From unranked to unbeatable, the Huskies have turned expectations upside down en route to a trip to the Final Four

SCOTT JACOBS

Four months ago, UConn was unranked, coming off a disappointing year, in which they missed the NCAA Tournament altogether, and then bowed out quietly in a forgettable N.I.T, and expectations were so low that Andy Katz not only didn’t have them in his preseason Top 25, he didn’t even have the Huskies as one of his ten teams on the cusp.

Whoops.

After surviving a furious late Arizona rally which included two would be game winners, the Huskies are heading to the Final Four, a remarkable feat in an even more remarkable year.  Possibly Jim Calhoun’s finest coaching feat yet in a career chalk full of accomplishments.

And Kemba and friends are far from done.  Yup, the same team that Big East coaches prognosticated to finish 10th in a 16 team Big East is now off to Houston, where they’ll look to culminate an impressive comeback season with another national championship.

Tourney tough?  How about Mission Impossible tough.

First UConn ran the gauntlet on the Maui Invitational winning 3 games in Hawaii, crushing Kentucky in the championship game.  That started Kemba mania, and the Kemba Express hasn’t slowed down a tinge since. One Big East tournament rampage later (a 5 game in 5 night extravaganza) and UConn was all over the national radar.  But most people thought they’d be worn out and that the Big East team which finished  9th and barely squeaked out a .500 conference record would eventually hit a snag and get knocked out.

But like the Energizer Bunny, they’re still going.

Their latest conquest, a Wildcats team coming off a pasting of number 1 seed Duke is just another one to add to an ever-growing resume.

A resume that includes 4 NCAA Tournament wins and counting.

To win one tournament is impressive.  To win two is awesome.  Three?  How many teams can say they’ve done that?

“This is no time to be tired,” Walker said. “We’re trying to get as far as possible. We want to win this whole thing.”

The only thing I’m tired of, when it comes to UConn, is doubting them.  After the toughness and resiliency that they’ve shown in winning 9 pressure packed games in a row, doubt them at your own risk. They may not lose another game this year. And after all that talk about the Big East and how it totally flopped in the Dance, UConn did anything but.  Two more wins and they will win this whole thing.

Kemba Walker led the charge as usual with 20 points and once again showed that he’s got the clutch gene down pat.  Showing silky smooth ball handling and a knack for big-time closing moment shots, Walker carried UConn to this stage, but he was not just a one man gang.  Which is why the Huskies keep winning. And winning.  And winning.

Jeremy Lamb had 19 points, Shabazz Napier had 10, and Alex Oriakhi had 7 to anchor the Kemba Express, which shows no signs of slowing down.

After winning the Maui Invitational hosted by Chaminade University UConn was elevated to number 7.  With half the Final Four field set and just 2 more games tomorrow, there’s now only 6 teams left.

And UConn may the best one of them, hitting on all cylinders and playing the best basketball they have all season.

If it’s all about getting hot when the games get their toughest, the Huskies are on fire.  Houston, we have a problem.

Photo: Getty

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