RALEIGH, N.C. – Since taking over at Florida, Todd Golden has been vocal about restoring the program to elite status—back to competing for national titles, just as it did in years past.
Connecticut, meanwhile, is the current benchmark.
That familiar phrase, "To be the champ, you gotta beat the champ," perfectly captures Florida’s position heading into Sunday’s NCAA West Region second-round matchup at Lenovo Center. The top-seeded Gators (31–4) will face the eighth-seeded Huskies (24–10), winners of the last two national championships.
[Read senior writer Chris Harrys "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Florida enters the game riding a seven-game win streak and having won 13 of its last 14. UConn, fresh off a win over Oklahoma, extended its NCAA Tournament streak to 13 consecutive victories—matching Duke’s record from 1991–93 in the 68-team format. The Blue Devils didn’t reach 14, so Florida now stands between Dan Hurley’s squad and a chance to make history. No team has won three straight national titles since UCLA’s legendary run from 1964 to 1975.
Todd Golden, who earned his first NCAA Tournament win Friday with a 95–69 victory over Norfolk State, is looking to build on that momentum.
"Even though we might be favored, I think a lot of people still believe that UConn is going to win this game because of their track record, because of Coach Hurley and the success that they've had," Golden said Saturday. "It's on us to make sure we go out there and show what we're capable of. I think they've done so well, they've been so consistent. Obviously, Coach Hurley has been here before. They have multiple players that have won national championships that expect to win this time of year. For us, this is a relatively new position."
UConn’s current championship run began two years ago in Albany, where the Huskies defeated Iona—led at the time by sophomore guard Walter Clayton Jr.—in the opening round. Now, Clayton is a first-team All-American for Florida.
"They're a great offensive team that runs a lot of things to try to confuse you," Clayton said. "They're very aggressive on defense, too."
Statistically and analytically, this year’s UConn squad isn’t as dominant or deep as the one Clayton faced previously, nor as overwhelming as last season’s title-winning team.
But Clayton has evolved—and so has Florida. The Gators are no longer the same team that fell 75–54 to UConn in Gainesville during the 2022–23 season, early in Hurley’s first championship campaign.
"We understand the challenges that Florida presents. The tape does not lie. The analytics and the efficiency of their offense and defense, all that stuff, does not lie," Hurley said of a Florida team ranked in the top 10 nationally in both offensive (1st) and defensive (10th) efficiency, alongside No. 1 Duke. "We know that it's not a best-of-seven, and we've faced the same type of pressure that Todd and his team are facing playing these games. Todd knows what type of team he's got. I knew what type of team I had the last couple years, and when you know you've got a squad, that's like a real thing when you get to these round of 32, Sweet 16, like, you know you've got a squad. I can relate to what he's experiencing, right now."
Huskies coach Dan Hurley
Connecticut enters the matchup with several players who contributed to one or both of its recent national titles, including forward Alex Karaban, who has started 109 straight games. But this season’s journey has looked different.
The Huskies finished second in the Big East behind St. John's, dropping six conference games. Their trip to the Maui Invitational in November resulted in three consecutive losses—against Memphis, Colorado, and Dayton—matching their total defeats from the entire 2023–24 season. Head coach Dan Hurley had some heated moments during that stretch, later referring to them as "viral moments." Similar incidents have followed, occasionally overshadowing the team’s achievements.
UConn stood at 10–6 in conference play a month ago, closed the regular season with four wins, and then fell to Creighton in the second round of the Big East Tournament.
Meanwhile, Florida claimed the SEC Tournament title in dominant fashion, setting up what might appear to be a lopsided second-round clash. But UConn’s postseason pedigree—especially in March—is not lost on either side.
"It's definitely less pressure, but I felt like we've been the underdog ever since we came back from Maui," Karaban said. "We're used to being the underdogs for the majority of the season. It's not really a new stage for us this year."
Florida counters with one of the most balanced and adaptable rosters in college basketball. The Gators proved their versatility by winning 17 games in the rugged SEC, showing they can thrive in both fast-paced and physical matchups.
In Friday’s opening-round win over Norfolk State, Florida raced to a 32-point lead in the first 15 minutes. But the Spartans responded with an 11–0 run to close the half, shot 50% in the second period, and outscored the Gators 48–36 in the paint. Despite the 26-point final margin, questions remain about Florida’s second-half focus—and whether it can withstand a surge from a championship-tested UConn squad.
"I think our guys do a good job of raising to the level of our competition, making sure that we compete at an insanely high level," said Florida head coach Todd Golden. "They understand that if we don't do that against UConn, we're going home."
UF guard Alijah Martin echoed the sentiment: "We have our hands full."
That mindset is mutual. Florida believes UConn will have its own challenges to face.
"Our goal was to try to build something similar [to UConn]," Golden said. "I feel like we are in a really good spot right now."
For more insights, contact senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu.
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