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Basketball is hugely popular in Nigeria and the NBA is the best league – with the best players – in the world. There are always plenty of Nigerian players in the NBA and many of them start off in the American college system first. This is where hoops fans get to see the finest young talent first before they become professional.
One of the biggest tournaments in all of sports, let alone at NCAA or college level, is the Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as March Madness. This competition brings together the best university teams in the country for a frenetic month of single-elimination game basketball to determine a national champion. That champion in the last two years has been the University of Connecticut Huskies. But can it win three in a row?
With so many school programs playing at NCAA Division I level – and then the 68 that make it to March Madness – even just winning one championship is a huge achievement. Do the Huskies have what it takes to record a three-peat of titles?
The 2024 Tournament
Although the Huskies had won the 2023 tournament, there was not a general feeling among pundits and fans that they would go on to repeat the trick this year. Even though UConn had won five championships in 24 years and had become one of the most consistent programs in the country, nothing is ever guaranteed at March Madness.
That being said, UConn did start as one of the number one seeds. The Huskies then proceeded to sweep away opponents in the opening rounds, never winning by fewer than 17 points and regularly by much more. The Final Four didn’t slow the Huskies down, with a convincing win against Alabama followed by a 15-point victory over fellow number one seeds Purdue in the championship game.
Tournament History
To put UConn’s back-to-back wins into some perspective, the last time any team had done that was in 2007 when Florida won a second championship – the only two in the school’s history. Before that, it was Duke in 1992. It is fair to say that repeat title wins are not something that happens very often in college basketball.
The Huskies will now look to record a three-peat, a third consecutive national championship. The last time that happened was in the 1970s when UCLA won every championship from 1968 to 1973 – as well as one in 1975 and two in 1964 and 1965. That all-conquering program is the one that all college basketball teams look to emulate.
Main Challengers
The very early odds do have Connecticut as favorite to win a third consecutive title. But the competition will be tough and there are some familiar names in the running alongside the Huskies. Sportsbooks offer relatively long odds on the tournament because it is so difficult to be successful once, let alone three times in a row.
Duke and Kansas, two of US college basketball’s biggest names, are also backed to do well in 2025. Add to that the likes of Alabama and Kentucky, as well as a whole host of excellent teams that have the chance to compete next year, and backing UConn at this point would be a bold move.
March Madness Volatility
Recognizing just how difficult it is for teams to regularly succeed in NCAA basketball is necessary if you are wondering whether UConn can three-peat. This is a huge competition where even top teams can miss out if they falter during the regular season of conference play.
But there are other factors that contribute to this March Madness volatility. College hoops has recently developed its transfer system and more players than ever are changing schools to play for different programs. The old days of stability are over. Top players can also leave college for the NBA early, so there is no guarantee that the best teams will have the best players for the full four years of university.
UConn in 2025
If the Huskies are going to go on and win a third consecutive title, head coach Dan Hurley will probably need to bring through a whole new roster of players. Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan could both go as lottery picks in the NBA Draft, even though one is just a freshman and the other a sophomore.
Add to that the potential exit of forward Alex Karaban and the definite departure of both Tristan Newton and Cam Spencer, who are both out of eligibility, and Hurley will be looking to field an entirely new starting line-up. Winning three championships in a row is difficult enough without having to recruit so many new players and start from scratch.
Figure 2 Connecticut has one of the most consistent programs of the modern era
Connecticut Three-Peat?
Even though the bookies’ odds say otherwise, it would seem as if there is too much going against Dan Hurley and whatever type of line-up his Huskies form next season for them to win another title. That is not to say that UConn cannot do well at next year’s March Madness. But winning the championship is tough at the best of times.
There is a reason why we had seen a different champion every year for 15 years before the Huskies went back-to-back in 2024. It is why March Madness is regarded as one of the most exciting tournaments in sports. UConn has an excellent and consistent program but it might have to pass the torch to some other school in 2025.
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