(Getty Images)
History of UConn’s basketball championships: How many men’s national titles have the Huskies won? originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
UConn doesn’t have the lengthy championship history that UCLA or Indiana have, but since Jim Calhoun took over in 1986, it’s hard to find many more successful programs.
The Huskies have won championships across different eras, from the 1990s, to the 2010s, to their recent stretch of dominance under Dan Hurley. Even as the college basketball landscape changes, UConn refuses to get left behind.
Even as the Big East tries to adapt to this era of basketball, UConn remains one of the nation’s preeminent programs.
Here’s a complete look at UConn’s national championship and Final Four history.
MORE:Comparing Braylon Mullins’ shot to Christian Laettner’s iconic buzzer beater
1999: UConn 77, Duke 742004: UConn 82, Georgia Tech 732011: UConn 53, Butler 412014: UConn 60, Kentucky 542023: UConn 76, San Diego State 592024: UConn 75, Purdue 60
UConn has won six national championships, all of which have come in 1999 or later. The Huskies didn’t win their first title until they took down Duke as a considerable underdog in the 1999 national championship game, but they have since won it all five more times with a total of three different coaches.
UConn needed to get past Duke again to win its second title in 2004, but their matchup this time came in the national semifinal, where the Huskies eked out a 79-78 win. UConn, with Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor leading the way, defeated Georgia Tech in the championship game.
The next three championships for UConn came in some wild and wacky tournaments. In 2011, UConn was a No. 3 seed but became the highest remaining seed in a Final Four comprised of No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Butler and No. 11 VCU. Kemba Walker and the Huskies won an ugly title game over Butler, holding the Bulldogs to just 41 points.
In 2014, UConn completed an improbable run to the championship as a No. 7 seed under coach Kevin Ollie, knocking off No. 1 Florida in the national semifinal before holding No. 8 Kentucky to 54 points in a title game made up of the highest seeds ever, when combining the two teams.
UConn found itself in a re-run of 2011 at the 2023 Final Four, where it entered as the highest remaining seed despite being No. 4 in the West. The Huskies defeated No. 5 Miami and No. 5 San Diego State with ease to capture their first championship under Hurley.
A year later, UConn’s run was not so unexpected. The Huskies coasted as the No. 1 overall seed, dismantling every team in their way on the journey to the Final Four before handling business against Alabama and Purdue to become college basketball’s first back-to-back national champion since 2006 and 2007.
MORE:How UConn leaned on Dan Hurley’s positivity to complete comeback vs. Duke
UConn has now been to eight Final Fours, with a record of 6-1 in semifinal games. Here are the complete results for the Huskies, whose only semifinal loss came against Michigan State in Detroit in 2009:
YearCoachOpponentSemifinal scoreLocation1999Jim CalhounOhio StateW, 64-58Tampa2004Jim CalhounDukeW, 79-78San Antonio2009Jim CalhounMichigan StateL, 82-73Detroit2011Jim CalhounKentuckyW, 56-55Houston2014Kevin OllieFloridaW, 63-53Dallas2023Dan HurleyMiamiW, 72-59Houston2024Dan HurleyAlabamaW, 86-72Phoenix2026Dan HurleyIllinoisTBDIndianapolis
MORE:See hilarious reaction from Bill Raftery, Grant Hill after Braylon Mullins shot
UConn is 6-0 all-time in national championships, with wins over Duke, Georgia Tech, Butler, Kentucky, San Diego State and Purdue:
YearCoachOpponentSemifinal scoreLocation1999Jim CalhounDukeW, 77-74Tampa2004Jim CalhounGeorgia TechW, 82-73San Antonio2011Jim CalhounButlerW, 53-41Houston2014Kevin OllieKentuckyW, 60-54Dallas2023Dan HurleySan Diego StateW, 76-59Houston2024Dan HurleyPurdueW, 75-60Phoenix
