Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: Winners and losers from UConn’s move back to Big East

By Brian Rauf

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley high-fives Tarin Smith #2 of the Connecticut Huskies after the the Huskies won 83-76 over Syracuse Orange during the 2k Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley high-fives Tarin Smith #2 of the Connecticut Huskies after the the Huskies won 83-76 over Syracuse Orange during the 2k Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies is ejected from the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the championship game of the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies is ejected from the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the championship game of the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

Winner: Dan Hurley

UConn hired Hurley last offseason and tasked him with rebuilding the program after the Kevin Ollie era. This move has made accomplishing that feat a whole lot easier.

That’s not to say the competition in the Big East is easier than that in the American, because it is not – the path to returning to the nation’s elite becomes more clear.

For starters, Hurley should be able to have much more success recruiting because of all the reasons listed previously. You can’t win games without talent and all the advantages are back in UConn’s corner.

The Huskies also needed to rejuvenate the fan base and create some positive momentum within and around the program. Doing so while in the American was an uphill battle. Now, there’s an air of excitement around the program that hasn’t been there since they won that championship in 2014. It’s on Hurley and the coaching staff to capitalize on this change, but the opportunity is there.

We’ve recently seen Penny Hardaway capitalize on momentum at Memphis, Patrick Ewing capitalize on momentum at Georgetown, and Kelvin Sampson capitalize on momentum at Houston. If Hurley can be the next to do so, the Huskies will be nationally relevant again in no time.