UConn's path to a repeat has been laid out.
The defending champion Huskies earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2024 men's NCAA Tournament after posting a 31-3 record and sweeping the Big East conference championships. Now, the Huskies are just six victories away from joining rarefied college basketball air with back-to-back NCAA Tournament titles.
UConn's opening game in the East Region will be played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday afternoon. And it will come against a team making its March Madness debut in No. 16-seeded Stetson University.
Before the first-round matchup, here's what to know about Stetson:
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Where is Stetson University located?
Stetson's main campus is in DeLand, Florida, which is roughly 35 miles north of Orlando.
What is Stetson University's enrollment?
For the spring of 2024, Stetson has a total enrollment of 3,478 students (2,158 undergraduate, 1,320 graduate).
What is Stetson University's mascot?
The name of Stetson and its mascot, the Hatters, comes from the school's association with a famous hat maker.
The full backstory comes via Stetson's athletics website: "The athletic teams are called "Hatters," reflecting the university's association with John B. Stetson, maker of the well-known Stetson hats. It all began in 1883 when Henry DeLand founded the DeLand Academy. Three years later, after a disastrous freeze affecting the citrus industry left DeLand in financial distress, Stetson, who had a winter home in DeLand, became interested in the school. At Deland's request, Stetson was made chairman of the Board of Trustees in 1889 and the university was renamed in his honor."
What conference does Stetson play in?
Stetson plays in the Atlantic Sun conference, which is also home to the likes of Eastern Kentucky and Florida Gulf Coast.
How many times has Stetson made the NCAA Tournament?
As previously mentioned, Stetson hadn't made the Big Dance prior to this season.
How did Stetson make the NCAA Tournament in 2024?
The Hatters automatically qualified for March Madness after winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament. They were the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament following a 19-12 (11-5) regular season and took down No. 4 Austin Peay 94-91 in the championship.
Who is Stetson's best player?
A key to UConn avoiding a historic upset against Stetson will be containing Jalen Blackmon. The junior guard led the ASUN in scoring this season at 21.5 points per game, shooting 43.4% from the field, 38.9% from deep and 91% at the line.
Blackmon is coming off a career-best showing in the conference tournament championship where he racked up 43 points, shooting 12-for-22 from the field, 5-for-9 from 3 and 14-for-17 at the line. He was named MVP of the ASUN tournament.
Guard Stephan Swenson, who ranked second among ASUN players in assists (5.9 per game), and center Aubin Gateretse, who ranked third among ASUN players in rebounds per game (7.6), are two other Hatters to watch.
Who is Stetson's head basketball coach?
Donnie Jones is in his fifth season as Stetson head coach. He's guided the Hatters to two straight winning seasons after the program previously hadn't finished above .500 since 2000-2001.
Jones' previous head coaching gigs came at Marshall and UCF. He was also part of Billy Donovan's staff at Florida when the Gators won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007.
