Greatest College Programs - University of Connecticut Huskies

March 12, 2008

Greatest NCAA College Basketball Programs of All Time: University of Connecticut Huskies While the University of Connecticut may have only appeared in two Final Fours, what is impressive is the fact that in both those years – 1999 and 2004, they won the national championship. The 1990 season pushed the UConn Huskies to national attention, and as a serious threat in college basketball. What became known as the “Dream Season,” The Huskies were unranked during the preseason, however would end up winning the Big East Regular Season and Tournament Championships. After a buzzer-beater in the sweet sixteen stage over Clemson, the Huskies would eventually lose in overtime to Duke with a berth in the Final Four on the line. The nineties proved successful to coach Jim Calhoun and the Connecticut Huskies as they won three more Big East Tournament Championships, however it wasn’t until 1999 that they made it to the Final Four. Nearly a decade after Duke denied them a spot in the final four, UConn got their revenge defeating the Blue Devils 77 to 74. The rivalry with Duke did not end there. During UConn’s 2004 championship run, they had to go through a strong Duke squad in the National semi-final, barely squeezing by them 79 to 78 despite being down by nine with under five minutes to go. That victory would set up a match with Georgia Tech in the Final who they handled easily 82 to 73. Through the years, 33 Huskies have been drafted to the NBA upon completion of the 2007 NCAA season. As of 2008, the University of Connecticut had 14 active players in the NBA, which ranks them first amongst all colleges. These NBA players are not just benchwarmers either; Emeka Okafor, Ray Allen and Richard Hamilton are just a few of the names in that company.

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