Spring Break
This year's No. 1 not like years past
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 2/3/09 Section: Sports
As a student and fan of UConn basketball, all I've heard this season is that the top-ranked men's basketball team is "overrated" or "undeserving of its ranking."
In response to that question, I've always told the "haters" that UConn was indeed for real, that this 21-1 start and No. 1 ranking wasn't a fluke.
But to be honest, I haven't always believed what I've said. The nucleus of this team has been together for two years-and in that time, they've put together a 17-14 disaster in 2006-2007 and a disapointing 24-10 campaign that ended in an embarassing loss to San Diego last season.
This team - with the exception of Jeff Adrien and Craig Austrie, both of whom were reserves on the 2005-2006 team - hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game. Hell, they haven't even won a Big East tournament game.
There isn't much big-game experience on this team. There isn't any star power, either. There are no future NBA All-Stars running through the tunnel. There is no Rudy Gay, no Ben Gordon, no Emeka Okafor. There is no Richard Hamilton. There isn't even a Marcus Williams (a point guard who can't get off the bench on the hapless Golden State Warriors).
By all accounts, this year's No. 1 ranked UConn squad doesn't stack up to the 2005-2006 team that reached the Elite Eight and fell victim to the George Mason.
That team, along with the 1998-1999 Duke squad, has often been called the best NCAA basketball team to never win a championship. A record four players - Gay, Williams, Hilton Armstrong and Josh Boone - were drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. Denham Brown was selected in the second round and both Ed Nelson and Rashad Anderson play professionally in Europe.
From a talent perspective, its not even close: The '08-'09 Huskies just aren't as good. And that's what makes them better.
In 2005-2006, UConn was so good that it practically sleepwalked to a 30-4 regular-season record. After a laxsidasical 86-84 loss to Syracuse in the first round of the Big East tournament, the Huskies still earned the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance, and, to the dismay of the entire state of North Carolina, they earned Dick Vitale's national champion projection as well.
In response to that question, I've always told the "haters" that UConn was indeed for real, that this 21-1 start and No. 1 ranking wasn't a fluke.
But to be honest, I haven't always believed what I've said. The nucleus of this team has been together for two years-and in that time, they've put together a 17-14 disaster in 2006-2007 and a disapointing 24-10 campaign that ended in an embarassing loss to San Diego last season.
This team - with the exception of Jeff Adrien and Craig Austrie, both of whom were reserves on the 2005-2006 team - hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game. Hell, they haven't even won a Big East tournament game.
There isn't much big-game experience on this team. There isn't any star power, either. There are no future NBA All-Stars running through the tunnel. There is no Rudy Gay, no Ben Gordon, no Emeka Okafor. There is no Richard Hamilton. There isn't even a Marcus Williams (a point guard who can't get off the bench on the hapless Golden State Warriors).
By all accounts, this year's No. 1 ranked UConn squad doesn't stack up to the 2005-2006 team that reached the Elite Eight and fell victim to the George Mason.
That team, along with the 1998-1999 Duke squad, has often been called the best NCAA basketball team to never win a championship. A record four players - Gay, Williams, Hilton Armstrong and Josh Boone - were drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. Denham Brown was selected in the second round and both Ed Nelson and Rashad Anderson play professionally in Europe.
From a talent perspective, its not even close: The '08-'09 Huskies just aren't as good. And that's what makes them better.
In 2005-2006, UConn was so good that it practically sleepwalked to a 30-4 regular-season record. After a laxsidasical 86-84 loss to Syracuse in the first round of the Big East tournament, the Huskies still earned the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance, and, to the dismay of the entire state of North Carolina, they earned Dick Vitale's national champion projection as well.
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