UConn is in the NCAA Tournament once again, but this time they are not the dominant seed they have been in the past two years. This time, the reigning back-to-back National Champions are the 8-seed taking on 9-seed Oklahoma.
The Huskies finished third in the Big East and ended up falling to the Creighton Blue Jays in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament. They do not have the star power of years past, nor are they projected to three-peat the same way they were booked to repeat last year.
But, this is still Dan Hurley, and this is still the UConn Huskies, so how do they start off on the right foot and pick up a tournament win?
The Jeremiah Fears vs Liam McNeeley freshman matchup
These two teams have plenty in common, but most notable is the fact they both have outstanding freshmen. For Oklahoma, star guard Jeremiah Fears has been one of the best players in the country, let alone freshmen. His 17 points per game lead the team, and this tournament is his chance to prove himself yet again on a grand stage.
The crafty guard will be quite the task to stop, and keeping him in check has to be goal number one in the film room. But UConn has a star freshman of their own, Liam McNeeley has been a treat to watch this season for UConn.
McNeeley took a while to hit his stride, but once he did, it was great for Huskies fans. Earlier this season, he led UConn to a win against Creighton In Omaha, which would be the first time in program history they won in that city. McNeeley burst out with 38 points and 10 rebounds, and the star was born.
But unfortunately, one of these freshmen will be eliminated in this first round, and it may just be up to whichever one performs better to determine who wins this game.
Take advantage of the rebounding edge
The one weakness for this Oklahoma Sooners squad has been rebounding, they rank 319th in the nation in rebounds per game. UConn on the other hand is tied at 155th, so while not a fantastic rating either, that is much higher than Oklahoma.
The Sooners grab 32.1 rebounds per game while UConn has the edge with 35.6 rebounds per game. This is the category where players like McNeeley, Tarris Reed Jr., and Samson Johnson need to thrive.
Rebounding is crucial to winning any basketball game, but when it is an advantage you can exploit, especially in an NCAA Tournament game, you have to take advantage.
Play without the pressure of defending a National Championship
What can get to teams in a situation like UConn is the pressure of being a National Champion. While this did not affect them last year considering they won it all, a three-peat is no joke.
You take a look at the Kansas City Chiefs just a month ago, and they fell flat when given the chance to win three championships in a row. And in this scenario, the Huskies went from being the best team in the nation a year ago, to being in the middle of the pack in this tournament.
So this team needs to find a way to get past not just the general disappointment of the season, but the weight of defending a National Championship. However, this is a Hurley-coached team, and he has done a great job locking his guys in mentally all throughout his career.
If there is any team who can figure this out, it is the UConn Huskies, but it is still a concern. Oklahoma is a tough, rugged, SEC squad, but UConn is used to those environments. What they need to do in order to win this game is pretty simple, it is just a matter of putting it together on a larger stage.