Is this the greatest UConn men’s basketball team we have ever seen?

1999 UConn national title team

In Calhoun’s 13th season as the UConn Huskies’ head coach, the program finally brought home its first-ever national championship trophy. 

In the season just before the turn of the century, the Huskies lost only two games. While they didn’t become the eighth-ever undefeated team to become national champions, losing a minimal two games over an entire year is astonishing.

Starting the season at No. 2 nationally, UConn went on to earn a No. 1 ranking from Dec. 1, 1998 through Feb. 7, 1999.

In the NCAA Tournament, the Huskies blew past UTSA and New Mexico in the opening rounds of the Big Dance.

In the Sweet Sixteen, UConn defeated Iowa by 10 points. In the Elite Eight, the Huskies earned an 8-point win over Gonzaga. Ohio State was the next to fall as UConn took the Buckeyes down 64-58 in the Final Four.

The national championship game saw the Huskies upset the No. 1-ranked Duke Blue Devils 77-74 to bring home UConn’s first national title.

The 1998-99 UConn Huskies have not only one less loss than the 2023-24 team currently has, they secured the national title which has yet to happen this season.

While the Dan Hurley Huskies are no doubt an incredible team, they are still two games away from cementing their legacy as the best UConn squad of all time.

If, and this is a big if, the Huskies can defeat Alabama in the Final Four and go on to win UConn its sixth NCAA Tournament championship, they will undeniably be the greatest Connecticut team this country has ever seen.

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