Storrs – UConn accomplished something on Sunday that the men’s basketball program hasn’t in 17 years.

The Huskies (25-8) earned an NCAA tournament bid for the third straight year, their longest qualifying streak since going to five straight from 2002 to 2006.

An at-large participant, they’ll be heading to Albany, N.Y., where, as a No. 4 in the West Region, will play No. 13 Iona (27-7) Friday at MVP Arena. Game time is 4:30 p.m. on TBS.

UConn gathered inside the Burton Family Football Complex to watch the NCAA tournament Selection Show.

“It’s an exciting match-up,” coach Dan Hurley said. “The NCAA tournament tends to do it that way. It’s a thrill. And it never gets old. It’s what you play for the whole year, is to put yourself in the tournament and then get the possible seed. It brings you back to being a little kid. … It’s a rush.”

The Huskies are a top four seed for the first time since being selected No. 3 in 2011. It will be their 36th appearance overall in the NCAA tournament.

Selection Sunday was a new experience for all but three players on the UConn roster. Only juniors Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo and Virginia Tech transfer Nahiem Alleyne have had a taste of March Madness.

“I’m nervous in a sense just because I’ve watched March Madness all my life,” redshirt freshman Alex Karaban said. “Then, I’m excited to have my dream come true to play for a hometown kind of school for me in March Madness where UConn has had a bunch of history.”

Iona received an automatic bid after winning a league-record 14th Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament title, beating Marist, 76-55, on Saturday night in Atlantic City, N.J. The Gaels are led by Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, who has former UConn point guard Taliek Brown on the staff.

Hurley said watched Iona play against Princeton on television earlier in the year.

“They have a tough team,” said Jackson, who attended Albany Academy and whose family lives in the Albany Area. “They’re going to throw a lot of pressure at you and throw a lot of different things at you. I’m definitely looking forward to it. I used to watch a lot of Rick Pitino when he coached at Louisville.

“They’ve also got Taliek Brown, who went over to their side to their coaching staff. They definitely have some insight on what we do on this side.”

Five Big East teams qualified. Xavier (No. 3), Creighton (No. 6), Marquette (No. 2) and Providence (No. 11) also earned bids.

Hurley will be taking his best UConn team into the postseason. He’s guided the Huskies to a 25-8 mark – his most overall wins as a Husky head coach – and No. 11 ranking in the country. They reside at No. 8 in the NCAA NET Rankings.

They’ve put a disappointing Big East semifinal loss to Marquette on Friday in New York behind them.

“We left that in New York,” Hurley said. “It’s funny, I got a text from Geno (Auriemma) Saturday night – `Forget it, burn it.’ I texted him back, `too late.’ We watched it. We had to watch how close we were to beating the Big East champion while not being anywhere near our best. I want them to see it more as an encouraging thing, as disappointing as it was to lose.”

Post-season success has eluded Hurley in his first four years.

The Huskies are 0-3 in the Big East semifinals. They’re 0-2 in NCAA trips, falling both times as the higher seed in the first round, last season to 12th-seeded New Mexico State (70-63) and in 2021 to No. 10 Maryland (63-54).

During his Seton Hall days, Hurley played in the NCAA tournament, going as far as the Sweet Sixteen.

“It’s a dream come true for a coach to coach in this thing, to be in the tournament and have a team that has the quality that could advance in it,” Hurley said.

UConn is battle-tested from a challenging schedule, owning wins over five teams in the NCAA field, including Alabama, Iowa State, Providence (twice), Creighton and Marquette.

If they survive their first round game Friday, they’ll play either No. 5 Saint Mary’s (26-7) or No. 12 Virginia Commonwealth (27-7) in the second round on Sunday.

g.keefe@theday.com

SCOUTING IONA

Coach: Hall of Famer Rick Pitino (3rd season)

Record: 27-7, 17-3 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Best wins: Beat Vermont, 71-50, Nov. 18; Beat Princeton, 70-64. Both teams qualified for the NCAA tournament

Top players: 6-2 so. guard Walter Clayton, Jr. (16.9 pts, 4.2 rebs), 6-3 jr. guard Daniss Jenkins (15.3 pts, 4.4 rebs, 4.9 assists), 6-9 jr. Nelly Junior Joseph (15.1 pts, 9.4)

Series history: UConn leads, 4-1, winning last meeting 80-62 in Storrs on Dec. 4, 2019.

Tournament history: Second NCAA appearance in three seasons, 16th overall in program history. Lost to Alabama, 68-55, in the first round in 2021. Only NCAA win came in 1980 over Holy Cross, 84-78.

Noteworthy: Beat Marist, 76-55, on Saturday to win the MAAC tournament title and earn an automatic berth. … Tough first round opponent for the Huskies. … Pitino is one of the best coaches ever to step on the sidelines. … Iona riding a 13-game winning streak. … The Gaels play a pressure defense, a style that UConn has had trouble with this season. They force 14.4 turnovers per game. … Iona leads the MAAC in scoring offense (76.4 pts), scoring margin (11.1), field goal percentage (46.2) and field goal percent defense (41.1). … Former Husky player Taliek Brown is a first-year assistant on Pitino’s staff.

– Gavin Keefe