For what it's worth, I think UConn has definitely been the strongest team in the tournament. Nearly every other top seed has struggled (Pitt vs. ETSU and OK St, UNC vs. LSU, L'ville vs. Siena, Memphis vs. CS-Northridge, Nova vs. American, Wake actually lost in the first round, etc.) The Huskies, on the other hand, have dominated both of their games.
Needless to say, I agree that if the committee had to re-seed the teams again, UConn would have to be the overall #1.
WEST REGIONAL (GLENDALE, ARIZ.)
No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 5 Purdue, Thursday, 7:07 p.m. ET
No. 1 Connecticut
How did the Huskies get here? UConn has been the most dominating team in the field so far.
If you were going to reseed the event, the Huskies would be your new overall No. 1. Hard to argue the point after UConn trashed Chattanooga by a count of 103-47 in the first round and then toyed with Texas A&M in the second to win 92-66.
The Huskies lost a brutal six-overtime game to Syracuse in the Big East quarterfinals. That was the fourth straight season that the Huskies couldn't get a Big East tournament win.
Only seniors Jeff Adrien and Craig Austrie had ever won an NCAA tournament game and that was during their freshmen season when the Huskies eventually lost to George Mason in the 2006 Elite Eight. So sweeping through the first two rounds proves the Huskies, even without Jerome Dyson, are the favorite to win the title.
Who's hot? A.J. Price is torching the competition. A year ago, Price tore his ACL in the first-round loss to San Diego. This season he's making up for that early exit. Price scored 20 points, including five 3s, in the first-round win over Chattanooga. He poured in 27 points and made 4 of 7 from 3 in the second-round win over Texas A&M. If Price can continue that torrid pace, he could be an MVP candidate of the event.
Who's not? Hasheem Thabeet was a non-factor offensively against the Aggies. The Huskies relied heavily on Adrien (23 points) inside. Thabeet took just two shots, made one and converted four free throws for six points. Thabeet did dominate overmatched Chattanooga with 20 points and 13 boards but he'll need to be more assertive offensively against Purdue.
What does this mean for the program? UConn doesn't have to prove itself nationally, but this group of players was about to leave Storrs empty if it couldn't win in the postseason. There is a rich tradition of champions under Jim Calhoun and the NBA-draft laden 2006 team doesn't seem to have the same cache here after losing to Mason. This year's squad has certainly been consistent but still had to prove it could produce in March. The six-overtime loss was deflating, but getting to the Sweet 16 should lift weight off their backs as they focus on reaching the Final Four.
Drama factor so far? None of it has been on the court. The only drama was about Calhoun's health. He was dehydrated and hospitalized in Philadelphia for a night, missed the first-round game but returned for the dismantling of the Aggies.
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