It all comes down to the next few weeks of play for the UConn men’s basketball team. After being named the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Huskies will stay on the East Coast until the Final Four during a potential run at championship No. 6 and ring No. 2. That being said, it’s only going to get tougher from here, but the first challenge of the field for Connecticut will be the No. 16 Stetson Hatters at 2:45 inside the Barclays Center.
If you haven’t read my article detailing what to look out for from the Hatters, there are some weapons to look out for from the program. Many may quickly doubt Stetson, but with options like Stephan Swenson setting up his teammates and great scorers like Jalen Blackmon scoring the basketball, the team could give the Huskies some problems. That’s not even mentioning some quality front court plays from guys like Aubin Gateretse and Alec Oglesby. But their biggest struggle has been on the defensive end, so they’ll need to be on their best to have a shot at staying competitive with Connecticut.
But UConn was named the No. 1 overall seed in the Tournament for a reason, and there are plenty of positives on their side. Opponents know that their offense is electric, and their defense has made significant strides over the season, both hitting top 15 marks in the country. They have excellent play from the one through the five, and despite having arguably one of the toughest roads to getting their second championship in a row, they have the tools to overcome the significant challenges of an unforgiving NCAA Tournament.
One of the biggest storylines heading into Brooklyn has been the strides that UConn’s depth pieces have made this season, more specifically guys like Jaylin Stewart. Throughout the season, it’s been no secret that both Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson have stepped up big time, with the former Texas A&M transfer providing the biggest spark off the bench. Yet, Stewart has been the most interesting development in Dan Hurley’s winning formula. Both of Connecticut’s two final wins showed that the freshman forward could definitely be an important depth piece going into March on both ends of the floor. While many expected Stewie to be a key piece of UConn’s program in the future, this is a guy who shouldn’t fly under the radar if it comes to some important minutes during the Tournament.
However, there are some things that Hurley and Co. will need to do to make history. One of the things that many may be concerned about was UConn’s last four contests, which saw the program have some significantly slower starts than usual. In some even tougher contests against teams like St. John’s and Marquette, that fact was especially obvious. While the team was obviously able to overcome that negative and win all four of those matchups, it’s something that needs to be fixed if they may potentially go up against top teams like Auburn or Iowa State as they continue through March Madness.
Yet, the most important piece of their puzzle has been sticking to their identity, especially on the defensive end. If you were a team that was looking to give Connecticut a rare loss on their resume, it took some incredible shooting. While the program did struggle with injuries during two of those losses, whether it was the absence of Stephon Castle against Kansas or Donovan Clingan in the second half against Seton Hall, that fact remains ever true. The Huskies need to remain hard-nosed and focused on the defensive end to keep their hopes alive in the Tournament. That’s something that remains essential if they want to make it out of a difficult East Region.
And UConn has the defensive pieces to be fantastic on that end of the court. Clingan completely changes the formula for this squad by his sheer 7-2 presence. Stephon Castle has dazzled the eyes of scouts with some elite defense that has shown to be effective against the one through five. Alex Karaban has shown how effective he can be throughout the season, especially when the Huskies went small without No. 32 and forced the redshirt sophomore to play the five. You can’t forget about the defensive spark that Diarra adds off the bench either.
But ultimately, Friday is the first step, and UConn has the cast of characters to make history in an incredible tournament field. To watch the Huskies take on the Hatters on TV, you can tune into CBS.