Spring Break
The Huskies are one of the eight best teams in the nation and seeded just right.
Zac Boyer
Issue date: 3/18/05 Section: Sports
While there were many decisions that the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee made that had fans scratching their heads, including Washington as the top seed in Albuquerque and Louisville a No. 4 seed, there was one selection that the committee didn't get wrong: UConn as a No. 2 seed.
Now, while it hasn't necessarily been the most popular decision made by the committee this year - there are favorable cases for Arizona, Kansas or even Syracuse as the other No. 2 seed - the choice to make the Huskies a No. 2 seed in the Syracuse Regional was a very justified decision.
Consider the end of the regular season, in which the Huskies won their last six games in a row (and 10 of their last 11 games overall) and suffered only a setback in their contest against North Carolina, then the No. 2 team in the nations and, coincidentally enough, the top seed in the Syracuse Regional.
Illinois ruined their perfect season by losing to lowly Ohio State, who wasn't even eligible for the Big Dance. Washington lost two games in their last month - one to Oregon State, one to Stanford. Same with Kentucky, who lost to Florida and South Carolina, and Wake Forest dropped a big game at the end of February to Duke.
In addition, UConn got a lot of credit for using that run toward a share of the Big East regular season title, which they shared with Boston College. Had the Huskies held onto their lead against the Eagles Jan. 5, they could have won the conference title outright.
Their overall 22-7 record is also impressive, given they lost their two most important players, Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, to the NBA after their championship last season. While every team lost quality players to graduation or the pros, the fact that the Huskies were able to nearly duplicate last season's record without either player shows the determination and will of this year's squad and their ability to step up when needed.
Quality play from the reserves down the stretch, which was tested by Rashad Anderson's injury and now with Antonio Kellogg's suspension, also helped the Huskies. With Denham Brown stepping into the spotlight and Ryan Thompson grabbing more minutes off the bench, the Huskies were able to show the committee they are a deep squad capable of making a run at a repeat.
This is not to mention all of the numbers and rankings that showed the Huskies were deserving of their seed. Their strength of schedule was sixth in the nation, coming off a difficult Big East schedule that saw two matchups against Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Georgetown, not to mention a game against Boston College, Villanova and West Virginia, all who made the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies were also among the top 12 in the nation in scoring at 79.7 points per game and had the 13th best scoring margin.
Although the NCAA Tournament committee may have made surprising choices in preparing the field of 65, choosing the Huskies as a No. 2 seed was more fitting than many believe.
Now, while it hasn't necessarily been the most popular decision made by the committee this year - there are favorable cases for Arizona, Kansas or even Syracuse as the other No. 2 seed - the choice to make the Huskies a No. 2 seed in the Syracuse Regional was a very justified decision.
Consider the end of the regular season, in which the Huskies won their last six games in a row (and 10 of their last 11 games overall) and suffered only a setback in their contest against North Carolina, then the No. 2 team in the nations and, coincidentally enough, the top seed in the Syracuse Regional.
Illinois ruined their perfect season by losing to lowly Ohio State, who wasn't even eligible for the Big Dance. Washington lost two games in their last month - one to Oregon State, one to Stanford. Same with Kentucky, who lost to Florida and South Carolina, and Wake Forest dropped a big game at the end of February to Duke.
In addition, UConn got a lot of credit for using that run toward a share of the Big East regular season title, which they shared with Boston College. Had the Huskies held onto their lead against the Eagles Jan. 5, they could have won the conference title outright.
Their overall 22-7 record is also impressive, given they lost their two most important players, Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, to the NBA after their championship last season. While every team lost quality players to graduation or the pros, the fact that the Huskies were able to nearly duplicate last season's record without either player shows the determination and will of this year's squad and their ability to step up when needed.
Quality play from the reserves down the stretch, which was tested by Rashad Anderson's injury and now with Antonio Kellogg's suspension, also helped the Huskies. With Denham Brown stepping into the spotlight and Ryan Thompson grabbing more minutes off the bench, the Huskies were able to show the committee they are a deep squad capable of making a run at a repeat.
This is not to mention all of the numbers and rankings that showed the Huskies were deserving of their seed. Their strength of schedule was sixth in the nation, coming off a difficult Big East schedule that saw two matchups against Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Georgetown, not to mention a game against Boston College, Villanova and West Virginia, all who made the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies were also among the top 12 in the nation in scoring at 79.7 points per game and had the 13th best scoring margin.
Although the NCAA Tournament committee may have made surprising choices in preparing the field of 65, choosing the Huskies as a No. 2 seed was more fitting than many believe.