The Connecticut Huskies are having a much better season than they
were having last year. This comes as a shock because last years team
had seemingly everything going for them: defending national
champions, Jeremy Lamb was back, Andre Drummond was enrolled at
UConn, and Ryan Boatright was the new guy in the backcourt attempting
to fill the void led by Kemba Walker. This year they had hardly
anything going for them. They did have new freshmen stud Omar
Calhoun, but were coming off a season highlighted by lazy, selfish,
and uninspired play, Ryan Boatright missing six games due to an NCAA
investigation, their legendary coach Jim Calhoun had retired
(replaced by Kevin Ollie), were ineligible for all post season
tournaments, and Drummond and Lamb were in the NBA.
But something happened to the UConn Huskies during their “nothing
to play for” season: they became a team. With only themselves, the
Husky Nation, and their new coach who wasn't even guaranteed a job
after this season, Connecticut put together a season so far that
resulted in Kevin Ollie getting singed to a five-year extension,
energized their fan base, and proved that they were a team that would
have to be looked at next year when eligible once more for post
season play.
That all being said...the question is, if UConn were eligible this
year, where in the NCAA Tournament would the Huskies find themselves?
As of March 2nd, the Huskies are 7th in the
Big East Standings. If the standings would hold to the end of the
season, the Huskies would be playing on the second day of the
conference tournament against against Cincinnati. The two split the
season series, both games very close. If UConn would win, they would
be slated to play Louisville.
As for the NCAA Tournament, with a record of 19-10 in the Big East,
the Huskies would be putting on their dancing shoes. With an RPI
ranking of 45, a BPI ranking of 42, and an SOS of 23, Connecticut has
the base qualifications for a tournament bid. Throughout the season
they have collected several good wins: vs Michigan State in Germany,
at Notre Dame, vs Syracuse, and vs Cincinnati (all teams in the RPI
Top 50). Their best performance among those (ranked by the BPI
Ranking System) was against then #6 Syracuse at Storrs, 66-58. On the
flip side, of those nine loses, seven are to teams in the RPI Top 50.
Losses to Louisville and Georgetown in Connecticut, New Mexico and
North Carolina State at neutral locations, and Marquette, Pittsburgh,
and Cincinnati on the road are all quality loses. Loses at St. Johns,
at South Florida, and at home against Villanova (their worst loss as
rated by the BPI Ranking System) are considered “bad” loses
because they are outside the RPI Top 50 (though “Nova” is rated
#56 and John's #60, South Florida is rated #127). With the bulk of
their wins (15) coming against teams outside the RPI Top 60, the
strength of schedule and big wins would be UConn's strengths going
into tournament time. When you take everything in: wins, losses,
schedule, rankings, I believe the Huskies would be rated as high as a
#7 seed, and no lower than a #10 seed and would most likely be seated
in the West bracket (Connecticut has not failed to win the NCAA
Championship when seated in the West bracket, 3-0).
If eligible for post season play, I have no doubt that Connecticut
would be in the NCAA Tournament, rated no lower than a #10 seed, and
would have (depending on their matchup) a decent shot of going to the
Sweet Sixteen. Sadly Husky Nation will have to wait another year, and
hope their team can finish strong with two games remaining. Finishing
20-10 in a “lost season” isn't bad at all considering how low
aspirations were at the beginning of the season. If the entire team
returns (and its almost a guarantee it will) the Huskies could be a
dangerous team.
