Jay Williams has high praise for UConn HC Dan Hurley ahead of Final Four

As a five-time NCAA champion, three-time Naismith Coach of the Year, three-time Olympic Gold medalist and the all-time wins leader in Division I (1,202), there is not much that former Duke HC Mike Krzyzewski did not accomplish.

For Hurley to even be mentioned in the same sentence as him speaks volumes. To put it in perspective, he has won two titles in three seasons and could add a third in four campaigns. It took Krzyzewski 10 seasons after his first title to claim a third, which shows how remarkable Hurley's run has been to be this close to a third championship so soon.

Last season's second-round exit prevented UConn from achieving a three-peat when the eventual champion Florida Gators eliminated it. Aside from that, the Huskies have been as consistent as any program in the country under Hurley's leadership. 

This season alone, UConn played five ranked opponents in nonconference play and won four of them. The only setback was a 71-67 loss to one-seed Arizona (36-2, 16-2 Big 12) back on Nov. 19.

Sure, they lost a pair of games to Big East foe St. John's (30-7, 18-2 Big East) and ended the regular season on a sour note with a shocking 68-62 loss to Marquette (12-20, 7-13 Big East). However, those losses seem like a distant memory at this point after the exhilarating win over Duke.

A rematch against three-seed Illinois (28-8, 15-5 Big Ten) awaits on Saturday (6:09 p.m. ET, TBS, truTV, HBO Max). UConn won that first meeting, 74-61, on Nov. 28, and should at least head into the Final Four with a lot of confidence.

With Illinois' size and shooting ability up first and either Arizona or Michigan (35-3, 19-1 Big Ten) in the title game, UConn's remaining path to another championship is a difficult one, to say the least.

Don't underestimate the Huskies, though, especially with Hurley leading the way. His antics may not be the most well-received, but you can never count his teams out when a title is in sight.