If you drive over the Massachusetts border into the state of Connecticut on Interstate 84, you will be greeted with a large blue sign that boldly declares: ‘Welcome to Connecticut: Home of The Basketball Capital of the World.’
It’s a self-appointed title, bequeathed upon the tiny farm town of Storrs, Connecticut by legendary basketball commentator Dick Vitale during a particularly charged game in 1995. Since then it’s been worn as a badge of honor for fans and students at the University of Connecticut – and with 11 women’s titles and 6 men’s titles, it’s surely staked its claim as the center of the college basketball universe in this century.
This year, the women’s team – led by presumptive WNBA No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers – has led the charge in the 2024-25 season to further cement that title. The men’s team?That wasn’t exactly the case going into Wednesday night.
A disastrous three days in Maui saw the UConn Huskies lose three straight games to the likes of Memphis, Colorado, and Dayton. Questions about the team immediately began to sprout up as to whether the back-to-back national champions had it in them to continue the legacy this season. It saw UConn tumble from No. 2 to No. 25 in the country and put head coach Dan Hurley in the national spotlight for his sideline behavior.
On a frigid New England night, the Huskies entered the gauntlet of their non-conference schedule – a tough three-game stretch that began at their fortress, Gampel Pavilion, against No. 15 Baylor. After all that happened to them the week before, they finally captured their first significant win of the season in a 76-72 upset.
The scene inside Gampel Pavilion for the matchup between the UConn Huskies and the Baylor Bears. Pictured: a blue tifo that reads ‘Basketball Capital of the World’ inside the state’s outline.
Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts in the first half against Baylor on Wednesday
There aren’t many places in the country that could compete with Storrs for the ‘capital’ title: Durham, North Carolina, Bloomington, Indiana, Lawrence, Kansas, and Lexington, Kentucky might be the only ones that come close. But what this half-country, half-college town tucked in the ‘Quiet Corner’ of the state provides is a tradition of success in both the men’s and women’s game those other cities don’t provide.
UConn’s women’s team has won more titles than any other women’s program – part of a 40 year run by head coach Geno Auriemma and his equally-important assistant Chris Daley that has resulted in a plethora of conference crowns and eleven national championships.
The men’s team hasn’t won nearly as many titles, but they’ve been the program of distinction since around the turn of the century. Six national titles in a span of 25 years is more than any other school in that time period.
But clouds hovered over UConn in the aftermath of their fourth national title in 2014. A rough stint in the American Athletic Conference nearly undid all the momentum that it had earned itself all the years prior. That ‘Basketball Capitol of the World’ title may have been more tongue-in-cheek than ‘Nutmeggers’, as Connecticut residents are called, could have hoped.
That all changed with the arrival of Hurley in 2018 and the school’s move back to it’s ancestral home – the Big East Conference – in 2020. It culminated in a 2023 championship that marked a return to the national stage.
But after losing multiple starters, outsiders cast doubt on Hurley’s declaration that a repeat was in order. Yet, the 2023-24 squad was markedly better than the one prior and is regarded by statistics and experts as one of the greatest teams assembled in the sport’s history. To top it off, they accomplished their goal by becoming the first school in 17 years to repeat as champions.
‘Nutmeggers’ may have been right in thinking that considering everything Hurley did last season, a three-peat could be in order. All it took for that confidence to unravel was one disastrous trip to Hawaii as the Huskies placed last in the Maui Invitational – losing to three unranked teams.
They tumbled down the rankings at the worst possible time – before hosting Baylor, traveling to Austin to play Texas this weekend, and then closing out their non-conference schedule against Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden next week.
Freshman Liam McNeeley (30) led the Huskies on the night with 17 points and eight rebounds
The first of those contests was Wednesday as Baylor arrived with a roster missing their best player, potential NBA lottery pick VJ Edgecombe. UConn wasn’t able to take advantage of their luck as they too were missing their best player and the only returning starter from last year’s team: forward Alex Karaban.
In Maui, defense was the Huskies’ undoing and was highlighted by Hurley as the team’s biggest weakness. That showed itself again as UConn went down 17-6 to start the contest. But the shots began to fall for Connecticut and they took the lead late in the first half as Hurley motioned for the 10,299 fans to make their voices known. At the half, Baylor had reclaimed the lead by a single point.
At one point in the contest, Hurley let some emotions out after some strong play from transfer guard Aidan Mahaney, who had been struggling in his acclamation to Connecticut after previously playing at St. Mary’s in California. In a fit of jubilation, coach and player butted heads and screamed in each other’s faces. After the game, Hurley said Mahaney also joyously punched him to the point where the coach was afraid he ‘broke a rib’ – all while likening Mahaney’s play to a ‘phoenix’.
While the plethora of NBA scouts who made the trek couldn’t see Edgecombe or Karaban, they were able to get a glimpse of freshman phenom Liam McNeeley – a projected lottery pick that flipped his commitment from Indiana to UConn over the summer. He made his mark in special moments. A triple early in the second half sparked a run for Connecticut. When the Bears clawed back, he knocked down another clutch basket to go up four with less than nine minutes to go. When all was said and done, McNeeley led UConn with 17 points and eight rebounds.
McNeeley celebrates hitting a shot in the second half against Baylor in Storrs, Connecticut
Jaylin Stewart (right) and Aidan Mahaney (left) celebrate as UConn clinches a major win
As the clock ticked below the four minute mark, the ‘Basketball Capital of the World’ rose to its feet and stayed there for the remainder of the game. In the last minute, the Huskies sank crucial free throws which led them to claiming the victory on the night.
In the aftermath of the win, Hurley thanked the Gampel crowd repeatedly after a win that could be categorized as a turning point in their season.
‘It’s the first time we beat a quality opponent [this season]… they’re gonna be a team that’s gonna make a deep run in March and have a real Final Four possibility,’ Hurley said in response to a question asked by DailyMail.com. ‘To be able to gut one out at home… obviously we won bigger games the last couple of years than this one today. But for where we are in the ’25 season, we needed this one bad.’
Hurley acknowledged there are still wrinkles the team needs ironing out, but a strong showing before conference play kicks off could be exactly what they need to three-peat. The season is long and brutal, and success is fleeting. But what Connecticut has done better than any other program the last two seasons is match expectations. This season may be their toughest attempt to do that yet.
