When you think of the best dynasties of all time what comes to mind? Is it the Patriots of the 2000s and early 2010s? The Warriors of the mid-2010s? The Yankees back when gas was $0.10/gallon? While they were all great, it may be time to admit the UConn basketball programs of the 21st century are the best of them all.
Most of the talk this week around college basketball has been about the NC State Wolfpack, specifically on the men’s side, reaching the Final Four. The women have also provided their fair share of fireworks this March, as they reached the pinnacle of college basketball last weekend as well.
Both programs reaching the Final Four was a massive headline considering it had only been done 12 times previously. Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, the achievement got overshadowed just one day later when Paige Bueckers led the UConn Huskies to an Elite 8 victory over USC.
This is the fifth time both the UConn men and women have reached the Final Four in the same year.
Of the 14 instances of this happening EVER, the Uconn Huskies have five of them. Even more impressively, it has all happened in the last 20 years (2004, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2024). Let me repeat that. There have been 14 instances of a men’s and women’s basketball team from the same school reaching the Final Four in the same season. The Huskies own over a third of them.
Do you notice a pattern? If we’re in the 21st century and the year ends in “4”, the UConn men and women are going to win their respective regions. In fact, in 2004 and 2014 both teams cut down the nets (the men also did it in 2011 while the women were lone-winners in 2009).
Personally I’m infuriated with myself that I did not see this trend sooner. At least then I could have put in some futures and lived with the fact Auburn’s first-round loss to Yale didn’t even matter.
All the talk this week is going to be about Dan Hurley’s Huskies looking to become the first men’s repeat champion since Florida in 2006-2007, but this trend should be getting more recognition. We spoke about sports records that will never be broken on the podcast a few weeks ago. A third “double-natty” from UConn basketball may be the new leader.
Especially considering no other programs have both reached the Final Four more than once.
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