UConn’s Braylon Mullins let out a radiant, triumphant smile before exchanging a high-five and locking foreheads with head coach Dan Hurley, a moment of pure joy as the Huskies marched on to their third national title game in four years.”The start to the game, and then the finish to the game,” Hurley said of his freshman star, glancing back at the roaring crowd behind him. “He’s amazing.”Just like that, the Huskies are headed back to the national championship, where they will take on No. 1-seeded Michigan, fresh off a dominant win over Arizona.Here are four takeaways from the Final Four.1. UConn’s status as a modern-day dynasty is no longer debatable UConn head coach Dan Hurley celebrates with one of his players after the Huskies defeated Illinois in the Final Four. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) There was no shortage of eye-popping stats circulating on social media ahead of Saturday’s Final Four matchup between UConn and Illinois. One centered on senior Tarris Reed, who entered the game averaging 22 points and 13.5 rebounds through four NCAA Tournament games, putting himself firmly in the conversation for Most Outstanding Player if the Huskies finished the job.Another highlighted UConn’s suffocating defense, which had held every opponent under 66 points per game during the tournament and hadn’t allowed a team to score more than 75 since Creighton did it back on Feb. 18. But the most staggering stat of all? UConn is now 12-1 in Final Four games.CBS play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle summed it up perfectly as the final horn sounded and the Huskies punched their ticket to a third national championship game in four years: “They are the bluest of bloods in college basketball right now.” It’s hard to argue that.For years, the sport’s blue-blood conversation has been dominated by programs like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas. It’s time to officially add UConn into that mix.Outside a Round of 32 loss last year to No. 1 seed Florida — the eventual national champion — UConn has been as dominant as any program in the country in recent memory. The Huskies have won 19 straight games in the Sweet 16 or later and, remarkably, have captured all six of their national championships since 1999. That’s more than triple the combined total of this year’s other Final Four participants: Michigan, Arizona, and Illinois.”You’re set up for success at UConn,” Hurley said in a postgame interview. “I’ve got the best…
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2026-04-05 07:59:27
