The Connecticut Huskies have quietly been the surprise of the season. Butler and VCU are the surprises of the tournament, yes, but no one expected this out of Connecticut. This season has been full of surprises, but there hasn’t been one bigger than the progression of the Connecticut Huskies.
The team went through the Jim Calhoun recruiting violations and his possible retirement. They were considered a team that was too young and couldn’t handle the distractions that surrounded them. They were considered to only be a one man show and no way could they survive the Big East. Then, they started off the season surprising top 10 ranked teams in the Michigan State Spartans and Kentucky Wildcats in Maui. Everyone fell in love with Kemba Walker and named him king of college basketball. Until the Jimmer took over, Kemba was the nation’s leading scorer.
But then the inexperience and youth showed itself during the rigorous Big East schedule while the Huskies struggled down the stretch. With only a 9-9 record in the conference they were more like the team they were supposed to be – a young team with talent that wasn’t ready.
The arrival at Madison Square Garden for the Big East tournament changed everything. The Huskies won the tournament – being the first team to win 5 games in 5 days. On the way to the championship, they grew up a lot and seemed to gain confidence from their best player Kemba Walker. They seemed to work harder than any team they played and it showed with their high quality wins.
As the NCAA tournament advanced, so did the Huskies. They showed why they are a dangerous team and proved doubters wrong. They went against the grain by only playing 2 players that were upperclassmen. A successful tournament team is usually defined by a team filled with upper classmen, yet the Huskies are still here.
So by going against everything that usually proves the NCAA tournament right, does this make the Huskies a team of destiny? Who knows, but if they end up cutting the nets down in Houston on Monday night, I’m pretty sure it could be the closest thing we’ve seen in recent memory.