5 Reasons To Be Happy For UConn

Yet another college basketball season is in the books and this year's tournament was the most exciting in recent memory. Plenty of close-games, game-winning shots, and upsets to please anyone and everyone that proclaims themselves a fan of the game. After handling Florida in the semi-final, the Connecticut Huskies moved to the National Championship game to take on the young, red-hot Kentucky Wildcats. After a hard-fought game and one that featured a UConn lead the entire 40 minutes, the Huskies cut down the nets and celebrated their third championship in ten years. While UConn fans rejoice, plenty of other fans sided with UConn simply because they did not want to see Kentucky succeed. That's all well and good, but here are five reasons why you should have been sincerely cheering FOR Connecticut, not AGAINST Kentucky:

1. The seniors of UConn: Shabazz Napier, Neils Giffey, and Tyler Olander were all members of the Connecticut program in 2011 when Kemba Walker led the Huskies to an improbable yet magical championship run. At the time, these three individuals were overshadowed by Walker, Jeremy Lamb, and Alex Oriakhi but nonetheless, each freshman contributed to the championship season. The Huskies were atop the college basketball world after taking down the Butler Bulldogs and added another credential to then head coach Jim Calhoun's Hall of Fame resume. And while 2011 was a year for celebration, 2012 was when the program took a hit. Violations of NCAA rules were brought into the open and the UConn program was banned from the postseason for the following 2013 season. This caused plenty of change within the Connecticut locker room as players like Alex Oriakhi chose to transfer for his senior season. So why should the three seniors on this year's team be admired? Quite simply, they stayed. Napier, Giffey, and Olander took the punishment like men and chose to stay loyal to the Connecticut program. At a time when loyalty is hard to come by in sports, the three seniors stayed put and helped bring the program back in to good light. THAT'S what leadership is all about.

Ollie won his first NCAA championship in just his second season

2. Kevin Ollie: The former NBA player was an assistant to Calhoun on the 2011 championship team and later found himself cleaning up the mess that Calhoun left behind when he was hired for the 2012-2013 season. It wasn't Calhoun who had to deal with the repercussions of the violations, it was Kevin Ollie, who had no head coaching experience. Yet here Ollie stands now, just two years later, a national champion. Ollie managed to keep the program intact and can even be held somewhat responsible for managing to keep the three seniors around. Aside from just keeping the personnel as well as recruiting new players, Ollie was a big enough influence that players bought in immediately. Even before the national championship came into play, Ollie had established himself as a rising talent in coaching and now has achieved the highest honor a current head coach can: a national championship. Just like the three seniors, Ollie took the punishment in stride and, obviously, made the most of it.

3. Veteran Victory: Everyone heard about the hype surrounding Kentucky and the fact that they were the first team since Michigan's "Fab Five" to start five freshman in a championship game. John Calipari had finally gotten the Wildcats to play up to their potential and they enjoyed great success in the tournament behind some very exciting performances. Kentucky took down numerous veteran teams on their way to the national championship by defeating Wichita State, Louisville, Michigan, and Wisconsin. UConn was the next target on the list of veteran teams, as they only start one freshman. While the thought of cheering for freshman who figured it out in a single season is understandable, the chance that these UConn kids had was even more exciting. To have dealt with the postseason ban as well as a head coaching change and a conference change, and still find a way to stay together and fight their way back to the national championship is something that presented so much more excitement. Kentucky's run was impressive and fun to watch, but the reward the UConn players got for sticking out all of the change and punishment was absolutely awe-inspiring.

4. Big performances from unheralded players: If you watched UConn at any point throughout the season then you obviously know the name Shabazz Napier. At the beginning of the season, however, Napier was about the only "star" UConn had on it's roster. Yet through this tournament run, multiple Huskies stepped up and drove Connecticut. Without a doubt, Napier was the leader and the dominant force for UConn, but players like DeAndre Daniels and Ryan Boatright turned in impressive and game-changing performances each game as well. Neither Daniels nor Boatright is a star and neither one looks like an NBA player at this point in time, but that's the beauty of it. Kentucky has seven or eight guys on their roster that will get drafted at some point. As of right now, Napier looks to be the only UConn player that could have a meaningful NBA career. UConn wasn't driven by four or five stars, they were driven by one that was greatly complimented by above-average role players which made their unlikely run even sweeter.

Walker and Napier have led UConn to their last two titles

5. UConn basketball dominance: In 2004, Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon led Connecticut to a national title. Diana Taurasi, at the time, was doing the same exact thing for the UConn women. That year, UConn won the national championship in both men's and women's basketball. Now here we are, ten years later, and UConn is threatening, once again, to dominate the college basketball world. It's impossible to not cheer for that. To think that in the past ten years they have the chance to win a national title in both men's and women's basketball in the same year two times is unbelievable. The UConn men did their part last night in taking down Kentucky. Now all that stands between the UConn women and a national title is the undefeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The two teams play tonight at 8:30 ET. Should the Huskies manage to pull out a victory tonight, it's safe to say Storrs, Connecticut will be partying for days, maybe even weeks, to come.

You don't have to be a Connecticut fan to appreciate all that their men's program went through these past few seasons. It's encouraging to see those three seniors be rewarded for their patience and loyalty, and the fact that they have a shot at history (barring a Notre Dame victory tonight) is nothing short of exciting. The Kentucky Wildcats made a magnificent run through the tourney and deserve a lot of credit for pulling together, but the accomplishments UConn achieved this year deserve all the recognition and appreciation in the world.

Bracket Breakdown: East

Michigan State Spartans

Perhaps there's no teams hotter than Virginia and Michigan State and the two of them headline the East Region which will meet in Madison Square Garden for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. Plenty of questions surround the teams such as whether or not North Carolina will play like good or bad Carolina. Then there is the matter of Villanova. The Wildcats lost only four games, but laid an egg in the Big East tournament. Iowa State marched through the Big 12 tournament, but will have to meet either Michigan State or Virginia in the Elite 8. And what about Harvard-Cincinnati? Harvard is not sneaking up on anybody after last year's upset of New Mexico. Let's break it down...

East Region winner: Michigan State is healthy and that is a very, very scary thing for the other 67 teams in the tournament. I spent this past weekend at the Big Ten tournament and the Spartans stomped on all three of their opponents. Branden Dawson was phenomenal, Adreian Payne and Keith Appling looked healthy, and Gary Harris was nothing short of spectacular. MSU will have no problem with Delaware in the second round and has too much firepower for either Cincinnati or Harvard in the third round.

Simply put, they are the best team in the region and are playing like it. Remember, MSU may have a four next to their name, but this is a team many thought would challenge for a national championship and was once ranked first. Injuries hampered their play throughout the year, but Dawsen, Appling and Payne have all looked healthy. That means that Tom Izzo's streak of every four year player qualifying for the Final Four at least once in their career will continue.

Upset Pick: Providence over North Carolina
The Friars are hot and, in what will be a common theme throughout this post, are playing some of their best ball this season. With an upset victory over Creighton in the Big East final, they took themselves off of the bubble and now get an inconsistent Carolina team in the first round. This is a risky pick due to the fact that UNC has enough talent to go to the Final Four. However, they have bad losses to Belmont, Richmond and UAB this season which leaves some scratching their heads.

So it depends on which Carolina team shows up, but the matchup to watch is at the point guard position. The Friars' Bryce Cotton averages 21.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists and will go up against Marcus Paige. Paige has been the heady playmaker for the Tar Heels, averaging 17.4 points and shooting nearly 40 percent from three point. The play of these two will dictate the game.

Iowa State's Melvin Ejim

Player to Watch: Branden Dawsen, Michigan State
Dawsen is healthy after a hand injury slowed him down and he was named the Big Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player. An absolute beast, Dawsen can face a defender up and knock down a 15-footer, but he can also bully his way to the hoop and score down low. He missed ten games this season, but averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds in three Big Ten tournament games. His energy and aggressiveness is paramount to the Spartans' success and they will need that consistent play he showed in Indianapolis during this tourney run.

Potentially Intriguing Matchup: Michigan State vs. Iowa State (Elite 8)
This is the matchup I have picked for the Regional title and it would be a fun one. The two teams would matchup well at several positions. Appling may have to take DeAndre Kane at certain times throughout the game while Harris could find himself guarding the Big 12 Player of the Year in Melvin Ejim. Inside, Payne and Georges Niang will pair up with their somewhat similar games.

Iowa State's up-tempo offense that's focused on plenty of threes would meet Michigan State's hard-nosed defense. The Spartans have posted much higher numbers in both steals and blocks than the Cyclones. Both teams have four players averaging double figures and we could expect a high-scoring affair with plenty of great collegiate players.

Bottom Line: It's been too long since Tom Izzo and Michigan State has been in the Final Four and they are playing their best ball of the season now. They should be in Dallas.

Chicago Elite Classic Showcases the Nation's Best

This past Saturday my brother and I took couple of our friends up to the UIC Pavilion on the west side of Chicago to watch the Chicago Elite Classic. In the second year of the event, the field of teams consisted of seven Chicago teams and seven out-of-state teams. We were in attendance for the second slot of games and saw Simeon take on Hamilton (Tennessee), Curie take on Bishop Gorman (Nevada), and Whitney Young take on Saint John Bosco (California). After seeing plenty of ESPN Top 100 recruits, it's safe to say that the college game is gaining a plethora of talent in the coming years. Here's a look at the players we had the privilege to watch.

DJ Williams (#29 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - The junior forward from Simeon has already committed to the University of Illinois and will be the third player from the school to play for John Groce. Williams is a 6'7 wing that already has a little bit of a back-to-the basket game. He showed great poise and ended with 13 points. Williams is also a good finisher and is fearless when driving to the basket. He can handle the ball up top and can only improve as his next two high school seasons most likely result in runs to the State tournament in Peoria. Illinois fans and John Groce have a lot to look forward to with the signing of Williams.

 KJ Lawson (#21 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - Lawson is a long, athletic small forward from Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tennessee. With great length and quickness, Lawson could be a good player for Josh Pastner at Memphis, where he committed this past October. However, Lawson was very streaky in his game against Simeon and made poor decisions with the ball more often than not. Signs of immaturity were noticeable and abundant. With all that being said, the 6'7 junior does have quite a bit of potential as he was very active on the boards and has good hands for his size and age. He crashes the boards hard and is very hard to keep off the glass. He has potential but he must be smarter with the ball in order to be successful in the long run.

Dedric Lawson (#4 in 2016 ESPN Top 25) - The younger brother of KJ was, quite frankly, very unimpressive. Six seconds into the game the 6'8 power forward from Hamilton pulled up from about 26 feet out without even looking to run the offense. His brother KJ was immature in that he tended to be out of control and not pay attention to the defense. Dedric is immature in that he took shots just to take them. Now in his defense, not many sixteen year old kids would be in their best mindset with Coach K, Rick Pitino, and Kevin Ollie in the gym watching. However, that's no excuse to take three 25+ foot threes by the end of the game. Lawson was virtually unproductive but, for a sophomore, showed he does have room to improve and most likely will. A very similar build to his brother, Dedric Lawson has the length and athleticism to be a great player to put at the top of a zone and on the wing of any offense. There's plenty of time left to mature as Dedric has not committed to a college yet.

Stephen Zimmerman (#2 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - The 6'11 center from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada can basically pick where he wants to go to college. He has received offers from 14 Division I schools and is as highly-regarded a recruit as anyone in his class. Yet Zimmerman is incredibly weak weighing only 215 pounds. He missed several lay-ups and even a dunk in his game against Curie. More so than that, it also seemed he didn't get many touches. It wasn't until the third or fourth possession of the game that they even looked to get him the ball. He does however possess a little bit of range on his jump shot which is good for a kid of his height. He also has great timing when attempting to block a shot as he was always the second man to leave the floor. Being only a junior, I would say he's a raw talent but it was not hard to tell that he does possess the fundamentals. The night didn't go too well for Zimmerman, but there's no doubt he could live up to the hype once he fills out and is able to be more physical.

Chase Jeter (#37 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - Jeter is a 6'8 power forward who joins Zimmerman on Bishop Gorman's front court. Though foul trouble kept Jeter out the majority of the second half, the junior big man had a very positive performance. He has established a good short-corner/high post game and has a soft touch from anywhere inside twelve feet. As stated earlier, however, Jeter's interior defense must improve if he wishes to make a difference in the college game. At only 200 pounds, there is plenty of room for improvement in terms of strength. With all that in mind, Jeter has what it takes to play at the Division I level and has already received offers from ten schools.

Cliff Alexander (#3 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - Cliff Alexander is the real deal. Plain and simple. The 6'9 power forward has a presence on both sides of the ball that makes him NBA-ready right now. He is physical and tough on the boards and has an explosiveness that even some professional big men do not possess. In Curie's game against Bishop Gorman, Alexander ended the night with 22 points and 5 blocks. And these were not blocks, they were BLOCKS. Alexander had two blocks off the backboard that then landed on the free throw line and blocked a dunk attempt by Chase Jeter. Combine that with several one-handed put-back dunks and it's safe to say that Bill Self has yet another dominant big man coming his way.

Paul White (#64 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - The 6'9 Georgetown commit was relatively silent for Whitney Young on Saturday and it seems we can attribute that to the fact that he plays in the same front court as Jahlil Okafor. White does have a nice base and some serious potential, but shots were not falling for the future Hoya. He does however possess the great length and ability to run the floor that will allow him to fit right in with John Thompson III's system. Though White plays second fiddle to Okafor, you would be stupid to overlook him in a scouting report.

Jahlil Okafor (#1 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - There is only one word to describe the kind of player that Jahlil Okafor is. Unbelievable. Seriously, the number one overall recruit and future Duke Blue Devil deserves every bit of hype he has received up to this point. Pouring in 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, Okafor dominated the game on both sides of the floor and there was nothing Saint John Bosco could do about it. Frequently Okafor was triple teamed and at one point in the game, Saint John Bosco QUADRUPLE teamed the 6'11 center and he split them with ease for an easy lay-up. Okafor is also extremely mobile for his size and build. On one possession he brought the ball up the floor, cleared out the lane and drove to his right, put a quick spin move on his defender and laid it in underhand. As smooth and as athletic a move as I have ever seen from a 6'11 high school kid. Okafor will head to Durham to play for Coach K next year which will give the Hall of Fame coach, once again, the best freshman in the nation. If Jabari Parker should return for his sophomore season, well...I'll let you think about that.

Tyler Dorsey (#7 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - The 6'4 shooting guard is undecided as far as college goes, but it's no secret why he's a highly-touted recruit. Dorsey was relatively quiet in the first half but came on strong in the second half when his team needed it most. He's quick, he's athletic, and he can handle the ball against any type of defensive pressure. He has great range when it comes to shooting but also has a very high basketball IQ. He controls the offense and reads passing lanes well on the defensive side of the ball. He still has two high school seasons left, but it's clear that he could already be prepared for the college game.

Daniel Hamilton (#26 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - It will be hard to believe based off of Jahlil Okafor's performance, but in all honesty Hamilton was the most impressive player of the night. With Kevin Ollie in attendance, Hamilton exceeded expectations on his way to helping Saint John Bosco to a victory. Hamilton is as elusive and smooth as anyone I have seen play at the high school level and has a great jump shot to accommodate his ability to finish. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Hamilton is just how fearless he is when driving to the hoop. Several times the 6'6 shooting guard drove into the lane and scored despite drawing contact from Okafor. Not many people would have the guts to take on the nation's top recruit especially when they're five inches taller. Yet Hamilton proved he is a special player and concluded the night in the most fitting way. With the clock winding down and Saint John Bosco trailing, Hamilton drove to his right and hit a step back with two Whitney Young defenders draped all over him. It was as effortless as you could imagine. The buzzer sounded and his teammates rushed the court while Kevin Ollie was all smiles in his seat on the base line. And why shouldn't he be? You scored a good recruit, Coach Ollie.

The night was impressive to say the least. It was only fitting that the best players in the nation play in the best basketball city in the nation. Plenty of highly-regarded recruits were present and the games did not disappoint. The college game is getting a great crop of young talent in the coming years. It will be exciting to see how these players pan out.