In university basketball, there is something to say about the peak at the right time. While staying within the reach of the tournament, playing his best game in March could be the impulse he needs to take care of Glory.
Uconn knows everything about that. In 2011, the Huskies won five consecutive games in the Big East Tournament to win a conference title, climb to three seeds and then win a national title.
Such things will not happen this year (well, at least the climb to a seed of three). His hard winter assured that the Huskies will need to make an arduous trip if they hope to become the first school to win national titles of three consequents from the UCLA Bruins of the 1970s.
Of course, there are issues to attend beforehand, such as the question of impressing their fans in Madison Square Garden, since they hope to retain the title of the Big East tournament they claimed last season.
Despite all the difficulties that the Huskies held, both out of their control and by self -inflicted, a conference title has the opportunity to wash the sins of the season behind them to prepare for the madness of March.
In their first game of the Big East tournament, the Huskies avenged by Villanova with a 73-55 victory that establishes a semifinal with Creighton on Friday.
Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies had a strong start in the Big East tournament game
The Huskies hindered Eric Dixon (43) and the Wildcats of Villanova with a 73-56 victory
Connecticut headlines have not been stellar, since almost all focus on the man in charge.
In a tight game against Butler earlier this season, UConn coach Dan Hurley, began shouting at referee Nathan Farrell. When Farrell turned around, the Huskies coach bricks him: “You don't turn your back on your back, I am the best coach in the fucking sport.”
He admitted 60 minutes that he sometimes says whatever he can to motivate himself at the time, and that was an example. But this season, Hurley has not always seen himself as the 'best coach in the fucking sport'.
The national defenders fought until January and February, going 8-7 in that period.
There was a lack of consistency. For each victory on the road against Creighton in Omaha, there was a defeat against Villanova after leader Alex Karaban lost two free throws. For each victory over Marquette classified in Milwaukee, there was a defeat for the presenters of the Seton Hall League to support it. For every narrow defeat at St. John's there was … well, a defeat in St. John's in Madison Square Garden.
The Huskies were not a bad team. They had solid pieces, but they simply could not find a land to stop. But for March, those problems seemed (for the moment) to solve themselves.
The reasons for that are double. First, the first year student Liam McNeeley returned from an injury that kept him out almost all of January. When he returned to the court, it was the option of the Huskies, presenting 38 in that victory on the road against Creighton and ending the season as the first year student of the year.
Uconn had a winter to forget when they were 8-7 in January and February, but straightened the ship
The return of the first year student injured Liam McNeeley has been one of the two main catalysts for change
That was along with the resurgence of leader Alex Karaban at strong offensive exhibitions
But McNeeley doesn't make this team alone. They needed their only head of that national championship team to finally click after a season full of fighting.
And in March, it seemed that Senior Alex Karaban found the right course. He looked like a leader since the beginning of the year, Karaman simply could not find consistency throughout the season. That includes a stretch from January to February, where it was 17-76 from a range of 3 points. Karaban owned his deficiencies, saying that he expected himself better.
Turn the calendar to the month number 3. Its 3-point shot has risen (8-15), but so are its other statistics. The last game of the regular season, a demolition of Seton Hall, saw the Massachusetts native to get his first double since December.
To begin their defense of the Big East title, they began with the same team of Villanova Wildcats, they were so close to winning in the main line outside of Philadelphia.
By the way, Farrell, the referee that Hurley admonished months ago, was in the whistle tonight. He took about ten minutes to give the coach a technical foul.
The physicality of the Huskies in Defense led to early foul problems. At the end of half, the Wildcats had an starting advantage of 16-2 and went to locker room.
UCONN had a 20-6 advantage in points in the paint, with a reasonable advantage over the Wildcats. Not only that, but the lifeguard of Villanova, Eric Dixon, was shooting 25 percent from the field, since the first year student Liam McNeeley had blocked him.
While Dixon was still fighting, Villanova turned to transfer the guard Wooga Poplar, who suffered defeat against Uconn in the Final Four of 2023 with Miami. His range kept the game nearby. For the 9:00 mark, I was shooting 10-13, while the rest of the team had only reached 3 of 21 attempts.
The physical defense of the Huskies put them in problems of fouls at the beginning of the contest
UConn coach Dan Hurley, shouts officer Tim Clugherty during a game on Thursday
Wooga Poplar (5) of Villanova led the team in annotations, but the other Montesses cats were inconsistent
A multitude of majority UCONN stood when the Huskies took a front at nine minutes for the first time from the opening stages of the contest.
On Thursday it became Friday when midnight hit the waiting time of children of eight media, and remains a possession contest. As the latter advanced, the Huskies really began to focus inside and reject the greats of Villanova.
The knife in the heart came when the waiting time of children from four media arrived. Dixon lost a triple to sink its average shooting at 2 from 14 at night. At the opposite end, a Karaban pass found Johnson again for an emphatic and a blow to put the Huskies 11 and essentially let the game rest.
Reflecting on her five -game winning streak, including Thursday's victory, Karaman said: “We are desperate by the championships here, so we want to play our best basketball at this time.”
Big East is not a consolation prize. A year of sand and fight concludes here. If the Huskies are as desperate as they say, they will have to stick through a path that probably ends with Creighton, then St. John's.
If despair becomes joy, then maybe this is not a season at the edge after all.