First Men’s Dynasty of NIL Era?

Morning Edition

April 6, 2026

Dan Hurley told reporters here in Indianapolis that a potential UConn dynasty was “the last thing” he was thinking about before facing Michigan. But if the Huskies can win their third title in four seasons Monday night, they’ll accomplish something that hasn’t been done since John Wooden—and cement themselves as the first men’s basketball dynasty of the NIL era.

— Amanda Christovich

First Up

UCLA blew out South Carolina and made history with its first women’s title Sunday. Read the story.
Michigan is gunning for the Big Ten’s first men’s championship in years. Read the story.
TBS’s skit with Will Forte as James Naismith was universally panned. Read the story.
The PWHL packed Madison Square Garden for the most-attended women’s hockey game ever. Read the story.

UConn Could Be First Men’s Basketball Dynasty in New Era of College Sports

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

INDIANAPOLIS — It was eerily quiet when the UConn Huskies took one more step toward making history on Saturday night.

Lucas Oil Stadium was packed with Illinois fans who fell mostly silent as the Huskies beat the Fighting Illini 71-62. Despite being seeded above the Fighting Illini, UConn was the slight underdog, hailing from arguably an underdog conference in the Big East that was considered to be having a “down year” this season. But UConn silenced the Illinois fans—as well as the media members who Dan Hurley called out in the postgame press conference.

On Monday night, the Huskies will appear in their third national championship game in four years. If they can cut down the nets, they’ll be the first program since John Wooden’s UCLA to win three championships in just four seasons. Not even Duke—who UConn upset in the Elite Eight—could pull that off in their dominant run during the late-1980s/early-1990s.

The Huskies could solidify not just a rare dynasty in men’s college basketball, but perhaps the first one in the new era of college sports ruled by NIL, revenue-sharing, and the unrestricted transfer portal—where bluebloods don’t mean as much anymore, and anyone with the right resources can make a tournament run.

But to Dan Hurley and the Huskies, history isn’t even in the vocabulary.

“The last thing we’re thinking about now, as we prepare for one of these teams, is dynasty,” Hurley told a group of reporters outside the locker room Saturday night. “We’re gonna go watch this one and go through the preparation and focus on just, not winning the national championship game, but just trying to—whoever we play—try to win the game.”

‘Life and Death’

Last year, the Huskies were chasing a three-peat. But they got bounced by the eventual champion, Florida, in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Hurley blamed, in part, the pressure he put on himself and the team chasing that moniker. He described it as “ego.” He’s since learned his lesson.

Something else that’s different about this year than the 2023 and 2024 national championship-winning teams: UConn isn’t steamrolling through the tournament. Tarris Reed Jr. described the team as having “escaped with the win.”

“The year hasn’t been a joyride,” Hurley said. “We haven’t been a machine of destruction. We’ve been a team that’s had to grind out games like this.”

On Saturday night, it was no different: the Huskies battled through most of the first half, and pulled away in the second half with a 14 point lead. But the Fighting Illini couldn’t be killed, and at one point chopped the Huskies’ lead down to just four points. It wasn’t until the remaining two minutes that UConn pulled away for good.

History in the New Era

If UConn can pull off another national championship, their dynasty would be the first in men’s college basketball in the era of “unrestricted free agency.”

The program is no stranger to winning, with six total national championships (and 12 on the women’s side, which is itself a fortified dynasty despite this year’s disappointment).

The Huskies’ secret isn’t a secret at all. They do the same thing that every team needs to do: They embrace this new era of NIL and the transfer portal—and they invest.

UConn spent a combined $34 million on both its men’s and women’s programs. Its coaches are among the highest-paid in their respective fields—Hurley is on a six-year, $50 million contract. The Huskies haven’t disclosed how much they spent on NIL and revenue sharing in total, but they’ve previously said they would spend $18 million on revenue sharing across the athletic department.

UConn also had to navigate a financial conundrum as a Big East school with an independent FBS football program. The Huskies have had to find revenue for their basketball programs to thrive while also covering the costs of FBS football—without the FBS football media-rights dollars of the power conferences.

And yet, as athletic director Dave Benedict told FOS last week, they’ve found a way. They’ll take the court Monday night to make history in this new era.

“It means everything for us to show up as warriors for our battles,” Hurley said, “and wars that we do in sports.”

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FOS NEWS

France’s World Cup Warning

FOS graphic

France enters the World Cup as a favorite with three squads’ worth of talent. But Patrice Evra has a warning for his former team: Don’t be arrogant. The biggest enemy of France is France itself, Evra tells Front Office Sports.

Plus, he gives a scorching take on the AFCON controversy, arguing that officials “don’t do their job.” He says the decision to strip Senegal of its title is the worst in all of sports.

Watch the full video.

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ONE BIG FIG

Prize Money Changes

Apr 3, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) dunks during a practice session ahead of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Robert Deutsch - Imagn Images

$2 million

How much UConn and Michigan stand to win for their respective conferences on Monday night after the NCAA tweaked its “units” system to include the Final Fours. Both schools already earned their conferences $2 million by making the title game. Read the story.

LOUD AND CLEAR

Fiery UConn Coaches

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

“Obviously, I’ve had a negative influence on Geno.”

—Dan Hurley, who went on to defend his UConn colleague Geno Auriemma in his spat with Dawn Staley. “If anyone should get the benefit of the doubt in a world of sports, it’s Geno Auriemma,” Hurley said, telling reporters that Auriemma has mentored him in Storrs and taught him how to handle the pressures of the job.