UConn Huskies men's basketball

History

Early history (1901–1946)

Connecticut Agricultural College played its first organized men's basketball game on February 8, 1901, a 17–12 win against Willimantic High School. The victory led the school to add men's basketball as a varsity sport the following year. The program's first intercollegiate game came in the 1904–05 season, a 66–22 loss to UMass. Connecticut did not have a home court during these early years and eventually ceased competition in 1908 as a result. An independent team was given permission to compete under the school's name from 1910 to 1914. Connecticut resumed sponsorship of men's basketball as a varsity sport in the 1914–15 season following the construction of Hawley Armory, the school's first on-campus basketball court. The Aggies, as they were called at the time, had no coach from 1901 to 1915 and posted a 1–4 record on the 1914–15 season.

Looking to improve on its performance in the previous seasons, Connecticut named John F. Donahue as the program's first head coach in 1915. However, he led the team to four losing seasons and an 11–23 overall record during his tenure as head coach. Connecticut named M. Ross Swartz as Donahue's replacement in 1919. He posted a 7–5 record in his first year—the school's first winning season since returning basketball as a varsity sport—but finished 7–9 in his second.

With losing records in five out of the previous six years, Connecticut finally turned the corner when it named J. Wilder Tasker as head coach for the 1921–22 season. The Aggies played their most aggressive schedule to date, and opened the season with a 38–33 win against Harvard in Cambridge. In its second game, the team notched the program's first major upset, a 33–31 win over Army at West Point on December 21, 1921. Army was ranked No. 3 in the nation that season by the retrospective Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Connecticut finished the year 15–4 overall, the program's best season to date. Tasker returned for the 1922–23 season but abruptly resigned after the team's first game, a 52–19 loss to Army. He left Connecticut with a 15–5 overall record. Roy J. Guyer coached the remainder of the season, finishing 8–6 as interim head coach.

Connecticut named Sumner Dole as head coach ahead of the 1923–24 season. After posting a losing record in his first season, Dole led Connecticut to back-to-back New England Conference championships in 1925 and 1926. The Aggies went 10-4 in the 1924-25 season. Hugh Greer was captain of the 1925–26 team. That season included a 30–26 win over UMass, a team ranked No. 25 in the country that season by the retrospective Premo-Porretta Power Poll. After the 1926–27 season, Dole stepped down as men's basketball head coach, but continued to coach the school's football team. He finished with a 34–22 record over four seasons as head coach.

Hugh Greer era (1946–1963)

The modern era of UConn basketball began in 1946, when Hugh Greer became head coach after Gullion's midseason departure. Greer, a former player at the school in the 1920s, was in his second season as UConn's freshman team coach when Gullion resigned. Prior to that, Greer had coached at South Windsor's Ellsworth High School, winning five state championships between 1939 and 1945.

Led by senior Walt Dropo, a three-sport star at the school, the Huskies started the 1946–47 season 4–2 under Gullion, with road losses to rival Rhode Island and an NYU team that appeared in the NCAA tournament the previous year. Gullion resigned after the loss to NYU. The school then asked Greer to helm the team. He led UConn to a perfect 12–0 mark to finish the year, giving the team an overall record of 16–2 on the season. This was the best single season finish in school history to that point.

In the 1947–48 season, UConn moved into a new home arena, the Storrs Cage, replacing Hawley Armory. The structure was built by salvaging parts from a World War II airplane hangar, leading to the nickname "the Hangar." This facility had a capacity of 4,000 seats, allowing general admission attendance for the first time. The team's first game in the Storrs Cage was a 63–29 win over Maine in January 1948. The Huskies won their first Yankee Conference title at the end of that season.

UConn made its first NCAA tournament appearance in the 1950–51 season, where they lost to St. John's 63–52 at Madison Square Garden. The Huskies finished the season with a 22–4 overall record. In the 1953–54 season, Greer famously led UConn to a 78–77 victory against undefeated Holy Cross, breaking the Crusaders' 47-game home winning streak and keeping them out of the NCAA tournament. Holy Cross won the NIT title a few weeks later. UConn made its second NCAA tournament appearance and finished the year with a 23–3 overall record after a first round loss.

The UConn Field House replaced the Cage as the team's home court at the start of the 1954–55 season. UConn defeated rival Rhode Island in resounding fashion, 116–77, in the field house's inaugural game on December 1, 1954. The Huskies ended the season with their first National Invitation Tournament appearance and a 20–5 overall record.

Fred Shabel era (1963–1967)

UConn named Fred Shabel as Greer's permanent replacement at head coach on April 1, 1963. Shabel previously spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Duke, four of which were under College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Vic Bubas. He played a role in Duke's first Final Four run in 1963 and initially accepted an offer to coach at Rutgers the following season, but withdrew after feeling unprepared to lead their program to success. Instead, he chose to accept an offer from Connecticut, which he believed had a clear path to the NCAA tournament in the Yankee Conference.

Shabel implemented a number of changes that had a significant impact on UConn's program and its culture. He introduced multiple defensive schemes for the first time, began calling offensive sets from the bench and pushed for the creation of the UConn pep band. Unlike Greer, who remained seated during most games, Shabel often stood and walked along the sideline.

Shabel's first year at the helm was an uneven one, with a 6–8 record in non-conference play in the 1963–64 season. However, the Huskies went 8–2 in Yankee Conference regular season play, tying with Rhode Island atop the conference standings to claim the program's 14th Yankee Conference title. In a one-game playoff, UConn defeated Rhode Island 61–60 on the road to break the tie, clinching the program's ninth appearance in the NCAA tournament. In the first round, UConn avenged a regular season loss to Temple, beating the heavily favored Owls 53–48 in Philadelphia. They faced even more difficult matchup with Princeton in the Sweet Sixteen. Before the game, Princeton coach Butch van Breda Kolff said he was so confident in his team's ability to win that he did not watch the Huskies' game against Temple. A tightly contested game throughout, UConn's Dom Perno stole the ball from future Hall of Famer Bill Bradley in the final seconds to seal a 52–50 win, sending the Huskies to the Elite Eight for the first time ever. The run ended there, however, as UConn lost to Shabel's former team, Duke, by a score of 101–55 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Under Shabel, the Huskies won four Yankee Conference championships in four years, leading to three NCAA tournament berths. By the mid-1960s, UConn had appeared in the NCAA tournament 11 times, second most in the country. After the 1966–67 season, Shabel stepped down as head coach to become the athletic director at Penn. He later attributed the move to the school's ambivalence about committing greater financial resources to athletics, including the administration's decision to decline an invitation to the NIT in 1966 without consulting him.

Burr Carlson era (1967–1969)

After Shabel's departure, UConn offered the head coaching job to Larry Brown, then a young assistant coach at North Carolina. Brown declined, saying he felt he was too "young" to take a head coaching position.

The job ultimately went to Burr Carlson, a former player and an assistant under Shabel. Carlson led UConn to back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in over 30 years and resigned.

Dee Rowe era (1969–1977)

UConn named Dee Rowe head coach ahead of the 1969–70 season. Under Rowe, the Huskies returned to form, winning the Yankee Conference title in his first year. Rowe posted six winning seasons in eight years, with one NCAA berth and two NIT appearances. On Feb. 19, 1974, UConn became the first school in New England and one of the first in the country to start five black players in an intercollegiate basketball game. In 1976, UConn won the ECAC New England regional championship to earn an NCAA berth and then beat Hofstra in the first round of the 1976 NCAA tournament to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time ever. They ultimately lost to Rutgers in the Sweet Sixteen matchup, 93–79.

At the end of the 1975–76 season, the Yankee Conference dropped basketball, which left UConn as an independent. Rowe coached the Huskies' first season as an independent before retiring from coaching at 48 years old, citing heath issues at the time. He later would cite "burn out" as the reason for his decision.

Dom Perno era (1977–1986)

Former UConn star Dom Perno was tapped as Rowe's successor for the 1977–78 season. Perno oversaw UConn's transition from an independent program to a member of the newly formed Big East Conference in 1979, where UConn was one of the seven founding schools. Under Perno, the Huskies had some early success, winning an ECAC New England regional championship in 1979 and earning one NCAA berth (1979) and three NIT appearances over his first five years. However, after four consecutive losing seasons, Perno resigned on April 14, 1986.

Jim Calhoun era (1986–2012)

UConn hired Northeastern head coach Jim Calhoun to take over the program in the 1986–87 season. Before coming to Connecticut, Calhoun spent 14 seasons at Northeastern, leading the team to the NCAA tournament five times in his last six years with the school. In his final season, Calhoun's Northeastern team defeated UConn 90–73 in a game at the Hartford Civic Center.

Calhoun inherited a team that included future NBA player Clifford Robinson. However, Robinson and fellow starter Phil Gamble were declared academically ineligible halfway through the year. Calhoun finished his first year with a record of 9–19 overall and 3–13 in Big East conference play to garner his only losing season as UConn's head coach.

Heading into the 1987–88 season, Robinson and Gamble regained their academic eligibility and the team showed significant improvement. The Huskies won a game in the Big East tournament for the first time since 1980 and gained a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. UConn went on a run in the tournament and defeated Ohio State 72–67 at Madison Square Garden to win the NIT, the school's first national basketball title. UConn finished the season with a 20–14 record, its first winning season since 1981–82. The Huskies would ultimately achieve winning records in every season from 1987–88 through 2015–16.

The 1990 “Dream Season” brought UConn basketball back to the national stage. Led by Chris Smith, Nadav Henefeld, Scott Burrell, Tate George, and Rod Sellers, UConn went from unranked in the preseason to winning the Big East regular season and tournament championships, both for the first time. January 1990 in particular marked several major milestones for the team. After an already historic 13–3 start to the season, the Huskies were able to defeat No. 5 Syracuse and No. 2 Georgetown in back-to-back games played at the Hartford Civic Center. After their 70–65 victory over the Hoyas on January 20th, the Huskies entered the AP ranking for the first time all season at No. 20. 1990 also marked the opening of Gampel Pavilion, the program's new on-campus home, which opened on January 21st.

UConn entered the Big East tournament ranked No. 8 in the nation and with a 12–4 record in conference play. As the #2 seed in the tournament, the Huskies handily defeated Seton Hall in the quarterfinals before capturing a 65–60 victory over No. 5 Georgetown the following day. On March 11, UConn defeated No. 4 Syracuse 78–75 in the championship game to capture their first ever Big East title, thus assuring their place in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1979.

Kevin Ollie era (2012–2018)

Kevin Ollie was named UConn's next head coach at Jim Calhoun's retirement press conference in Gampel Pavilion. Ollie played for Calhoun from 1991 to 1995 before spending 13 seasons as a journeyman in the NBA. He returned to UConn in 2010 to serve as one of Calhoun's assistant coaches during the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons.

Conference realignment resulted in the breakup of the old Big East at the end of the Ollie's first season as a head coach. Instead of leaving with the so-called Catholic 7 schools, UConn chose to remain a member of the original Big East's legal successor, later named the American Athletic Conference. Until leaving the American in 2020 to join the new Big East, UConn was the only charter member of the original Big East still playing in the conference.

After facing a ban in postseason play in Ollie's first season due to a low APR score, the Huskies came into the 2013–14 season ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25 poll. They started the year 9–0, which included a 59–58 win over Indiana in the 2K Sports Classic championship game and a 65–64 win over No. 15 Florida on a buzzer-beater from Shabazz Napier. UConn climbed to No. 10 in the AP poll before losing its first game to Stanford on December 18, 2013. The team finished the year tied for third in the inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference and advanced to the AAC tournament championship game, where they lost by 10 points to No. 5 Louisville. UConn was selected to the NCAA Tournament as a #7 seed and then defeated #10 seed St Joseph’s in overtime, #2 seed Villanova, and #3 seed Iowa State in the Sweet 16 to advance to the regional final. On March 30, 2014, Kevin Ollie became the first UConn coach other than Jim Calhoun to lead the Huskies to a Final Four after defeating #4 seed Michigan State 60–54 in the Elite Eight. The Huskies beat the #1 overall seed Florida 63–53 in the Final Four and then won the national championship on April 7, 2014, defeating #8 seed Kentucky, 60–54.

Shabazz Napier was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and in his postgame remarks called out the NCAA for the previous year's postseason ban: "You're looking at the hungry Huskies. This is what happens when you ban us." Other major contributions to the team's unexpected tournament run came from point guard Ryan Boatright, who averaged over 12 points and 3.5 rebounds per game throughout the season, and small forward DeAndre Daniels. Ollie's team was the first #7 seed to ever win the NCAA tournament. UConn finished the season with a 32–8 overall record. After the season, Napier and Daniels were selected in the 2014 NBA draft as the No. 24 and No. 37 overall picks, respectively.

Dan Hurley era (2018–present)

UConn hired Rhode Island head coach Dan Hurley as Ollie's replacement for the 2018–19 season. He was introduced on March 23, 2018. Prior to his six seasons at Rhode Island, Hurley spent nine years coaching at St. Benedict's Preparatory School in New Jersey and two years at Wagner College. His father is Bob Hurley Sr., a longtime New Jersey high school basketball coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and his brother is Bobby Hurley, two-time national champion as a player and current head coach at Arizona State.

Hurley's first season at UConn was an up-and-down affair. The first marquee win under Hurley came in his third game when the Huskies defeated No. 15 Syracuse 83–76 in the 2K Sports Classic semifinals at Madison Square Garden. This win was the programs first top 15 victory since the 2014 NCAA tournament. However, UConn lost to Iowa the following day in the tournament championship game and continued to struggle heavily throughout the season against quality opponents. The team ultimately garnered a 6–12 record in the American Athletic Conference, its worst record in conference play in over three decades. The Huskies were given a #9 seed in the AAC tournament, and their season ended with an 84–45 loss to #1 seed Houston in the quarterfinals. While UConn's 16–17 record was an improvement from the previous year, it marked the third-straight losing season for the program.

On June 27, 2019, UConn and the Big East announced that the school would return to the conference for the 2020–21 season.

With UConn's return to the Big East imminent, the Huskies had one season left to play in the American Athletic Conference. The team gained a 4-star recruiting class that included future First-team All-Big East guard James Bouknight, as well as transfer point guard R. J. Cole (had to redshirt due to transfer portal rules). UConn started the year 9–3, including an upset win over No. 15 Florida at Gampel Pavilion on November 17, 2019. In one of the most memorable games of the year, the Huskies lost 75–74 in double overtime to No. 18 Xavier in the Charleston Classic tournament semifinals on November 22, 2019. The team ultimately went on to finish in 3rd place in the tournament after defeating Miami 80–55 the next day. Despite the loss, it became clear that UConn was becoming a more competitive team after suffering three losing seasons in a row. On January 18, 2020, after a 61–55 loss at No. 14 Villanova—a non-conference game that would become a conference game the next year—Hurley remarked that other teams "better get us now. That's all, you better get us now. Because it's coming," foreshadowing the program's return to national relevance in the years ahead. In the penultimate game of the regular season, UConn defeated No. 21 Houston 77–71 at Gampel Pavilion on senior night and finished the year tied for fifth place in the American with a 10–8 record in conference play.

Facilities

Hawley Armory (1915–1947)

Storrs Cage (1948–1954)

Hugh S. Greer Field House (1954–1990)

PeoplesBank Arena (formerly known as the Hartford Civic Center and XL Center) (1975–present)

Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (1990–present)

Werth Family Champions Center (2014–present)

Like several other programs in the Big East, UConn splits their home schedule between on-campus Gampel Pavilion and a larger professional-standard arena, in this case PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford (roughly 25 miles from the Storrs campus). However, unlike many of these programs who primarily play non-conference games and occasionally some less-popular Big East opponents on campus, the Huskies divide their home games roughly equally between the two arenas and do not reserve marquee games for Hartford. The athletic department sells separate ticket packages for Storrs and Hartford games and runs a free shuttle bus service for students to attend games at PeoplesBank Arena.

UConn's basketball programs train at the Werth Family Champions Center, constructed on the site of Memorial Stadium, which previously hosted the football team before their move to Rentschler Field in East Hartford. The $40 million facility consists of two identical wings for the men's and women's teams. Both wings feature a full basketball court, two breakout half-court areas and a foul-shooting lane, dressing rooms and player lounges, medical facilities, and state-of-the-art strength training gyms. Shared facilities within the building include academic support areas, meeting spaces, and a cafeteria.

Postseason results

Source

Regular season conference championships

UConn has won 34 conference regular season championships over the past century. The program currently holds the record for the most Big East regular season titles (11) and Yankee Conference regular season titles (18).

New England Conference (5)

1925, 1926, 1928, 1941, 1944

Yankee Conference (18)

1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970

Big East Conference (11)

1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2024

Conference tournament championships

For much of the 20th century, UConn was a member of conferences that did not hold a postseason tournament (New England and Yankee). The advent of the ECAC men's basketball tournaments in the 1974–75 season provided UConn with its first opportunity to win a postseason conference championship. Over the past half century, UConn has won 11 conference tournament titles. The program is currently tied with Georgetown for the most Big East tournament championships (8) all time.

ECAC New England Tournament (2)

1976, 1979

Big East Conference Tournament (8)

1990, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2011, 2024

American Athletic Conference Tournament (1)

2016

NCAA tournament seeding history

The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.

Indicates NCAA championship

* Indicates overall number one seed

† Indicates vacated by the NCAA

NCAA Final Fours

1999 – Champion

2004 – Champion

2009 – Semifinalist

2011 – Champion

2014 – Champion

2023 – Champion

2024 – Champion

2026 – Runner-up

National Championships

The Huskies were the top seed in the West region, and a win over Gonzaga in the regional final sent UConn to Tropicana Field for the program's first Final Four appearance. They defeated Ohio State 64–58 in the National Semifinals to advance to play against Duke in the National Championship. Despite having been ranked No. 1 for half of the year, the Huskies entered the national championship game as 9-point underdogs.

UConn won their first national title with a 77–74 victory. Richard Hamilton was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

In 2004, the Huskies returned to the Final Four. Once again they faced Duke, this time in the National Semifinal, and used a late run to beat the Blue Devils 79–78. Two nights later, led by Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, Connecticut won their second national title with an 82–73 victory over Georgia Tech. Okafor was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

One day later the UConn women's basketball team also won a national title, making UConn the first and only school in NCAA Division I history to have its men's and women's basketball programs win a national championship in the same season.

The 2011 Huskies won 11 straight games in postseason play, the final six of which resulted in the program's third national championship. On April 4, 2011, they defeated the Butler Bulldogs, 53–41. UConn junior Kemba Walker was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Many consider UConn's win in the Championship Game to be a great defensive performance, as the Huskies held Butler to only 18.8% shooting from the field (a record for field goal percentage defense in a championship game) and tied a title game record with ten blocked shots. An analysis by Sports Illustrated columnist Luke Winn credited the Huskies' defense by demonstrating, for instance, that they blocked or altered a staggering 26.6% of Butler's shots – compared to just 3.8% by Pittsburgh and 12.1% by VCU in earlier rounds. The 53 points scored by Connecticut were, in turn, the lowest point total by a winning team in a championship game since 1949.

In 2014, led by American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Shabazz Napier, UConn became the first #7 seed to win the NCAA Championship, getting past No. 1 seed Florida, No. 2 seed Villanova, No. 3 seed Iowa State, and No. 4 seed Michigan State, before defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 60–54 in the championship game in Arlington, Texas. UConn is undefeated in the state of Texas in the Final Four (6–0).

Complete NCAA tournament results

The Huskies have appeared in the NCAA tournament 39 times. Their combined record is 77–34. They have been to seven Final Fours and are six-time National Champions (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024).

*NCAA vacated all of UConn's games in 1996 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Totals above do not include vacated games.

NIT results

The Huskies have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 13 times. Their combined record is 15–12. They were NIT champions in 1988.

Coaches

The following is a list of Connecticut Huskies men's basketball head coaches. The team is currently coached by Dan Hurley, alongside associate head coach Kimani Young and assistant coaches Mike Pegues and Mike Nardi.

Note: Records updated through end of 2025–26 season.

Retired numbers

Three men's basketball players have had their numbers retired at UConn. For more than a century, UConn's basketball programs did not have any retired numbers. On December 7, 2018, UConn announced that the No. 34 worn by Ray Allen—along with the No. 50 worn by UConn women's basketball star Rebecca Lobo—would be the first-ever to be permanently retired for each respective team. Allen and Lobo were the first players in school history inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Allen's number retirement ceremony was held at Gampel Pavilion on March 3, 2019.

On January 30, 2024, UConn announced that the No. 32 worn by Richard Hamilton would be the second number retired by the program. Hamilton's number retirement ceremony was held at Gampel Pavilion on February 24, 2024.

On February 9, 2026, UConn announced that Emeka Okafor's No. 50 would be retired at halftime of the Huskies' February 18 game against Creighton at Gampel Pavilion.

Huskies of Honor

The Huskies of Honor program recognizes the top players, coaches and administrators in the history of UConn men's and women's basketball. On December 26, 2006, the university announced the inaugural class, which included 13 players and 3 coaches from the men's basketball program. The men's basketball inaugural class was formally inducted in a ceremony on February 5, 2007. Former athletic director John Toner was inducted on February 28, 2009. On April 5, 2011, Kemba Walker was the first men's basketball player to be added to the program since the inaugural inductees, an honor he was bestowed after leading the team to a national championship.

The Huskies of Honor are each recognized by a four by five foot panel which displays his name, jersey number and years of service, and a plaque which summarizes each's career accomplishments; Both the panels and the plaques are on permanent display at Gampel Pavilion on the main campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

Coaches and administrators

Hugh Greer, head coach, 1946–1963

Dee Rowe, head coach, 1969–1977

John Toner, athletic director, 1969–1987

Jim Calhoun, head coach, 1986–2012

Teams

1999 National Championship Team

2004 National Championship Team

Huskies in the NBA

Since the creation of the National Basketball Association in 1946, more than 40 former UConn stars have played in the league. Thirteen of them have received NBA honors and awards, and five have won an NBA championship. While the league has shown an interest in UConn's top players since the first NBA draft in 1947, the Huskies emerged as a consistent talent pipeline to the professional level in the 1990s.

UConn has produced some of the greatest players in NBA history, nearly all in the past three decades. The list of former UConn players in the NBA includes:

Ray Allen, a 10-time NBA All-Star who won two NBA championships and retired as the NBA's all-time leader in 3-point field goals made. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2021, Allen was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, which honored the 75 greatest players in NBA history. ESPN ranked him as the 47th greatest NBA player all time in 2021.

Richard Hamilton, a three-time NBA All-Star and leading scorer on the Detroit Pistons for eight consecutive seasons—including during the team's run to the NBA championship in 2004. The Pistons retired his number in 2017.

Kemba Walker, a four-time NBA All-Star and the all-time leading scorer for the Charlotte Hornets. Walker is widely regarded as the greatest player in the history of the Hornets franchise.

Andre Drummond, a two-time NBA All-Star and four-time winner of the NBA rebounding title. He has the highest rebounding percentage of any player in NBA history.

Clifford Robinson, an NBA All-Star and 1994 NBA Sixth Man of the Year who was one of the first 3-point shooting big men in NBA history. A two-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection, Robinson is one of only seven players in NBA/ABA history to record 1,300 blocks and 1,300 steals. He played in 1,380 career games, 14th most in NBA history. His teams appeared in the playoffs in all but one of his 18 seasons in the league.

NBA draft

There have been 59 former UConn players selected in the NBA draft, including 27 first-round picks and 17 lottery picks. Walt Dropo was the first UConn player to be drafted—selected with the fourth overall pick in the inaugural draft in 1947—but ultimately chose to play professional baseball instead. In the 2006 NBA draft, the Huskies tied the record for most first-round picks from one school (4) and tied the second-highest number of picks from one school in a single NBA draft (5).

# NBA Lottery Pick

NBA careers

There are 46 former UConn players who have played in the NBA. The program's first NBA player was Worthy Patterson, who played for the St. Louis Hawks for three months during the 1957–58 NBA season. Ten Huskies were considered active during the 2025–26 season.

Bold indicates players considered active in the 2025–26 NBA season. All stats updated through end of 2025–26 season.

ABA careers

Two former UConn players—Wes Bialosuknia and Jimmy Foster—were drafted in the NBA but elected to play in the American Basketball Association instead. Bialosuknia was selected by the Oakland Oaks in the first round of the inaugural ABA draft in 1967. While he only played one season in the ABA, he finished with the league's second-highest 3-point field goal percentage and the league record for most consecutive 3-point field goals (9). Foster was selected by the Carolina Cougars in the seventh round of the ABA draft in 1974. He spent two seasons in the ABA and played in the ABA All-Star game as a member of the Denver Nuggets in 1976. After the 1975–76 season concluded, the ABA merged with the NBA. Foster then faced a contract dispute with Nuggets and left the team. He briefly played in Europe before retiring from professional basketball.

Huskies in USA Basketball

Since 1980, USA Basketball has selected 23 players and three coaches with UConn ties to represent the United States in international competition. UConn players and coaches have combined to win 18 gold medals at various levels of competition, including at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games and the 2010 and 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cups.

Three Huskies have represented the United States in men's basketball during the Olympic Games:

Ray Allen, a starter on the gold medal-winning team in 2000

Emeka Okafor, a reserve on the bronze medal-winning team in 2004

Dee Rowe, an assistant coach on the team in 1980 when the United States boycotted the Summer Olympics

In addition, four Huskies have represented the United States in the FIBA Basketball World Cup:

Rudy Gay, a reserve who averaged double-digit minutes on the gold medal-winning teams in 2010 and 2014

Andre Drummond, a reserve on the gold medal-winning team in 2014

Chris Smith, a starter on the bronze-medal winning team in 1990

Kemba Walker, a starter and leading scorer on the seventh-place team in 2019

Gay is one of only three players in USA Basketball history to win two FIBA Basketball World Cups. UConn players have also won gold medals at the FIBA AmeriCup (1999, 2003), the Goodwill Games (1998) and the World University Games (1995, 1999).

Players

Source

Coaches

Source

Notable victories

December 10, 1921 – UConn upsets Army at West Point, 33–31. Phil Dean hits a game-winning shot with under 30 seconds left to secure the win over an Army squad ranked No. 3 in the nation that season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.

February 27, 1954 – Worthy Patterson's buzzer-beater at No. 7 Holy Cross gives UConn an upset of the then-powerhouse Crusaders, 78–77.

March 13, 1956 – UConn defeats Manhattan 84–75 to win an NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament game for the first time.

March 14, 1964 – UConn upsets Princeton and star forward Bill Bradley 52–50 in the Sweet Sixteen. The victory is sealed when Dom Perno steals the ball from Bradley with 19 seconds to play. Perno would later become UConn's coach.

February 28, 1970 ("The Slowdown Game") – With four players unavailable and a share of the Yankee Conference Regular-Season Championship on the line, UConn beats Rhode Island 35–32 at the Field House. Played before the shot clock-era, UConn dribbles endlessly for 38 minutes to make up for their limited roster.

March 30, 1988 – UConn defeats Ohio State 72–67 at Madison Square Garden to win the 1988 National Invitation Tournament.

January 27, 1990 – UConn beats No. 15 St. John's 72–58 in the first game played at Gampel Pavilion.

March 11, 1990 – UConn beats Syracuse 78–75 at Madison Square Garden to win its first Big East men's tournament championship.

March 22, 1990 ("The Shot") – Tate George makes a shot at the buzzer to beat Clemson 71–70 in the 1990 Sweet Sixteen at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

March 9, 1996 – With 4 minutes remaining, UConn trails Georgetown 74–63. The Huskies close the game with a 12–0 run and win the Big East Championship 75–74 on an off-balance floater from All-American Ray Allen at Madison Square Garden.

Awards

Source

Records

Sources

Conference records

Regular season championships: 11

Regular season conference wins: 18

Tournament championships: 8

Regular season championships: 18

NCAA records

Best point differential in single year, men's tournament history: +140 – UConn, 2024

Consecutive double digit wins vs. non-conference opponents: 24 – UConn, 2022–2024

Games in a season (since 1948): 41 – UConn, 2011 (32–9)

Highest average margin of victory in tournament, championship winner: 23.3 – UConn, 2024

Lead before opponent scores to start a game (Division I): 32–0 – UConn vs. New Hampshire, Dec. 12, 1990

Most consecutive wins, Sweet Sixteen or later: 19 – UConn, 2011–2026

Number of different players to score a three-point field goal in a single game, one team: 10 – UConn vs. Xavier, Jan. 28, 2024

Rebounds per game (season): 70.0 – UConn, 1955 (1,751 rebounds in 25 games)