UConn defends the ‘Basketball Capital of the World’ as the reigning national champions upset Baylor

As you cross the Massachusetts border into the state of Connecticut on Interstate 84, you are greeted with a large blue sign that proclaims, “Welcome to Connecticut: Home of the Basketball Capital of the World.”

It is a self-proclaimed title, bequeathed to the small farming town of Storrs, Connecticut legendary basketball commentator Dick Vitale during a particularly charged game in 1995. Since then, it has been worn as a badge of honor for fans and students of the University of Connecticut – and with 11 women’s titles and 6 men’s titles, it has certainly staked its claim as the center of college basketball. universe in this century.

This year, the women’s team – led by presumptive WNBA No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers – has taken the lead in further cementing that title in the 2024-2025 season. The men’s team? Not so much.

During a disastrous three days in Maui, the UConn Huskies lost three games in a row to Memphis, Colorado and Dayton, among others. Questions immediately began to arise about the team as to whether the back-to-back national champions had what it takes 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 Wednesday night, the Huskies took on the challenge of their non-conference schedule – a tough three-game stretch that began at their fortress, Gampel Pavilion, against No. 15 Baylor. After everything that had happened to them the week before, they finally got their first major win of the season in a 76-72 loss.

Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts in the first half against Baylor on Wednesday

There aren’t many places in the country that can compete with Storrs for the title of “capital”: 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 into the state’s “Quiet Corner,” offers is a tradition of success in the men’s and women’s games that other cities don’t.

The UConn women’s team has won more titles than any other women’s program – part of a four-decade run by head coach Geno Auriemma and his equally important assistant Chris Daley that has resulted in a plethora of conference championships and eleven national championships.

The men’s team hasn’t won nearly as many titles, but they have been the program’s distinction since the turn of the century. Six national titles in a span of 25 years is more than any other in that period.

But clouds hung over the school in the wake of its fourth national title in 2014. A rough stretch in the American Athletic Conference wiped out almost all the momentum it had earned in recent years. That title, “Basketball Capitol of the World,” was perhaps more tongue-in-cheek than “Nutmeggers,” as Connecticut residents are known, could have hoped.

That all changed with Hurley’s arrival in 2018 and the school’s move to its parent home — the Big East Conference — in 2020. It culminated in a 2023 championship that marked a return to the national stage.

But after losing several starters, outsiders questioned Hurley’s declaration that a repeat was in order. Still, the 2023/24 squad was significantly better than the previous ones and is considered by statistics and experts to be one of the greatest teams in the history of the sport. To top it all off, they achieved their goal by becoming the first school in 17 years to repeat as champions.

Nutmeggers may have been right to think that given everything Hurley did last season, a three-peat might be in order. All it took for that confidence to disappear was one disastrous trip to Hawaii, where the Huskies finished last in the Maui Invitational and lost to three unranked teams.

They fell down the rankings at the worst possible time — before hosting Baylor, traveling to Austin to play Texas and then wrapping up their non-conference schedule against Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden.

Freshman Liam McNeeley (30) led the Huskies on the night with 17 points and eight rebounds

The first of those games was Wednesday when Baylor arrived with a roster missing their best player, potential NBA lottery pick VJ Edgecombe. UConn couldn’t capitalize on their luck, as they were also missing their best player and the only returning starter from last year’s team: forward Alex Karaban.

In Maui, defense was the Huskies’ downfall and was highlighted by Hurley as the team’s biggest weakness. That was evident again as UConn fell 17-6 to start the game. But the shots started falling for Connecticut and they took the lead late in the first half when Hurley motioned for the 10,299 fans to make their voices heard. At halftime, Baylor had regained the lead by one point.

While the plethora of NBA scouts who made the trek couldn’t see Edgecombe or Karaban, they did get a glimpse of freshman phenom Liam McNeeley — a projected lottery pick who would flip his commitment from Indiana to UConn over the summer. He left his mark at special moments. A triple early in the second half scored a run for Connecticut. As the Bears clawed back, he knocked down another clutch basket to go up four points with under nine minutes to go.

With the clock ticking under four minutes, the “Basketball Capital of the World” stood up and stayed there for the rest of the game. In the final minute, the Huskies made crucial free throws, allowing them to claim victory on the night.