This year's No. 1 not like years past

As a student and fan of UConn basketball, all I've heard this season is that the top-ranked men's basketball team is "overrated" or "undeserving of its ranking."

In response to that question, I've always told the "haters" that UConn was indeed for real, that this 21-1 start and No. 1 ranking wasn't a fluke.

But to be honest, I haven't always believed what I've said. The nucleus of this team has been together for two years-and in that time, they've put together a 17-14 disaster in 2006-2007 and a disapointing 24-10 campaign that ended in an embarassing loss to San Diego last season.

This team - with the exception of Jeff Adrien and Craig Austrie, both of whom were reserves on the 2005-2006 team - hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game. Hell, they haven't even won a Big East tournament game.

There isn't much big-game experience on this team. There isn't any star power, either. There are no future NBA All-Stars running through the tunnel. There is no Rudy Gay, no Ben Gordon, no Emeka Okafor. There is no Richard Hamilton. There isn't even a Marcus Williams (a point guard who can't get off the bench on the hapless Golden State Warriors).

By all accounts, this year's No. 1 ranked UConn squad doesn't stack up to the 2005-2006 team that reached the Elite Eight and fell victim to the George Mason.

That team, along with the 1998-1999 Duke squad, has often been called the best NCAA basketball team to never win a championship. A record four players - Gay, Williams, Hilton Armstrong and Josh Boone - were drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. Denham Brown was selected in the second round and both Ed Nelson and Rashad Anderson play professionally in Europe.

From a talent perspective, its not even close: The '08-'09 Huskies just aren't as good. And that's what makes them better.

In 2005-2006, UConn was so good that it practically sleepwalked to a 30-4 regular-season record. After a laxsidasical 86-84 loss to Syracuse in the first round of the Big East tournament, the Huskies still earned the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance, and, to the dismay of the entire state of North Carolina, they earned Dick Vitale's national champion projection as well.

The postseason was much like the regular season. UConn's players, seemingly more concerned with their first NBA paycheck rather than the game at hand, casually fell behind by double-figures in the first half and then turned it on as late as possible to escape with a victory. Against 16th seeded Albany, it was Williams who sparked the fire. Against fifth-seeded Washington, it was Anderson. And, against eleventh-seeded George Mason, UConn's overwhelming individual talent took over again. When the Huskies stormed back from a four-point deficit in the final eight seconds and Brown sent the game into overtime on a reverse lay-up that hit every part of the rim, victory seemed inevitable. It seemed like fate. UConn was destined to win its third national championship.

But then a funny thing happened-Calhoun's unbelievably talented collection of individuals ran into a team. The national championship wasn't handed to UConn on a silver platter. George Mason, a cohesive unit fueled by chemistry and camaraderie, stripped Williams, Anderson, Brown, Gay, Armstrong and Boone of that opportunity.

The Huskies weren't a team that year. They were a group of 11 or 12 immensly talented players.

This year, those 11 or 12 players wearing the 'UConn' jersey aren't as talented. But, like George Mason, they are a team.

When A.J. Price is struggling, he's the first one to congratulate Kemba Walker on a nice pass or a good steal. When Stanley Robinson scores just two points or sits out an entire half (as he did last night vs. Louisville), he doesn't pout or complain. He goes in and fulfills his role, which, according to Jeff Adrien, "doesn't always show up in the stat sheet."

Hasheem Thabeet doesn't need to score, either. He knows what his role is. Jerome Dyson doesn't get lazy when his shot isn't falling-he just plays that much harder on defense.

This team has a sense of urgency, a killer instinct. Price has fun when he plays. He loves hitting a big 3-pointer. He loves hearing the crowd chant his name. Playing college basketball isn't a chore for Price, it's a passion.

Adrien relishes the opportunity to play college basketball at UConn. He plays every game-every possession-like its his last. When Adrien scores 18 points and hauls in seven rebounds, as he did last night, he's not thinking about the dollar signs, he's thinking about tournament brackets.

Earlier this year, I was skeptical that UConn would ever be the best team in the country. But on Saturday against Providence, I saw a team dominate in all facets. I saw fire and energy that hasn't been synomynous with UConn in recent years. Last night against Louisville, I saw eight players sacrifice for one another and one team emerge with the program's most important victory in years.

Players don't win championships-teams do. And this nucleus-Price, Dyson, Robinson, Adrien, Thabeet, Austrie, Walker and Gavin Edwards-has become a damn good team. They've become the best in the country.