No program in college basketball has done it for both the men and the women the way UConn has. While other schools can point to one dominant program, the Huskies have built two of the most decorated programs in the history of the sport side by side, in the same building, under the same culture. Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun set the table. Dan Hurley kept the men’s program running at the highest level long after Calhoun walked away.
The question of which decade produced the best UConn basketball is genuinely hard to answer. Every era had Hall of Fame talent, tournament championships, and NBA and WNBA first-round picks coming through Storrs. Some decades had more raw star power. Others had more hardware. A few had both.
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Here is a ranking of the four best eras of UConn basketball, from good to greatest.
4. The 2000s
Men’s titles: 1 (2004) | Women’s titles: 5 (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009) | Combined: 6
Key players: Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor, Rudy Gay
The fact that a decade with six combined national championships ranks last on this list tells you everything about how spoiled UConn fans have been. The women were absolutely dominant, winning five titles behind Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, and Tina Charles in one of the greatest sustained runs in women’s college basketball history. The men added their piece in 2004, when Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon combined for 45 points in a championship win over Duke. Six titles in a decade should feel like the gold standard. At UConn, it’s in fourth place.
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3. The 2020s
Men’s titles: 2 (2023, 2024) | Women’s titles: 1 (2024) | Combined: 3 (and counting)
Key players: Donovan Clingan, Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Stephon Castle, Tristan Newton
Dan Hurley delivered something no men’s college basketball program had done since Florida in 2006 and 2007, winning back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024 with a team that went 12 straight double-digit wins in the NCAA Tournament across two postseasons. Donovan Clingan anchored the defense, and a deep, selfless roster showed that Hurley had built a program culture, not just a team. The women won their title in 2024 behind Paige Bueckers, and with the decade still unfinished, this era has every chance of climbing higher on this list.
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2. The 1990s
Men’s titles: 1 (1999) | Women’s titles: 3 (1995, 2000 crossover) | Combined championships and program building
Key players: Rebecca Lobo, Kara Wolters, Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Donyell Marshall
The 1990s were the decade that built everything. Jim Calhoun turned UConn men’s basketball into a national brand, and Geno Auriemma won the first of his eleven championships in 1995 with Rebecca Lobo leading one of the most beloved women’s teams the sport had seen. Ray Allen was already a first-team All-American pouring in 23.4 points per game by his junior season, and Rip Hamilton followed him to lead UConn to the 1999 national championship. Donyell Marshall laid the groundwork for all of it before they arrived. This is the decade that made UConn basketball what it is.
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1. The 2010s
Men’s titles: 1 (2011, 2014) | Women’s titles: 4 (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016) | Combined: 6
Key players: Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Kemba Walker, Shabazz Napier, Andre Drummond
No decade in UConn history produced a deeper collection of talent on both sides than the 2010s, and no decade delivered more complete, sustained dominance. Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart are widely considered two of the greatest women’s college players ever, and they anchored back-to-back eras of Auriemma dominance that produced four national titles. On the men’s side, Kemba Walker’s 2011 tournament run is one of the single greatest individual performances in March Madness history, carrying UConn to a championship on sheer will. Shabazz Napier then led the Huskies to another title in 2014 as a No. 7 seed in what became known as the March of the underdog. Six combined titles, four NBA lottery picks, and two of the most dominant women’s players the game has ever seen. The 2010s are the best era UConn basketball has ever had.
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UConn basketball doesn’t have bad eras, just better ones
UConn Huskies center Jana El Alfy and guard Paige Bueckers react after a play against the Holy Cross Crusaders.
The hardest part of ranking UConn’s decades is that every single one would be the best in the history of most programs. The championships, the NBA and WNBA talent, and the culture that keeps producing both are what separate Storrs from everyone else in college basketball.
