After securing a 77-71 win over the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, Dan Hurley said six words that UConn Huskies fans have been hoping to hear ever since the two-time defending champions dropped three games in three days in the Maui Invitational: “The group’s got its confidence back.

It’s always better, I think more fun when you play against people like this,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said Friday on a pre-game Zoom call. “And I know they’re gonna want it bad. Both of us really want it bad.