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Message: [QUOTE="oldude, post: 2109157, member: 7511"] When the WBB brackets were announced, there was a good deal of perhaps justifiable anxiety that UConn, as the #1 overall seed, had been dealt a really difficult draw on the way towards a possible 12th national championship. While there have been some upsets and key injuries in the tournament, UConn’s path to the finals still looks like UAlbany, the Cuse, UCLA, MD, Baylor & maybe ND or SC? After watching the Huskies dismantle the Orange last night[B], I am of the opinion that UConn’s draw of ever more difficult teams may be the best possible scenario to secure the 12th banner at Gampel.[/B] Looking back at last year’s team, it really didn’t matter who they played, where they played or even if they played their best game. They were going to win and nothing was going to change the eventual outcome. This season, for all the reasons discussed extensively on the BY and elsewhere, this team has some real vulnerabilities. What is truly remarkable about this year’s Husky team, is the way they embrace a challenge. Yes, the Huskies might just limp by Tulane, but you put them up against Baylor, TX, MD, ND, SC or the Orange’s pressing, 3-pt shooting frenzied attack, and on every single occasion, UConn has risen to the challenge. The concept of building up to a supreme challenge by facing progressively greater challenges is the essence of the NCAA tournament. While the other side of the bracket does not look quite as formidable with key injuries at ND and SC, Baylor looms as the giant literally and figuratively standing in the way of the Huskies. Assuming that Baylor and UConn meet again in the national semifinals, what’s the best way to prepare to play a team that has great size and depth, is now healthy and is firing on all cylinders? I would argue that after opening against a solid UAlbany team, UConn may play a string of three teams (Cuse, UCLA, MD) where you have to defend all over the court against multiple scorers and work hard on offense to get good shots on every possession. Nothing will better prepare the Huskies to take on Baylor on their home turf in Dallas. If the Huskies get to that point, it will be an epic matchup, and if they get by Baylor, there will certainly be another formidable opponent waiting in the finals. But there is something magical about this team that never seems to face a challenge they cannot overcome. I quoted a line early in the season, and it bears repeating, “[B]What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger[/B].” [/QUOTE]

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