In the modern, money-driven era of college athletics, building a powerhouse in any sport is a daunting task. That’s especially true when your national championship is decided by a 68-team, single-elimination knockout bracket that is designed for chaos.
But over the past 30 years, two teams from the middle of nowhere have managed to build themselves to become dominant fixtures in the sport – placing their names alongside the likes of the UCLA’s, North Carolina‘s and Kentucky‘s of the college basketball world.
The two faced off at Madison Square Garden at the end of their non-conference schedule – hoping to continue to bolster their resumes against the best-of-the-best.
On one side, the University of Connecticut – a state school in the farm town of Storrs with an untamable appetite for the sport. The other, Gonzaga University – a private Catholic school in eastern Washington state that rose from Cinderellas to perennial contenders.
Tonight in The World’s Most Famous Arena, the 18th ranked UConn shocked No. 8 Gonzaga 77-71 to redeem themselves from a painful November with three-straight major wins.
Liam McNeeley of Connecticut celebrates after hitting a triple against Gonzaga on Saturday
Khalif Battle of Gonzaga celebrates after knocking down a 3-pointer against UConn
Both schools rose to national prominence around the same time – albeit with different moments in the sun.
UConn benefitted from being in the Big East Conference since 1979. While they were small fish in a big pond at the conference’s inception – much less rich in basketball tradition than the likes of Syracuse, Georgetown, and St. John’s among others – they used their affiliation with the conference to pull in bigger recruits.
Under coach Jim Calhoun, the school truly began to establish its identity in the mid-1990s – especially with the play of guard Ray Allen, who would go on to become a Hall of Famer. While Allen left college uncrowned, the Huskies won their first title just a few years after his departure in 1999.
The Huskies have only grown from there – winning six national titles in 25 years, more than any other program in the same period. Three of those came under Calhoun, with one under Kevin Ollie, and back-to-back reigning titles under Dan Hurley.
Across the country, in the city of Spokane, the Gonzaga Bulldogs initially grabbed the nation’s attention as plucky underdogs.
Gonzaga is considered a ‘mid-major’ – a classification given to a program that is successful, but does not come from one of the five power conferences (the ACC, Big Ten, Big XII, SEC, and Big East). Instead, the Bulldogs carved out their niche as seemingly annual champions in the West Coast Conference.
In the same year Connecticut won its first title, Gonzaga reached the Elite Eight – beating power conference schools Minnesota, Stanford, and Florida before eventually falling to UConn.
But the coach that led them there, Dan Monson, left for the same Minnesota team he beat after that Elite Eight run. In his place stepped an assistant coach, Mark Few – who has been at the helm ever since.
Dan Hurley is the latest coach in a series of UConn leaders to be crowned a champion
Gonzaga’s Mark Few has been at the helm for 26 years, almost singlehandedly building the program from a ‘mid-major’ into one of the most dominant college teams in this millenium
Ray Allen for UConn (L) and Adam Morrison for Gonzaga (R) boosted their programs
Like the Huskies with Allen, who is one of many NBA stars to go to Storrs, Gonzaga’s had plenty of great players walk on the court at the McCarthey Athletic Center: from John Stockton to Adam Morrison to NBA stars of today like Domantas Sabonis, Jalen Suggs, and Chet Holmgren.
The only thing separating the Huskies and the Bulldogs is success on the biggest stage. Gonzaga has made the national championship game twice – losing to North Carolina in 2017 and Baylor in 2021.
Regardless, they have done many things the Huskies have not to show their dominance in the sport.
They’ve made March Madness every year since 1999 and have finished ranked in the AP poll each season since 2008-09. To borrow a modern phrase, Gonzaga is the least ‘mid’ of the mid-majors.
But when the two have met, favor lies with Connecticut. That includes their last two meetings – an Elite Eight domination en route to the 2023 title and last season in Seattle, when the greatest UConn team of all time won by 13 in a hostile environment.
Few and Hurley chat on the court at Madison Square Garden before the game begins
This time, the crowd was overwhelmingly in Connecticut’s favor. After all, the Huskies faithful have come to nickname MSG ‘Storrs South’.
Riding a wave of fan momentum, the Huskies built an 11-2 lead right out of the gate as an undying energy filled the building. Out of a timeout, the Bulldogs began to bite back – erasing the deficit and leading themselves. UConn led by three at the half.
Much like the first half, Connecticut started on a strong run. Hurley waved his arms to whip up the overwhelmingly partisan crowd (for what was supposed to be a neutral site game) into a frenzy.
UConn’s freshman phenom Liam McNeeley led the Huskies in scoring on the night – with 13 first half points and 24 overall by game’s end. A long-range triple of his put the Huskies briefly up ten points just before the ten minute remaining mark and got the crowd chanting: ‘U-C-O-N-N, UConn, UConn, UConn.’
But try as they might, UConn just couldn’t extend their lead. Khalif Battle, a transfer on his fourth school, kept Gonzaga within three points as the clock ticked down.
A tough shot from Alex Karaban, the sole returning starter from 2024’s title winning team, extended the lead to five with less than a minute left. After Battle sank his first free throw, he missed a second and UConn hit two of their own to reach the final score.
Afterwards, Few said games like these ‘can do nothing but help you’, comparing the pressure to an Elite Eight game. Hurley referred to the game as a ‘war of attrition’ between the two teams, highlighting both squad’s will to win.
After a rough end to November, the Huskies have beaten powerhouses Baylor, Texas, and now Gonzaga.
Those who doubted Connecticut did so at their own peril. Now, a tough conference slate lies ahead.
