1 year, 11 months and 20 days.
For nearly two years, UConn reigned supreme as National Champions over the college basketball world. The reign came to an end as Florida emerged to finally topple the mighty Huskies in the 2025 Round of 32 and went on to win the National Title.
260 days later, No. 5 UConn will step back into the ring for a rematch with No. 15 Florida during the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. This time the Huskies will enter as the challenger, without the belt around their waist.
“I got a lot of respect for those guys. I’ve got a lot of respect for Todd. I loved his team. They truly earned the championship with the quality of teams they had to beat along the way.”
You cannot talk about college basketball in the 21st century without Connecticut and Florida. The two programs represent nearly one third of the National Champions since 2000, the Huskies with five and the Gators with three. They are also the only teams since Duke in 1992 to win back-to-back titles.
UConn and Florida have met seven times since their inaugural meeting in the 1994 Sweet 16, where the Gators came out on top 69-60. The Huskies won the following five meetings before last year’s defeat, including a win in the 2014 Final Four.
Both heavyweights enter the World’s Most Famous Arena battle hardened through rigorous non-conference slates.
The Huskies have taken on a gauntlet of ranked opponents, pulling out wins over multiple ranked opponents while their only loss came to then-No. 5 Arizona. UConn’s résumé includes wins over BYU, Illinois and Kansas, all of which are currently ranked inside the top 20 teams in the country.
Florida has faced the tenth most difficult non-conference schedule in the country, according to KenPom Net Rating. The Gators slate has been headlined by losses to then No.22 Arizona, the current No. 1 team in the country and then-No. 4 Duke. UConn will be the Gators’ third opponent currently ranked in the top five of the season.
“Florida is as big a challenge as anyone that we’ve faced or anyone that we’ve seen,” Head Coach Dan Hurley said. “Seeing them go on the road and show that championship DNA… that tells you everything you need to know about what we’re up against tomorrow night.”
Rebounding will be a crtitcal storyline entering Tuesday’s matchup. Florida is one of the best rebounding teams in the country as they are tied with Columbia for the highest rebounding margin in the league. Alex Condon and Rueben Chenyelu lead the effort in the paint. Condon is averaging over 15 points with nine rebounds, while Rueben provides a double-double average with 11.2 boards per game.
“They’re the biggest team you’ll play against…wings through center,” Hurley said. “Their three, four and five, it’s like the Celtics. It’s like Larry Bird, McHale and Parish.”
UConn has already felt the consequences of being without its fully healthy front court. The Huskies were outrebounded by 20 without Tarris Reed Jr in their lone loss of the season against Arizona.
Reed has missed the past two games with an ankle sprain he suffered against BYU and is considered a game-time decision for the Jimmy V.
“The elephant in the room is rebounding. That’s with or without Tarris. That’s a challenge either way. They’re one of the best rebounding teams in the country,” Hurley said.
Freshman Eric Reibe has had to fill in the shoes of the Huskies’ Preseason Big East First Team selection through a tough stretch. In the road win over Kansas, Reibe turned in 12 points and eight rebounds while playing in one of the most hostile environments in the sport.
“I’m floored by how well and how tough big Eric has been for us,” Hurley said. “Eric has done an incredible job and deserves probably the most credit of anyone in the program for the position we’ve been able to keep ourselves in.”
UConn has also received a boost from Reibe’s fellow freshman Braylon Mullins. The former five-star recruit made his collegiate debut at Madison Square Garden against Illinois and returns to the duly nicknamed “Storrs South” on a hot stretch.
Mullins is riding a two-game double digit scoring stretch off the bench, which includes a game-high 17 points in just his second career game against Kansas. His explosion onto the scene earned him the nod for Big East Freshman of the Week on Monday.
The Huskies will look to improve their résumé with just two games left in their non-conference schedule, and Big East play just around the corner.
Tuesday’s game will tip off at 9:00 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN.