Once the memories of one of the ugliest championship games in history fade some, UConn will be remembered as one of the more impressive national championship teams of all-time, but it was far from a perfect one.
The Huskies overcame the stigma of being a team that was strictly Kemba Walker and an inconsistent cast of others, a rough stretch by Walker during Big East play, a worrisome finish to the regular season and a constant cloud of an NCAA investigation hanging over their heads.
In the stretch run, though, they won five games in five days to claim the Big East title, then were the last team standing in one of the craziest, most wide open NCAA tournaments ever played.
The season that was for UConn, which gave Jim Calhoun his third national crown, was all over the map, and in case you lost track, here's what you need to know about this year's national champ.
?�Despite all of the distractions, a young supporting cast around a star player molded into a completely dependable group. Jeremy Lamb may be the best example. He went from an inconsistent offensive force to the perfect wingman for Walker. During the 11-game win streak to close out the season, he averaged 15.3 points per game, playing at least 30 minutes in all but one of them. He also came up with crucial defensive plays late in multiple NCAA tournament games.
?�What allowed Lamb and other young Huskies like Shabazz Napier to develop was Kemba ultimately trusting them and giving them opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them. Early in the season, Walker carried the team, and it took a while for him to truly embrace trying to let others help shoulder more of the load. As a result, Walker endured a rough, inefficient offensive stretch during the meat of the Big East schedule, but you could argue that he needed that to be at his best in the games that mattered the most. In this wild season as a whole, BYU's Jimmer Fredette was the nation's best player, and multiple organizations this past week honored him as such. But when it mattered most, Walker earned the honor. That's how he'll be remembered in UConn lore.
? Many wondered after the game if this would be it for Calhoun. Will he decide to retire and go out on top? He's cleared a series of personal and work-related hurdles in the last year. He's 68 years old and has accomplished everything there is to accomplish on the sidelines. Whether he stays or goes, the job he did with this particular team won't soon be forgotten. Is this his best coaching job in 25 seasons at UConn? It wouldn't be a complete stretch to say yes, with all things considered.
It was a season in college basketball that had no dominant team, and it was capped by an NCAA tournament that perfectly displayed just how spread out the talent in the sport is becoming.
It makes perfect sense, then, that a team which was as flawed at times as UConn was won it all.
Ryan Greene also covers UNLV and the Mountain West Conference for the Las Vegas Sun. Read his Rebels coverage and follow him on Twitter.
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