Winning back-to-back National Championships in college basketball is extremely difficult, and most teams fall short. But on Monday night, UConn did just that by knocking off Purdue 75-60 and becoming the first repeat champions since Florida in 2006-2007. Having won again is impressive, but they also did so by winning all six games by 14 or more points - the first team in NCAA Tournament history! Their average margin of victory in the 2024 NCAA tournament was 23.3 points, and was 20 points in the 2023 NCAA tournament. So how does a team dominate like this and win back-to-back National Championships? One of the main reasons is that head coach Dan Hurley and his team remained hungry, devoted, and committed to excellence and winning another championship instead of becoming complacent. Jeff Eisenberg writes on Yahoo.com, “What kept Hurley up at night during the offseason wasn’t whether UConn was talented enough. To him the enemy was complacency. He read books on leadership and peppered coaching colleagues with questions about how to help his players remain driven the year after ascending to college basketball’s mountaintop.” UConn forward, Alex Karaban put it this way: “...We're always hungry. We're always going to go on runs and we're always going to continue to play hard to where we're going to break the other team. No team practices like us, no team goes as hard as us. It showed in the second half." Their hunger and desire to play at such a high level and their passion to pursue another championship with such focus and devotion were evident. While admiring their impressive accomplishments on the basketball court and their dedication to winning and winning convincingly, I wonder if we fight complacency with the same vigor. Do we hunger after God with passionate focus and devotion? Do we declare as the psalmist, Asaph does in Psalm 73:25 (NLT): “Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth.” Or how about like David when he says in the wilderness, “O God, You are my God; with deepest longing, I will seek You; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs and sighs for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1; AMP). UConn is always hungry, values practice, and goes hard...but what about us? Are we always hungry for God, committed to spiritual practices, and going hard after God and His righteousness? If we’re honest, we know we fall short, and preventing ourselves from becoming complacent is challenging. But thankfully, God shows us His grace and kindness. At the same time, because of His goodness, let’s be challenged to remain driven and devoted to our pursuit of God and His will for our lives. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 (AMP), “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness , and all these things will be given to you also.” Today, we praise God for His grace and mercy and remember it’s not our effort that saves us but our faith in Jesus. As we acknowledge what Jesus has done for us, let’s keep Him first as our greatest desire while we hunger to know Him more and remain committed to excellence as we become more like Him. I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for my complacency, and the times I lack desire and devotion. Please ignite in me a passion to know You more, seek You first, and hunger after You. I pray I’ll be committed to spiritual practices, ask You to help me go hard after You, and desire You above all else. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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