the Huskies are no stranger to the championship stage. Surviving the east will make them a favorite to win it all.
