Less than a minute into tonight's game Jim Calhoun got called for a technical foul as his team fell behind 5-0. He was furious and his team got the message. UConn played one of its best games all year tonight and as you can tell from the headline, the only thing standing between UConn and the NCAA Tournament at this point is the team itself. The road ahead is still not simple, UConn still needs to deal with a pesky Louisville team, as well as dangerous Notre Dame and USF squads, but for now, it's hard for a UConn fan to feel anything but fantastic. The team has put together a lovely three-game winning streak, and on a personal note, this is the best I have felt about this team since the buzzer sounded against Missouri last Spring.
UConn is playing its best basketball of the season and it is doing it at the perfect time. I have no complaints about the team tonight, everyone put forth a solid effort, but the game ball has to go to Kemba Walker, who has been playing out of his mind in the past week. In addition, I'd be remiss if I did not acknowledge Stanley Robinson, who had 15 points, 13 rebounds and performed in the clutch to help UConn pull away. The only thing that came close to matching his 21 points was the performance of the referees, who blew their whistle more than any crew I have ever seen (thankfully, most of this was in UConn's favor).
UConn may still need to do some work to guarantee itself a spot in the tournament, but at least for tonight, I feel like dancing.