Call it special. Consider it an amazing. Just don’t call the UConn men’s basketball most recent title run a fluke.
The Huskies earned the program’s fourth national title and proved yet again a very important point: college basketball’s regular season is over-hyped.
Forget the in-season top-25 rankings. Forget ESPN telling you who the best teams are from November to February (see Syracuse and Duke for more information).
Sure, UConn had some early bumps in the road. (January losses to Houston, SMU and Louisville didn’t look so good.)
The true test comes in the postseason when teams play head-to-head and get 40 minutes to decide the best. Does the best team always win in the one-game elimination format? Nope, but the champion does.
Don’t get me wrong: Conference titles mean something and only one team can win a national title.
It’s also enjoyable to watch the occasional nonconference matchup. You have to have some way to determine who qualifies for the NCAA tournament field.
Since there are about 350 Division I schools that participate in college basketball, not everyone can play everyone. It helps to be in the right bracket and play teams that fit your style of play.
But what UConn did, and continues to do, in the landscape of college sports is simply amazing. Sure, the Huskies were a No. 7 seed, but what does that even mean?
UConn did what no other team could do — knock off six straight great teams, including two teams that many people thought would win it all, Florida and Michigan State. They beat the Gators and Spartans — no buzzer beaters required. UConn outplayed both when it mattered most.
In the title game, the Huskies beat Kentucky, the school that had the best recruiting class in the country and got a lot of attention in the preseason. Funny how after five straight late-game victories in the tourney, Kentucky coach John Calapari reminded us all that his players were “only 18” and that inexperience led to their downfall. Sorry John, no excuses.
UConn’s guards outplayed every team. The Huskies’ big men stepped up against some monster frontcourts. UConn made their free throws and limited turnovers. And most importantly, UConn’s team defense smothered opponents.
In other words, they played like champions. Not in January, but when it mattered most.
Ernie Bertothy is a contributing writer to the Citizen’s News.
