UConn couldn’t have asked for a rougher season and certainly couldn’t have a rougher path to defending their national championship, according to Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology update. The Huskies are a No. 9 seed, but that’s not the worst news.
The worst part is even if they’re lucky enough to get a first round win, they’re currently predicted to be in the same region as No. 1 seed Duke. That’s not ideal for a team that has a chance to win a third-straight national championship.
It’s not out of the cards that the Huskies could make some noise in the NCAA Tournament, but nothing about this season makes you feel like they’re going to get hot.
UConn, which ran through the Big East last year, is currently fourth in the standings, behind St. Johns, Creighton and Marquette. Their up-and-down season has been the biggest reason for their struggles.
They have struggled against teams they were crushing a year ago and that’s why they may not have the same luck in running through the tournament field in 2024.
UConn March Madness: Can UConn turn it on in the Big East Tournament to get some momentum ahead of NCAA Tournament?
What UConn needs to be focused on right now is playing as well as they can in the conference tournament. This feels like one of those seasons where the teams that are the hottest coming into the tournament will have the most success.
Aside from maybe Auburn, Florida, St. Johns and Tennessee, I have a feeling if you don’t have some momentum coming into March Madness from the conference tournament, that will be a disadvantage.
And that’s the good thing about March Madness, right? You get the chance to start fresh in the conference tournament. The regular season just determines how hard your road will be in the conference tournament.
But the teams that show up the week before the NCAA Tournament will do the best in the field of 68. Which is why UConn can’t afford a roller coaster conference tournament. Whatever they tapped into last season to crush just about every opponent they played, they need that same mindset.
UConn is fortunate enough to not be a bubble team right now. That said, if they don’t take care of business over the next couple of weeks, it will only be harder on themselves to defend their title.
While that does feel like a long shot, this year is one of those years will parity will probably be high in the NCAA Tournament. In year’s past, the blue bloods always showed up in the NCAA Tournament.
This season, it will be all about the teams with the most momentum. If UConn wants to go on a deep run, they have to start generating some real momentum; and that starts against Providence on Saturday.