On Monday, April 6, at 8:50 p.m., 2-seeded University of Connecticut (UConn) will be taking on 1-seed Michigan in the championship game of NCAA March Madness. The tournament, which looks to crown the best team in college basketball, began on March 15 with 68 teams and will conclude tonight, with either UConn or Michigan being named champions.
The man behind UConn’s 2026 March Madness run, Dan Hurley, could make NCAA history with a win tonight. Hurley has been the head coach of UConn men’s basketball since 2018, where he has led the team to two national championship wins in 2023 & 2024. A third win this year would make Hurley the first head coach in NCAA history to win three championships in the span of four years in the modern era.
Hurley’s basketball journey could not be possible without his experiences in the Garden State. In his childhood, Hurley was raised in Jersey City by his father Bob, who spent 45 seasons coaching at St. Anthony’s High School in Jersey City, New Jersey. In 2010, Bob Hurley became the third high school coach ever to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Under his father’s guidance, Dan Hurley and his brother, Bobby, developed a love for the game of basketball.
As a player, Dan Hurley played under his father at St. Anthony High School, where he was a star player, leading one of the top teams in the country. Hurley continued his career at Seton Hall, where he spent five seasons. Hurley recorded a solid career during his time at Seton Hall, averaging 8.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists, but could not compare to his brother, Bobby. At Duke, Bobby Hurley was a national champion and one of the sport’s most popular players, leaving his brother in his shadow.
Their dynamic shifted, however, as Dan Hurley’s career as a coach began to take off. Hurley’s first coaching position was as an assistant coach at St. Anthony, working with his father from 1996 to 1997. Hurley then went to Rutgers, where he stayed from 1997 to 2001, working as an assistant coach once again. Hurley landed his first head coaching position at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, New Jersey.
Hurley coached at St. Benedict’s Prep from 2001 to 2010, building the school into a top program in the country. During his tenure, Hurley led the team to a 223-21 record, establishing his ability to lead a team to success.
Hurley made the jump to college in 2010, coaching at Wagner College for two seasons. The 25 wins that Wagner recorded in Hurley’s second season at the school set a single-season record for Wagner College, drawing the attention of larger schools.
In 2012, Hurley was named as the head coach at the University of Rhode Island. Throughout his time there, he led the school to the NCAA tournament in 2017 and 2018, the first time since 1999 that the program had reached it. In 2018, Hurley received an offer to coach at the University of Connecticut, where he has remained since.
UConn had a deep history in college basketball prior to Hurley’s arrival, winning the NCAA tournament in 1999, 2004, 2011 and 2014. The team fell on hard times, however, only returning to the tournament once following their 2014 win, prior to Hurley being named head coach. Hurley’s first two seasons were not ideal, failing to reach the NCAA tournament, however, he made significant improvement for the team. His record jumped from 16-17 in his first season, to 19-12 the following season.
In the 2020-21 season, Hurley led UConn to the NCAA tournament, where the team has returned for every year since. At the 2023 March Madness, UConn reached the NCAA tournament championship game as the 4-seed, where they were set to take on 5-seed San Diego State. UConn dominated the match, winning by a score of 76-59, securing the school’s first title since 2014.
The following season, UConn returned to March Madness, this time as a 1-seed. The school captured another national title, with ease, winning every tournament game by double digits, including the championship game against Purdue, where UConn won by a score of 75-60.
UConn entered the 2025 March Madness tournament with a clear target on them , as back-to-back champions. After losing key players in the NBA Draft, UConn entered the tournament as an 8-seed, not as dominant in recent years. The team fell to the University of Florida in the second round of the tournament, losing narrowly by a score of 77-75. Florida, which was a 1-seed, went on to win the entire tournament.
This year, UConn returned once again, this time as a 2-seed. Throughout their journey to the national championship, the team faced notable opponents, including 3-seed Michigan State and an upset win over 1-seed Duke. Later today, UConn will be taking on another 1-seed in Michigan, a team that has cruised into the championship game.
While Michigan is arguably the most dominant team this season, with a coach like Hurley, UConn can never be ruled out of this game. UConn will enter tonight’s game as significant underdogs, but Hurley is no stranger to championship games and will look to make history by winning his third in a four-year span.