Welcome back to another edition of Husky History. On this special week, rather than highlighting an individual athlete for their success, an entire team will be honored: the 2005-06 UConn men’s basketball team.
In light of the current UConn men’s basketball team clinching the Big East Regular Season Championship, let’s take a look back at the last time UConn had at least a share of the title.
Just two seasons removed from the 2004 national championship, Hall of Fame head coach Jim Calhoun crafted a team full of talent from top to bottom. Led by sophomore Rudy Gay and senior Rashad Anderson, the team sported a total of eight top-100 recruits coming out of their respective high school classes.
The team’s potential was recognized in the preseason with a No. 3 ranking in the AP Poll. They would stay there for the next four weeks as they stacked up 11 straight victories, nine of them by double digits.
Similar to this current season, the Huskies lost their first Big East matchup in 2005, falling to Marquette 94-79. Gay struggled from the floor that game, shooting 3-of-12 and fouling out before the game’s end. On the defensive end, the Huskies allowed forward All-Big East senior Steve Novak to explode for 41 points and seal the win.
Following the loss, UConn went on another 11-game win streak. During that stretch they claimed the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll for four straight weeks. The match with No. 4 Villanova approached fast, setting up a showdown with the two best teams in the Big East.
The Huskies traveled to Villanova with the goal of extending their quest of an outright Big East Regular Season title. UConn shot the ball well from the floor and attacked the glass, but the plus-eight turnover margin ultimately cost them the game. The Wildcats went on to win 69-64.
UConn responded well coming off the loss, winning five straight heading into the much-anticipated Big East Tournament. The biggest game of the stretch, however, came when the Huskies welcomed Villanova into Gampel Pavilion.
With Villanova only owning one Big East loss on their resume, a loss at home to the Wildcats would crown Villanova the outright regular season champions. With this on their minds, the men came together to click perfectly on both ends of the floor. The Huskies won convincingly 89-75 with senior forward Denham Brown notching a game-high 23 points.
Unfortunately, the momentum of clinching a share of the title did not carry over into the conference tournament. As the No. 1 ranked team in the country, they lost in overtime in the quarterfinals to an unranked Syracuse.
The team shot an abysmal 30.3 percent and could not prevent all five of the Orange starters from scoring in double figures. It was a disappointing early exit, but there was still optimism heading into the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies had eight days off to prepare for the opening round game against Albany. It was a No. 1 versus No. 16 matchup and the Huskies took care of business winning 72-59. Junior guard Marcus Williams led the way with 21 points, four rebounds and eight assists.
The next round proved to be a difficult task against a deep Kentucky team. However, the combination of the starters scoring 63 points and the offense forcing Kentucky to foul 21 times helped the Huskies take a narrow 87-83 victory.
In the Sweet Sixteen, UConn matched up with Washington who was led by future NBA Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy. Williams came up huge for the second consecutive game, notching 26 points, four rebounds and eight assists in the Huskies’ 98-92 victory.
It was shaping up to be another Final Four appearance for Calhoun and his crew, but the Huskies ran into that year’s tournament Cinderella team: eleven seeded George Mason. The lack of defensive intensity caught up to UConn. For their final three tournament games, they let up at least 80 points.
It was an unsatisfying end to a season that had championship hopes. That being said, not every season can end in a championship, but there was plenty to reflect on and be proud of.
One of those highlights of the season was the buzz players generated from the NBA. Coach Calhoun already established a great track record of molding bona fide NBA players, and the 2005-06 season was no different.
In the 2006 NBA Draft, five UConn players were selected, becoming the first school to accomplish the feat. Those players were Gay (No. 8), Hilton Armstrong (No. 12), Williams (No. 22), Josh Boone (No. 23) and Brown (No. 40).
Despite coming up short in both the NCAA and Big East Tournament, the season shaped up to be a legendary one for the program moving forward.
The similarities between the 2005-06 season and this one are striking, with the NBA-level talent each one has. The core from last year’s championship will have to lead the way in the quest to become college basketball’s first repeat champions in 17 years.