There has been little debate all season that Connecticut is the most talented team in the country. The top-ranked Huskies may not always have played like the best team, but their athleticism and skill have come together and they are ready to cut down the nets in Indianapolis.
UConn began the season with star point guard Marcus Williams suspended for his involvement in "Laptop-gate." Without him, the Huskies won the Maui Invitational anyway.
Connecticut knocked off then-No. 9 Arizona and No. 8 Gonzaga with freshman Craig Austrie running the point in Hawaii, and the team remained undefeated until Williams' return.
Although UConn dropped the first game that Williams suited up for, the team has lost only one game since-on the road to No. 2 Villanova-and has developed a roster so deep head coach Jim Calhoun can substitute five players at a time. Super-athlete Rudy Gay headlines a star-studded Huskies' squad that can go as deep as 11 players.
No UConn player averages more than 33 minutes, and the team's fresh legs will be a tremendous advantage when forced to play two games every weekend in the NCAA Tournament.
Down low, the Huskies are anchored by 6-foot-11 Hilton Armstrong and 6-foot-10 Josh Boone, both of whom have tasted an NCAA title before. The duo has combined to block almost six shots a game this season.
Freshman Jeff Adrien and former ACC Rookie of the Year Ed Nelson-a transfer from Georgia Tech-come off the bench to average 5.3 and 3.4 rebounds per game, respectively. The two give Armstrong and Boone the luxury of playing aggressively all game without worrying about foul trouble.
On the perimeter, Williams and Austrie share time handling the ball. In his 18 games back, Williams, who led the Big East in assists his sophomore season, has racked up 152 dimes while only turning the ball over 67 times. The junior's speed and court vision have made UConn one of the most dangerous transition teams in the nation.
In addition to their dominance in the paint, excellent ball handling, slashing forwards, tremendous depth and a coach that has won two National Championships, the Huskies can also shoot the three ball.
Senior Rashad Anderson comes off the bench as the team's second leading scorer and most deadly long-range weapon. Anderson, who averaged over 17 points per game in the NCAA Tournament when the Huskies won in 2004, is shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc this season.
The Huskies have all the pieces to win their third championship since 1999. No team in the country can match their skill and depth and Calhoun has proved tough to coach against in the tournament, winning both his trips to the Final Four while besting Mike Krzyzewski each time.
Storrs better get ready, there's going to be a party come April.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.