Storrs – Cam Spencer didn’t watch UConn’s impressive national championship run last year until after March Madness ended.

He was too upset about his team, Rutgers, being left out of the NCAA tournament field.

A graduate transfer, Spencer is much happier now that he’ll be playing in the postseason for the first time in his career as part of the UConn basketball team.

Fresh off winning the Big East tournament championship on Saturday, UConn earned the program’s first ever overall top seed on Selection Sunday.

The Huskies will start their quest for back-to-back nationals titles – something that hasn’t been done since Florida in 2006 and 2007 – on Friday in the East Region against No. 16 Stetson (22-12). The starting time is 2:45 p.m.

“We’re confident and we’re ready to go…,” Spencer said. “The goal of a national championship is something that we set at the beginning of the year. As a kid you dream of playing in March Madness, to see your team to be the first one called is pretty cool. To see our team in the brackets is also cool. We’re focused on the first game and taking care of business.”

If UConn advances (31-3), it would play the winner of No. 8 Florida Atlantic and No. 9 Northwestern.

Other top four seeds in the East Region include No. 2 Iowa State, No. 3 Illinois and No. 4 Auburn.

UConn’s NCAA tournament experience last year should help the Huskies, who are accustomed to playing under pressure.

“The benefit of playing and coaching at UConn, the expectations are so high, so the pressure is always on,” coach Dan Hurley said. “Going into NCAA tournament games, we wear the pressure well now. Doing what we did last year and having the season that we’ve had this year, there’s a confidence about us.

“Obviously, we’re vulnerable like any other team in the country when we don’t play to our identity.”

The Huskies will be making its fourth straight NCAA appearance, their longest streak since going five straight seasons from 2002-2006, and 37th overall in program history. The Huskies are the No. 1 seed for the sixth time, first in 15 years.

They gathered on campus on Sunday to watch the Selection Show, having traveled back from New York City earlier in the day after winning the Big East tournament title on Saturday.

“I was instantly excited,” sophomore Donovan Clingan said about watching the show. “I’m just happy that March is here and we have a chance to go and compete for another championship. We have a really good matchup against a really good Stetson team.”

Three of last year’s Final Four teams will be playing in Brooklyn, with Florida Atlantic and San Diego State joining UConn.

“They didn’t do us any favors,” Hurley said. “Every game in this tournament – with the COVID extra year, transfer portal – is tough.”

NCAA tournament play will be a new experience for Spencer, who previously played at Rutgers and Loyola (Md.).

Spencer has been a perfect fit for Hurley’s demanding program. He’s brought an emotional charge, competitive spirit, veteran leadership, a team-first mentality and offensive firepower to the Huskies, who’ll need all of that and more to complete their quest in the upcoming weeks.

Now Spencer has a chance to help the Huskies make another magical postseason run.

“These are things that we talked about with Cam when we recruited him in that short (transfer) portal window,” Hurley said. “We’ve played to this point exactly what we envisioned if he came here. … You want all your players to feel like it feels like to play at the top of college basketball in terms of the environments and accomplishments, all those things.”

UConn ripped through last year’s tournament field, winning every game by double digits, including beating San Diego State by 17 in the championship game.

Spencer didn’t watch the game that day.

“I’m competitive,” Spencer said. “When (Rutgers) didn’t make the tournament last year, I told them in the recruiting process that I didn’t watch a single game of March Madness. I was pretty heated. I went back and watched the run that they had, obviously, which was pretty cool.”

If UConn advances to the Final Four in Phoenix, Spencer will have extra reason to celebrate. He’ll turn 24 on the day of the national semifinals.

“I’ve known that the whole year,” Spencer said. “Thinking ahead, I’ve always envisioned it. We’ll have a good birthday on Final Four weekend when we get there.”

In other news, Selection Sunday was a rough day for the Big East, which placed only three teams in the field. Marquette is a No. 2 seed in the South Region and Creighton a No. 3 in the Midwest Region. Seton Hall was on the list for the First Four Out.

The Big East received just three bids for only the second time since the tourney field expanded. That also happened in 1993.

“You’re probably just a little embarrassed for the league for such a proud league,” Hurley said.

g.keefe@theday.com