UConn men prepare for Final Four with different approach, hometown star

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WFSB) - UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley said he plans to take a slightly different approach this year as the Huskies compete in the Final Four.

The Huskies are getting ready to take on Illinois on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. The game will air on TBS and TNT.

This is the eighth time the Huskies have made it to the Final Four in their program’s history. They have an opportunity to bring a seventh national championship back to Storrs.

The Huskies have a shot to win their third national championship in the last four years. The players and coaching staff will be leaning on their past experiences in the Final Four to have success this time around.

During his press conference Friday, Hurley talked about the value of having all that past success when it comes to organizing practices or helping his team deal with the pressure of playing on this stage.

“We’ve just been through this process before. But I’d say the biggest thing is we’re driving a new bus I’m like looking out the window, and I’m allowing myself to enjoy it. And I’m not gonna lose my edge in terms of the monsters that we need to show up at Saturday night. We know we gotta flip the switch... but I’m gonna let myself enjoy the parts that you can enjoy,” said Hurley.

The tournament run has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for the Huskies.

Mullins returns home

UConn player Braylon Mullins is back home in Indiana for the biggest games of his life.

The Huskies arrived in Indianapolis Wednesday night and got their first look inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday. Mullins’ locker was the most crowded of anyone on the team.

Mullins, who graduated from high school less than a year ago, is becoming a superstar for the Huskies and for basketball fans around the country. The Greenfield, Indiana, native was named Mr. Basketball in Indiana and earned the honor of being a McDonald’s All-American.

He has handled the pressure well to this point. Mullins spoke about how his time in high school is helping him manage everything being thrown his way during his whirlwind freshman year.

“It’s just crazy to me that I did graduate high school a year ago. But yeah, they made me better. They made me ready for this moment, transitioning into college. And yeah, I mean, that’s props to Coach Meredith, my father, and everybody on that staff. So, they made that transition easy for me,” Mullins said.

With the support he has around the state, especially in his hometown of Greenfield, a large number of Braylon Mullins fans are expected to be in the stadium Saturday night.

When asked about his shot against a previous opponent, Mullins said he is trying to avoid focusing on past success.

“As of recently, I’ve been trying to like avoid it, because I’m not trying to keep focused on that. That game was in the past. It wasn’t the national championship. I know it was a very competitive game, but we gotta focus on the next one,” Mullins said.

Watch Channel 3 for live coverage of both the UConn women’s and men’s team in the NCAA tournament.