2008 NCAA Tournament Preview: Connecticut Huskies

Every year, there is a sexy upset pick for the NCAA Tournament. Fans and experts alike cling onto one team that isn't a top two seed and talk about why that particular team can make it to the Final Four. For most of January and February, that team was Connecticut. The Huskies went on a roll and the media latched onto them. Since that time, Connecticut has cooled down. Still, the Huskies are a very talented team. In this preview, I examine whether or not the Huskies have the talent to defeat UCLA.

Connecticut was one of the hottest teams in the nation during the middle of the season and looked to be very dangerous entering the Big East tournament. They then ran into West Virginia in the first round of the tournament and were ousted early. The Huskies will need to recapture their mid-season magic in order to make a significant run in the NCAA Tournament.

Connecticut enters the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 24-8. The Huskies were most impressive from mid-Janurary to mid-February. During that time, Connecticut won ten consecutive games. That streak included victories over Marquette, Indiana, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Notre Dame. However, the Huskies have gone 3-3 in their last six games, including an 85-76 to Providence (15-16, 6-12). It was actually the second time that Providence had gotten the better of Connecticut during the season.

Other than Indiana, Connecticut didn't play particularly well against ranked opponents. On November 16, the Huskies lost to Memphis. On the first day of December, Gonzaga took down the Huskies, beating them by three points. Earlier in the season, Connecticut defeated tournament-bound Gardner-Webb.

Connecticut is talented at every position. Guard A.J. Price is finally playing up to his potential, averaging 15 points (14.9) and six assists a game for the Huskies. Fellow Junior Jeff Adrien, a forward, scores 14.7 points and grabs nine rebounds a game. Guard Jerome Dyson averages 12.4 points a game and forward Stanley Robinson and 7-3 sophomore Hasheem Thabeet both score about 10.5 points for the Huskies. Thabeet is also good for about eight rebounds a game.