UConn coach Dan Hurley's Huskies were displaced as national champions by Todd Golden's Florida Gators. They lost to the eventual champions in the Sweet 16. UConn also lost the Big East title to Rick Pitino's St. John's Red Storm.Hurley acted decisively in the transfer portal, bolstering his roster. He also got a huge boost when Alex Karaban withdrew his name from draft consideration and will return for another season.College basketball analyst Rob Dawson pointed out on Monday the X factor that could propel Hurley's team to the Final Four next season."The X factor for me for this group is on the defensive end of the floor," Dawson said (11:28), via "The Field of 68." "They got much better at the end of last season than they were at the start of last season. ... I think that they will improve not having Sampson Johnson out there, he was a liability on the glass and was not the best on-ball defender we've ever seen."Allowing Tarris Reed to play more minutes will help them on that end of the floor. That's my big question, what will this team be defensively? Because I think if you are a top 50-ish defense on KenPom, you can make the Final Four. If they're a top-20 defense on KenPom, that's a very different conversation that we're having."The Huskies allowed an average of 68.0 points per game last season and 72.0 points per game against top 25 teams. In the last month of the season, Hurley's team improved defensively, allowing 62.0 points per game in their last five games.When Dan Hurley bemoaned Huskies' defensive issuesDan Hurley's UConn Huskies entered last season as defending national champions. However, their campaign flamed out to a 14-6 Big East and 24-11 overall record. After rewatching last season's games, Hurley bemoaned his team's defensive issues on X."I rewatch the previous season every July…it’s a necessary exercise with the new team on campus preparing for the upcoming season…our lack of defense killed our season! And let’s just say getting thru Maui was time consuming…" Hurley tweeted on July 16.Hurley strengthened the roster by acquiring guards Silas DeMary Jr. and Malachi Smith from the portal. The team also added freshmen Eric Reibe (four-star) and Braylon Mullins (five-star). With Alex Karaban, Solo Ball, Jayden Ross, Jaylin Stewart and Tarris Reed Jr. all returning, the Huskies have the personnel to bounce back strong.