UConn, Louisville will be scary in March
Posted: Monday, January 28, 2008 7:48 PM
Filed Under:
March Madness, Big East
As if beating Indiana wasn’t enough, Connecticut served notice Monday that it’ll be a scary team in March. Figures. Not seeing the Huskies in the Big Dance was one of the few things missing from last year’s tournament.
A 69-67 win against a healthy Louisville team should be enough to convince hoops pundits that the Huskies (15-5, 5-3 in Big East) have enough scoring (something missing last year) and depth (the second straight game/win without leading scorer Jerome Dyson and backup Doug Wiggins, who were suspended indefinitely after alcohol violations) to be a Big East contender and a darkhorse NCAA Tournament team.
(Or at least be ranked in the Top 25, for Pete’s sake. Not sure why Texas A&M is still in there…but I digress.)
Saturday’s win, which UConn coach Jim Calhoun called one of the most rewarding of his career, was a game where all the attention on the Hoosiers’ fab freshman, Eric Gordon, and their 17-1 start certainly helped the Huskies. Just the day before they learned Calhoun had suspended Dyson and Wiggins, yet responded with their best game this season.
To follow that up with a win against a solid, ever-improving Louisville team (not many teams get to bring Earl Clark and Derrick Caracter off the bench) shows how invaluable guys like A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien are and especially how much Hasheem Thabeet has improved. (Thabeet’s greatest asset never shows up in box scores; at 7-3, he can alter any shots, to say nothing of his three blocks against the Cardinals.)
After all, a guard like Price, who’s gone through his share of health and off-court issues, may be the biggest key to the Huskies. He’s an underrated scorer who does a little bit of everything; indispensible because of his passing (37.2 ARate, 20th best overall) and ability to break down opponents off the dribble. Depending on how long Dyson and Wiggins are out (with marijuana involved, it could stretch a few weeks), Price’s scoring load will likely increase.
And after watching UConn in back-to-back games, I’m surprised they’re not a higher-rated defensive team. Maybe I’m thrown by Thabeet inside and ignoring their perimeter defense. Regardless, they look good.
All of this isn’t to omit Louisville, though.
This Courier-Journal article before Monday’s game called it a key Big East matchup, which is spot on. The Cardinals (15-6) were beset with injury issues to start the season, but had won 10 of their last 12 games, including wins against West Virginia and Marquette. (Both were at home; winning on the road remains an issue for Rick Pitino’s crew.) The Cards play marvelous defense (made easy by having plenty of mobile big men) and continue to improve offensively (if their FTRate were higher, it’d help).
My prevailing thought during Monday’s game though? Both teams look like a 6 or 7 seed in the tourney and would be a handful for any 2 or 3 seed. (Oddly enough, that’s what Joe Lunardi had both teams entering Monday’s game.) Unless UConn or Louisville rip off a big winning streak, the best seed either squad will likely receive is 5, making both a dangerous second-round matchup for a Final Four hopeful.
After all, who wants to face a deep, defensively sound team coached by either Jim Calhoun or Rick Pitino?
