UConn's dream of back-to-back-to-back national championships took what appears to be a near fatal blow today when the NCAA announced that they have denied UConn's request for a waiver to appear in the 2013 postseason. Under current rules it is mathematically impossible for the Huskies to comply with NCAA Academic Progress Report guidelines in time to be eligible for the 2013 tournament. The rule change was made official in October, but the Huskies are unable to fit its retroactive requirements.

The next step for the Huskies is to appeal their waiver request to an NCAA sub-committee, though I can't think of a reason that that result would be any more favorable.

The Huskies might also be able to qualify for the tournament if the NCAA decides to calculate the APR guidelines using numbers from December 2012. That decision won't be made for at least a few weeks, and possibly a few months, so it's not something UConn can rely on.

This would be devastating news for any program, but it is especially crippling for UConn. It will almost certainly encourage any NBA prospects on UConn's roster who had even the slightest doubt about staying to leave for the pros. Recruiting will certainly be hurt as well. Most importantly, Jim Calhoun, who is currently out on medical leave, would have to coach well into his 70s to get the program back to a position of strength. Realistically if he wants to hand off his program in anything close to its usually strong state it would probably require him coaching through the 2014 or maybe even 2015, at which point he'll be 71 or 72.

Today's ruling wasn't a death penalty, but it was damn close.

Stupid things irritate me. If you need proof, check our my reaction to Pat Forde's column about UConn's APR petition, or, better yet, just read our twitter feed during a UConn game. But stupidity doesn't get to me as much as wasted potential, which is why Dana O'Neil's column about UConn's situation has me so enflamed.

O'Neil's piece, while centered on UConn, actually tried to attack a real and important issue: the impact of NCAA rules on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. HBCUs, which often face extreme resource constraints, are disproportionately hurt by NCAA sanctions. It's a shame, the problem needs more attention, and while the NCAA is working with the schools to address it, it's nice to see a national columnist like O'Neil tackle the issue.

The problem is that O'Neil plays a rigged game of compare-and-contrast, where the harsh realities facings HBCUs mean that UConn's situation can be nothing but black and white, yes and no. Like Forde she does not mention the retroactive nature of the NCAA's tournament ban, nor does she talk about the punishments UConn has already received and she writes off UConn's very real plan to improve as a luxury of UConn's Big East largesse, as if that somehow makes it less effective. Here's O'Neil:

Note what [NCAA President Mark] Emmert didn't say: he never suggested coming up with new penalties to alleviate the postseason ban. He never suggested the schools be allowed to circumvent their academic medicine by offering to play less games.

And if that's the case for Grambling and Southern, it ought to be the case for Connecticut.

Well, no, it shouldn't. The NCAA has an appeal and waiver process for a reason, and it's something that all of the schools should have access to. Here's O'Neil again, writing off UConn's plan:

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Yesterday the AP reported that UConn has proposed self-imposed penalties to the NCAA as part of a petition to become eligible for the 2013 NCAA tournament. This has brought on the expected wailing and gnashing of teeth, with Pat Forde and Dana O'Neil stepping to the front of the line to express their shock, outrage and consternation.

Let's get two things clear up top: first, the academic record of UConn basketball is shameful. The school can, has and hopefully will do better. Second, despite the fact that Forde and O'neil downplay UConn's request as a do-anything appeal to get back into the tournament, it has several real and substantial policy changes that either have been enacted already or will be enacted. UConn has faltered, but they're getting back on track.

Ultimately though, those are things for the NCAA to consider and beside the point for this discussion, because right now, as everything stands, UConn won't be in the 2013 tournament. To both Forde and O'Neil this merits a simple response to UConn's plea: the NCAA should say no. UConn fell below the guidelines and that's that. End of story.

The problem, of course, is that that's not the whole story. Neither Forde nor O'Neil acknowledge this, but UConn wasn't in danger of missing the NCAA tournament until late October, when the NCAA decided to put new qualification rules in effect for the 2013 tournament. Yes, schools new that new rules were coming down the pipe at some point, but they did not know that in 2008-09 and 2009-10 the academic years which are currently dragging UConn's scores down to unacceptable levels.

The NCAA has raised the bar for entry into the tournament, but they're doing so using numbers from before the bar was raised. What's more, UConn is currently being punished under the old standard with scholarship losses. So if the Huskies aren't granted a waiver, the effect will both be that they're being double-punished and punished under an ex post facto rule.

But again, Forde and O'Neil don't mention this. Instead they both opted to use their considerable platforms to take irrational shots at UConn.

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I have some good news for you UConn fans, Memphis basketball is coming to the Big East. This, as far as it goes, is a good thing. They're not Syracuse and they're not Pittsburgh, but they're a solid program with a good young coach and enough support to stay that way. They're a quality opponent and since UConn has a strong basketball program that means they bring something to the table.

Well, kind of. Just look at the reaction Memphis is getting from our not-so-basketball-friendly brethren (and read this too). You see Memphis is not a good football program. They're hardly a football program at all. To be fair, they have been ranked in the AP Top 25 ... for one week in their history. The point is that they're a mess and the Conference-USAing of the Big East is almost complete. The move makes no sense for the financial health of the league -- thanks a lot Providence -- and I'd love to hear how the Tigers were a better option than say Temple.

But, it is what it is and now we're stuck. So what happens next?

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Jim Calhoun has beaten cancer three times. Once, during a bike race, he hit a pothole, flipped over his handlebars, broke some ribs and responded by getting back on his bike and finishing the race. To date, he has returned not one dime of his salary to the state of Connecticut, because he'd like to retire one day. The point is, Jim Calhoun "doesn't get defeated by things," and spinal stenosis is on the list of things he will not get defeated by, according to a report from Andy Katz:

"There's no question [I'll be back]," Calhoun said by phone. "I've talked to the people at UConn and president (Susan) Herbst. I just want to get a resolution on my back."

However, he will not be back in time for Saturday's game at Syracuse, meaning the Huskies will once again be in the hands of George "what's a timeout" Blaney. That might not bode well since Syracuse is, you know, good, but Blaney does have experience beating top five teams when filling in for Calhoun -- two years ago he led UConn to a win over then-No. 1 Texas. And no, I don't remember how that season ended, why do you ask?

If you're like me and were more than ready to overreact to a two-game UConn winning streak that came against teams missing a key player, I have some bad news: Gorgui Dieng is expected to play tonight, so UConn is going to have to earn this one.

Louisville is probably my least favorite Big East opponent. Their press is frustrating to play against (and UConn's lack of depth in the backcourt isn't going to help) and when they get into the halfcourt they switch to an annoying zone. If UConn struggles to break the press and continues to falter from outside-- both are real possibilities since the Cardinals have one of the top 10 defenses in the country according to Ken Pomeroy -- this could be a long night.

UConn will once again be starting their three-guard lineup, which I'm all for, and the trio will be joined by Andre Drummond and Tyler Olander, whose starting spot is a reflection of his passing skills and zone-breaking ability.

This is also game two without Jim Calhoun, the Huskies traditionally do well under George Blaney in short bursts, but the longer Calhoun is away from the team the more likely it is that everything will go to pot. Let's hope enough of Calhoun's magic influence is still with the team.

The optimist in me is staying focused on the positive attitudes on display against Seton Hall and is hoping against hope that this is the start of UConn being what we all hope they could be. The realist in me looks at Louisville and sees a talented and aggressive team that has won four in a row after a rocky start to their Big East schedule. A win would be great, especially with a road trip to Syracuse looming.

The game tips off at 7 from the KFC YUM! Center. ESPN and ESPN3 will have your tv coverage, and we'll be discussing it in the comments here. Join us. Go Huskies.

Our long, regional nightmare is over, as is UConn's four-game, three-week-long losing streak, courtesy of Saturday's 69-46 win over Seton Hall in its first game minus Jim Calhoun.

After playing four games in which nobody played well offensively, bottoming out when UConn's three guards shot a combined 4-for-31 on Wednesday, this was a breath of fresh air.

Saturday, UConn got solid play from two of the three starting guards (Jeremy Lamb's 17 points* and 8 rebounds and Ryan Boatright's 19 points (8-12 FG), 5 assists, 4 steals), and got solid rebounding and defense from Alex Oriakhi (10 points, 8 rebounds) and Andre Drummond (7 points, but 6 rebounds and 7 blocks).

Hallelujah.

*- Underrated: this year's UConn team has been dreadful in terms of getting to the free throw line. They had 26 today, and Lamb had 12. Though of course that was aided by Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard, who went all crazy pants after the game.

I'm very, very hesitant to look at this much-needed, yet not-very-telling win as a turning point. It came against a team missing its star player, a team that's now lost six in a row and is seemingly on the verge of a meltdown. It came in a game when the Huskies didn't execute the most crisp offense, shooting 43.4% from the field and 2-13 from 3. (Plus, UConn always plays well for George Blaney...at first. Then things go to hell.)

But if you want some actual reasons for hope, look no further than these two quotes from today's postgame. First, from the Blane Dog:

When XL crowd cheered for effort, diving for loose balls, "it almost brought tears to my eyes" Blaney said.

Here's hoping the players got the message, too.

How hard a team plays - particularly one that returns most of the players from a national championship squad - should never be an issue, but here we are in early February. The Huskies had been listless for most of the last six weeks in losing six of eight, looking discouraged and/or uninterested.

To watch UConn battle - on the boards, on the floor for loose balls - was heartening, and to hear the Morgue come to life has to be heartening to what is still a team of freshmen and sophomores. Even on days when shots aren't falling, there's no reason UConn should be getting outhustled. The Huskies showed some fire today, and while they still need to do that night in and night out, it's safe to say we're all encouraged after today.

Second, addressing the other macro issue with the squad (leadership and accountability), here's co-captain Oriakhi:

"I told guys, I'm willing to give up my minutes, I don't care anymore. I don't care if I'm on the bench...I just want to win."

Kudos to Alex - who has been dogged by us Internet pundit types for most of this season - for stepping up like a leader should. We know these kids have been frustrated, and we know they want to win. But the Huskies badly need to mature, and to adjust to what's gone wrong. This is a nice first step.

I remain skeptical that this team will suddenly morph back into the team we thought they would be, though we'll have a better idea after UConn's trips to the Yum Monday night and the Carrier Dome Saturday. Still, we have 48 hours of contentness after three weeks of suck. I'll take it.

It has now been three weeks since UConn's last win. The team is coming off the second-worst three-game stretch of the Calhoun era and the worst in 15 years. Jim Calhoun is on indefinite leave of medical absence, might need surgery, and might not return this year. UConn is in good position to win today -- Seton Hall has also lost its last five games and will be playing without star forward Herb Pope -- but with a road game at Louisville on Monday, followed up with a trip to Syracuse, UConn is still in a lot of trouble. Things, as they say, look bleak.

And yet, I have hope. Not for any rational reason -- the Huskies have played terrible basketball over the last three weeks, especially offensively, and their defense has never been something to write home about -- but its there. I just can't believe a team with this much talent is this bad. That might be is the homer in me talking, but I don't care, because if I'm going to come within spitting distance of a good mood in the next two months, I need to at least think this team can win.

UConn is trying out a new lineup again today, which I suspect will cause at least some rejoicing. For the first time Ryan Boatright, Shabazz Napier and Jeremy Lamb will start together, and they'll be joined by Andre Drummond and theoretical zone-buster Tyler Olander. And hey, it's not like this lineup can play worse than Wednesday's.

The game tips at noon on SNY and ESPN3. Join the discussion below and go Huskies.