Deja Vu in uconn

Déjà vu. It’s happening again. The men’s and women’s basketball teams at UConn are both candidates, if not favorites, to win the NCAA tournament. The same was true in 2004, and both teams ended up winning the tournament, which was a first in history. The coaches for both teams are legendary. The girl’s coach, Geno Auriemma, has won 5 national championships, while Jim Calhoun, the boy’s coach, is one of only 19 college coaches to have won 700 games. Back in 2004, the UConn men had 6 future NBA players, as well as incredible depth. They had layers of guards and forwards they could count on. They almost lost in the Final Four to Duke, but pulled out a 79-78 win. They finished the year 33-6.
The women that year were unstoppable on the way to a 31-4 record and a third straight national championship victory. They were led by Diana Taurasi, who is now a dominant player in the WNBA. As good as they were, they weren’t as good as this year’s women’s squad. They are 30-0, that’s right, 30-0, and have beaten every opponent by at least 10 points. They are led by Maya Moore, who won her second straight Big East Player of the Year award. The last Lady Husky to accomplish this feat was Taurasi in ’04. They have great senior leadership in Renee Montgomery and have at least 6 players averaging 8 points per game or more.
This year’s men have a 27-3 record, have been number 1 in the nation numerous times, and are a probable number 1 seed in the tournament. They have a similar balance to the ’04 squad, with six players scoring at least 6 points per game. They have one of the best shot-blockers in the country in 7’3” Hasheem Thabeet, as well as a red-hot A.J. Price, who has scored 59 points in his last 3 games. Despite key injuries to Jerome Dyson (13.2 ppg) and Caroline Doty (8 ppg), both UConn teams should have the chance to win the national championship, and add their magical seasons to the long legacy of this prestigious athletic university.