Happy New Year! I hope you all had a better New Years Eve than Bill Self. Kansas’ home loss to West Virginia yesterday was yet another reminder that in college basketball, anything can happen. And it usually does.

As we turn the page to 2025, we offer one last look at the year that was as we recognize Dan Hurley as the Hoops HQ Man of the Year. I first met Dan when I was a student at Duke and he was visiting his brother Bobby. (Dating myself much?) I have watched his rise with much appreciation and respect. As I’ve become passionate about writing about mental health over the years, Dan has been a frequent subject, not only because of his struggles but his willingness to discuss them openly.. I was happy for the chance to recognize that courage once again.

Our Senior correspondent Jeff Goodman has also served up some predictions for 2025. For college basketball, these next three months are truly the most wonderful time of the year. So lace 'em up tight! We’ve got a lot of ground to cover and your teammates at Hoops HQ are ready for our closeup. —Seth

Hoops HQ’s Man of the Year: Dan Hurley

By Seth Davis

Hurley led his Huskies to their second straight NCAA Tournament championship in 2024. It was just the third time since 1973 that a school has repeated, but it was far more impressive than the previous two, Duke 1991-92 and Florida 2006-07. In each of those cases, the teams brought back the bulk of their rotations. UConn, on the other hand, lost three starters and five of its top eight scorers from the group that won the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

For winning back-to-back titles alone, Hurley would be the obvious choice for Hoops HQ’s 2024 Man of the Year. But it is the other part of the coach's story — not just his willingness, but his need to be so publicly vulnerable — that is even more worth honoring. Just as he did on the court, Hurley has raised the bar on society’s pressing search to properly define things like masculinity, toughness and courage. Does it make a man tough to pretend like he has everything figured out, even if he’s really dying inside? Or is real courage revealed in admitting that you actually don’t have everything figured out, and then figuring it out anyway?

No. 24 Michigan @ No. 1 UCLA: What a way to kick off the new year. After suffering a 20-point loss to No. 4 USC on Sunday, Michigan faces an even tougher task to begin 2025. UCLA is 13-0 and has won 11 of those games by 15 or more points. Hopefully the Wolverines will have star freshman Syla Swords back in the lineup after she sat out this weekend due to a leg injury. 5:00 p.m. ET on BTN.