2010 Connecticut Huskies Basketball: UConn vs St. John's

It was a bad loss effectively ending a disappointing season. The Connecticut Huskies' aspirations of a deep run in the Big East Tournament, which would likely have led to an appearance in the NCAA tournament, came to an abrupt end after an embarrassing 73-51 first round loss to St. John’s, a team they had beaten 75-59 less than two months earlier. While a berth in the NIT likely awaits UConn, that was never the goal this year. After a trip to the Final Four in the 2008-09 season and with a starting line up consisting of at least three future pros, another trip to the NCAA tournament seemed a lock. But these things are decided on the court, not on paper.

The Huskies' failure to make another trip to the tourney can be blamed on many factors, the favorite seeming to be head coach Jim Calhoun’s seven game leave of absence. Indeed, with Calhoun in charge there may not have been the horrendous loss to Providence, and close losses against Marquette and Syracuse could have gone the other way, but to attribute the season’s early ending to only this would be to overlook this team’s major flaws, mainly a lack of consistency and major lapses in focus.

Consider, UConn went just 14-11 with Calhoun on the sidelines, finishing 17-15. The Huskies started the season 11-3 before losing three straight with the coach at the helm, going 3-4 with Calhoun out and finishing 3-5 once he returned. Their season, as were many of there games, was marred with wild inconsistency. From game to game, half to half and everywhere in between, they could go from looking like world beaters to looking like just another average college basketball team, or worse yet, a team completely disinterested in playing.

Three games highlight this up and down play; a win against the then number one Texas Longhorns and losses to the Georgetown Hoyas and the Syracuse Orange. The first of these came against the Hoyas, a game which saw UConn take a 40-25 lead into the half only to give it up, surrendering 47 second half points resulting in a 72-69 loss. Against Texas the Huskies found themselves down 42-34 at halftime before exploding for 54 points in the second half to take home an 88-74 victory. Finally, playing in Syracuse, the team found itself down 16 nearly halfway through the second half before playing superb basketball to tie the game at 65, only to find that they had dug themselves too deep, seeming to run out of steam in the final minutes, losing a heartbreaker 72-67.

While one could easily chalk up the losses to bad luck, pointing to Syracuse being granted a late time out that should not have been and Georgetown guard Austin Freeman’s 33 point bonanza, as the win against Texas shows, the team could look great for stretches of a game, but could also produce some awful basketball. Want further proof? In an early season match up against powerhouse Kentucky, UConn fell behind 12-0 to start the game, stormed back to take a four point lead into halftime, only to lose a tight game, 64-61. The near reversal of scores in two games against St. John’s is another glaring example.

Considering an extremely tough schedule and a leave of absence by the head coach, some schools would have been content with this season. But this is the Connecticut Huskies we’re talking about, a team that is expected to be in the NCAA tournament and competing for a championship year in and year out. If history is any indicator, a championship run is not far off, however, as prior to this season, the past three times UConn has failed to make the NCAA tournament, they have rebounded the following season, advancing to the Elite Eight twice. A trip to the Final Four has followed within three years each time, including two national championships. Maybe this is exactly what they needed.

Forgettable Season Ends in Ugly Loss for UConn