Let The Husky Hype Begin

Originally Published: Feb 22, 2010 11:35 PM CDT

Get ready for the “UConn needs to be in the NCAA tournament” hype to kick into high gear.  The Huskies may well-deserve to be in the field of 65.  But in the next 26 days expect to hear more about them than any other team.

UConn’s win over #7 West Virginia Monday hurts a team like OSU which is on the bubble as we speak.   If it comes down to comparing the two teams, I wouldn’t want to be the Cowboys having to argue against the weight carried by Jim Calhoun and his program.

 Here’s what the tournament committee has to look at with the Huskies:

Their overall record is 17-11, but they are 14-7 with head coach Jim Calhoun on the bench.  He missed 7 games and the Huskies were 3-4 in his absence.  Don’t think that won’t be brought up 1,000 times between now and selection Sunday.

The Huskies have three wins over teams who were in ranked in the Top 10 at the time of their meeting.  They beat #1 Texas, #3 Villanova and #7 West Virginia. 

The Huskies have played a tough schedule.  Of their 11 losses, 5 are to Top 25 teams:  Duke, Kentucky, Georgetown, Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

They also have bad losses to Michigan (13-13) and Providence (12-14). 

By March 21^st, UConn may be a no-doubt lock to get into the field of 65.  But rest assured, by the time that day arrives you’ll be so sick of hearing about the Huskies, you’ll pray they don’t get in.