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Team: Connecticut Huskies
Conference: American Athletic Conference
Coach: Kevin Ollie
Record: (24-10)
KenPom Rank: 29
Good Wins:
- Michigan (Battle 4 Atlantis)
- @ Texas
- Tulsa
- SMU
- Cincinnati (AAC Tournament)
- Temple (AAC Tournament)
Impact Players: One player the Huskies rely on is fifth-year senior Shonn Miller. This season he averages about 13 points, 5 rebounds, while shooting 58% from the field. He is very dangerous in the low-post. The team's leading scorer is Rodney Purivs. This ex-McDonald's All-American attacks the basket ferociously, averaging 13 points per game. The messiah of their season is Jalen Adams that hit a 60-ft shot with less than 1 second left to prevent a loss at the hands of Cincinnati.
How did they get in?: UConn seemed to be very comfortable throughout the season, most believed they were a guarantee for the NCAA Tournament. Losing 3 of their last 5 regular season games pushed them out of the tourney and onto the bubble.
However, after a miraculous victory against the Cincinnati Bearcats, most bracketologists included them in the field of 64. An early exit in the AAC Tournament would have sent UConn to the NIT for the second-straight year. Seriously, check out how close UConn was from an early exit.
Why we love #ChampWeek https://t.co/qPEu96rdN7
— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) March 11, 2016
How far can they go?: These UConn Huskies have the talent to make a deep run in the tournament. When you dissect their roster, it seems that the Huskies have it all. UConn has shooters, shot-blockers, rebounders, and versatile big-man. Usually, having as many weapons as UConn does and the experience they have is enough to produce a top 10 team.
The main problem for UConn is the lack of leadership.
Many times this year they have lost by a small margin. Some of those losses were total collapses down the stretch, where the Huskies lacked that killer instinct to put a team away. If they can improve the way they end games, these Huskies have National Championship talent. It is March after all, Huskies come out to play when it counts most.
Last time in NCAA Tournament: 2014; UConn went ran through the NCAA Tournament behind the stellar play of guard Shabazz Napier. The 7-seeded Huskies beat Villanova, Iowa State, Michigan State, Florida, and Kentucky en route to the NCAA Championship.