Dan Hurley’s “clutch mentality” has been described as—intense, nerve-wracking, but effective. After all, the Huskies look at 2 back-to-back championships now. However, as the 2024-25 season continues, that approach appears to be beginning to crack. Could Hurley’s signature strategy finally be losing its edge?

Former player and analyst Terrence Oglesby on Field of 68: After Dark didn’t hold back when he gave his take on UConn’s championship chances this season. “They’re not winning the National Championship this year,” he declared, erasing any pictures of Huskies in San Antonio for the title game.  

Oglesby’s words were a wake-up call for Dan Hurley. While UConn may still be relevant, the path to getting there looks much harder. The Huskies are 9-4 in the Big East, clinching them fourth in the standings in the conference, and overall 17-7. They’ve been resilient, but to be honest, they don’t have the same dominance that made them unstoppable in recent years. Attribute that in large part to the roster change-ups.

UConn entered the season with 6 new faces, void of 4 starters — Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, and Cam Spencer — thanks to the NBA draft, and only 3 returns from the previous two championship teams. Hurley always knew it was going to be a challenge. But they still continue to be in championship talks — thanks in part to Liam McNeely’s fiery 34-point comeback — and that’s a thing Oglesby commends.

“The fact that we’re even talking about them being in the conversation, with the roster almost completely turned over, and making a deep second-weekend run is insane anyway, it’s insane! So they’re still good,” he adds. But not before throwing a jab and closing Hurley’s case for the season. “Two rings, Baldey—that was awesome!”

But Oglesby didn’t stop there. He shared a funny moment that painted Hurley in a more, let’s say, eccentric light. “And then, when he does that, he goes in the tunnel where there are no more fans and starts waving his arms up to get them fired up. There was nobody in there; there was an audience of none! And Dan is firing up the crowd in the tunnel. Dan, what are you doing? Dan’s the best—he’s one of the nicest guys; he is awesome! But what are you doing, Dan?” 

Despite Dan Hurley’s quirky antics, UConn’s season has still been respectable with 9 conference wins. Their last 70-66 outing against Creighton was even more of a boost. But if their recent inconsistency were to persist, Oglesby wouldn’t be exaggerating. They are out of the Top 25 now, a long way from no.3 during the season’s beginning; leaving them with a lot to prove. 

Dan Hurley’s slimming odds for a third national title

With that, what does it leave UConn’s hopes for a third consecutive national championship in 2025? According to current odds, it doesn’t look too good. UConn’s chances have nosedived—from +1000 to +3500, according to BetMGM.  That drop says it all—there’s less and less faith in their ability to win it all again this year.

The stiff competition is only making things tougher for dan Hurley. Auburn (+375) and Duke (+400) are currently the favorites, with UConn way down the line. Furthermore, winning three championships in a row is quite the rare feat. In fact, no team has managed that feat since UCLA’s dynasty back in the 1960s and 70s.

And as of February 2025, UConn’s play hasn’t been as dominant as in previous seasons. In fact, they’ve been described as “merely good,” without that midseason surge that has been a hallmark of their past championship runs. While they still have some talent, like Alex Karaban, the team is relying on younger, less experienced players to step up—and that’s been a challenge.

However, they are not out of the race just yet. As Hurley says: “No one gets crowned in February. There are no crowns handed out for a while here.”