No-Fun Huskies Deserved to Lose

It may seem unduly harsh (or bracket-busted-related bitterness) to say UConn deserved to lose a game that it sent to OT with all zeros on the clock, but it's true.

UConn has probably four NBA-ready players, more than even athlete-rich teams like Florida, Texas and LSU.

But not once during the tournement have they played to potential. They looked like listless crap against 16th-seed Albany. Albany! We got some measure of relief when they beat Kentucky, but that was only because so many watching convinced ourselves that UK was playing like the 'Cats of old. As feel-good as that lie was to those of us with the Huskies in our Final Fours, it's bull: this was easily the least cohesive, worst-playing Kentucky squad in many years.

Then for their final two games, they did a Road Runner-like, no one can keep them down act at the end of regulation. Washington had them beat. Myself and a few other hoops fans stood to the side of the stage at Tasty World, ignore soon-to-be famous rock stars in Second Shift, the Pendletons rocking out on stage, and even some really attractive girls with slightly curly hair (if I have a type, that's it), watching UConn somehow come back. Sunday was the same thing. UConn was all non-smiles and Calhoun's disturbing resmemblance to Grady Little was underscored by the smaller team playing loose and with passion--while the big boys of UConn grimaced and seemingly didn't even attempt a 3 point shot in the final minutes (while letting George Mason destroy them outside the arc on the other end.)

Calhoun said this year's Husky squad lacked in guard play...but would better guards really inspire some spark of life in this team? Teams that get this far have to have an identity. Unfortunatly for UConn, their legacy for 2006 is: talented underachievers. Now, one of the 3 best UConn teams finishes the year as a historical footnote to George Mason's amazing run (and don't doubt for a minute the coronary George Mason can give that jackass Billy Packer. 'Nova's run in 1985 was amazing, but look at what GM has done: defeated the defending National Champ, and the National Champ from two years ago, along with two of last year's Final Four teams. It could be a quarter-century before something like this happens again.)