RALEIGH, N.C. — UConn openly embraces the opportunity for another chance to make something of the 2024-25 season.
Looking for a third consecutive national championship, UConn pushed its way into the NCAA Tournament and the eight-seeded Huskies (23-10) drew No. 9 seed Oklahoma (20-13) on Friday night in the first round of the West Region.
“No matter what you did in the regular season, if you play well and you coach well, you advance,” Huskies coach Danny Hurley said. “It can change your life.”
From the belle of the ball the past two NCAA Tournaments to one of the teams fighting for a Cinderella slipper, UConn is one win away from likely facing No. 1 seed Florida in the second round. Up first, a dangerous Oklahoma team back in the tournament after a three-year hiatus.
“I don’t know if anybody knows how to win more in recent years than UConn,” said Oklahoma coach Porter Moser, who pointed out that the challenge can be embraced. It’s what you want in this tournament.”
The winner faces Florida or No. 16 seed Norfolk State in the second round Sunday.
“We’re in the tournament with all these other great teams,” Hurley said. “It’s a relief to be at this point, to be honest with you. It has been a heavy year.”
UConn is 14-4 under Hurley in NCAA Tournament games. He called the assignment against Oklahoma “a fun matchup. It’s a formidable first-round opponent from a great league.”
Oklahoma will be in its first NCAA Tournament game since 2021. So, this is the first time that Moser, who previously directed Loyola to the Final Four, will accompany the Sooners to the tourney.
It will mark the NCAA Tournament debuts for Sooners forward Jalen Moore and guard Jeremiah Fears. They’ve both scored in double figures in 29 games this season.
Fears, a freshman, has averaged 22.6 points in the last eight games.
“Just his growth, watching his growth,” Moser said of Fears. “To watch him not get flustered, and to keep working at it to get better.”
Oklahoma has had twists and turns to the season. The Sooners won their first 13 games, including toppling Arizona, Louisville and Michigan, before hitting rough patches in the Southeastern Conference.
“To have the ups and downs that we have, to have the resiliency,” Moser said. “We just got to keep fighting and playing better basketball. These guys believed, and we’re playing our best basketball.”
UConn encountered unexpected glitches, though a five-game winning streak late in the season renewed some of the sparkle. Other than a three-game skid in the Maui Invitational prior to Thanksgiving, UConn hasn’t lost consecutive games.
The Huskies have been balanced on offense with Solo Ball (14.6 points per game), Liam McNeeley (14.5) and Alex Karaban (14.4) the team’s leading scorers. UConn hasn’t had a player reach the 20-point mark in any of its past three games.
Oklahoma was bounced in the SEC tournament’s second round with an 85-84 loss to Kentucky last week. UConn reached the Big East Conference tournament semifinals, falling 71-62 to Creighton.
The Sooners and Huskies haven’t met since four games as part of home-and-home series ending in 2003-04. Oklahoma won three of those four games.
–Bob Sutton, Field Level Media
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