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Kevin Ollie Sounds Off on the UConn Huskies’ Successful 2024 NCAA Title Defense: ‘They Have to Make Us Blue Blood Now’

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated 4/11/24

Before eventually becoming the Brooklyn Nets’ interim head coach , Kevin Ollie made his mark in the collegiate scene when he guided the UConn Huskies to a national title as their head coach in 2014.

Even though his tenure ended sourly after he was fired amid a violations investigation, Kevin Ollie was still upbeat to see his alma mater succeed after they repeated as NCAA champions on Monday night, beating the Purdue Boilermakers in the final.

“Yes, it’s great. Just to see them and what Dan Hurley’s done, and an amazing coaching staff and the players, just to continue the domination is great,” Ollie said after a Brooklyn Nets practice on Tuesday via New York Post. “Every time we get to the Final Four, we get to the final game and we don’t lose. I’m glad the streak is still alive.”

“They have to make us a blue blood now. They keep trying to keep us out. But we’ve been running this thing for 30 years, and everybody knows it,” he added.

UConn Huskies’ 2024 NCAA title run

The UConn Huskies successfully defended their title after steamrolling all of their opponents. The Dan Hurley-mentored squad won all six games by double digits, and they finished with an all-time high of +140 point differential.

Donovan Clingan was a key bench player in the 2023 title run, but he led the way for the UConn Huskies this season as their starting center by averaging 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game on 64.5 percent shooting from the floor during March Madness.

With six national titles, the UConn Huskies are tied with North Carolina for having the third-most championships in NCAA history, with only Kentucky (8) and UCLA (11) standing above them.

As for head coach Dan Hurley , he joined a list of just 15 other coaches in NCAA Tournament history to win multiple championships, joining Kansas Jayhawks’ Bill Self as the only active head coach with at least two titles.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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