For Dan Hurley and his UConn Huskies, the shine of last season’s championship run is fading fast. What began with high hopes of a three-peat has been tarnished by back-to-back losses, leaving fans and analysts questioning whether they can live up to their storied legacy.

The Field of 68 After Dark podcast’s host John Fanta highlighted this when he posed the burning question to analyst Mike LaTulip: what’s gone wrong for UConn? In response, LaTulip offered a blunt yet measured take. “Yeah, I mean, I’ll start by saying I’m not out on UConn. I don’t think they’re gonna three-peat, but again, Big East still feels like it’s up for grabs. Look, the big questions, right, it’s at the point guard spot, it’s perimeter defense, and to me, it’s the effectiveness, what type of effectiveness you’re gonna get from that kind of rotation at the five spot.”

This season, the Huskies entered with a bullseye on their backs, widely regarded as the team to beat in the NCAA. Yet their 4-2 record, marred by consecutive losses, has already cast a shadow over their campaign. At the Maui Invitational, Coach Hurley’s team suffered a crushing 99-97 overtime defeat to Memphis, followed by a 73-72 heartbreak against Colorado.

LaTulip’s assessment zeroed in on critical issues: a lack of dependable leadership, lapses in defensive execution, and struggles in the rotation. These problems were evident in their game against Colorado, where UConn allowed the Buffaloes to shoot 56.3% from beyond the arc while losing the rebounding battle in the paint 28-26.

The challenges, however, extend beyond mere statistics. “Psychological questions,” as LaTulip put it in the podcast, have also surfaced. “Guys need to get used to being depended on. Like, you are dependent on now. There’s no Tristan Newton late clock in the middle third of the floor. There’s not Steph Castle absorbing the toughest defensive assignment. There’s not Donovan Klingin back there to cover up defensive sins.”

Leadership void and defensive lapses expose Hurley’s huskies vulnerabilities

This lack of a go-to leader has been evident in crunch moments. Against Memphis, UConn allowed 43 points from Memphis guard David Jones and failed to capitalize on their offensive strengths, despite shooting an impressive 46.2% from three. Defensive lapses and foul trouble compounded their issues, with UConn committing 22 fouls to Colorado’s 14.

It’s a stark contrast to the Huskies’ last two championship teams, known for their precision and poise. “There is a standard that has been set at UConn over the last 25 years, especially in the last two years,” LaTulip noted. “And expectations come with that, but also playing for Dan Hurley, there’s a certain attention to detail that you need to succeed. And if there’s one thing that UConn teams last year and the year before didn’t do—it’s beat themselves. And I think that’s been a big component of what we’re seeing from UConn, and, like, the details matter.”

Indeed, UConn’s trademark attention to detail seems to be missing. Things like poor defensive rotations, inconsistent point guard play, and an inability to close out games that were absent in last year’s 37-3 run have cast doubt on the team’s ability to sustain their championship pedigree.

As the Huskies prepare for their next challenge, they’ll need more than talent to turn things around. The Big East may still be “up for grabs,” but for Hurley and his squad, the margin for error is shrinking. The question now is whether UConn can adjust, regroup, and reclaim its dominance—or if their three-peat dreams will remain just that: dreams.