March 24, 2006

Connecticut's theme in this year's NCAA tournament has been survive and advance. Three scares, three wins.

The team many people picked to win the championship has done enough to move on. Jim Calhoun's team has played good enough, including a 98-92 overtime win over the Washington Huskies. Connecticut won despite 26 turnovers.

How many people would have thought Connecticut's roadblock to making the Final Four would be 11th-seeded George Mason? Before the tournament started, Huskies fans would have been happy to see the Patriots in the Elite Eight. But the bottom line is this won't be an easy game ? just ask Michigan State, North Carolina and Wichita State.

Connecticut has really struggled, starting with the Syracuse loss in the Big East tournament. The Huskies have not played their "A" game, 40 minutes of fundamentally sound basketball. The defense has not been as intimidating as it was earlier in the season, allowing opponents get to the rack. This is the best shot-blocking team in America.

Calhoun's team was more aggressive on offense, getting to the foul line 45 times.

The Huskies rallied to tie the game and send it to overtime on a Rashad Anderson 3-pointer. I thought that Washington should have fouled, because to tie the game, UConn would have had to make one free throw, miss another and get the rebound and the putback.

Give Washington a lot of credit. Brandon Roy played hard despite foul trouble. Jamaal Williams made some big plays. Lorenzo Romar's Huskies did a good job of defending Connecticut's pick and roll.

Now Connecticut gets to play in Washington, D.C., against a George Mason team that is a true Cinderella story. Wow, hard to believe this is the Elite Eight matchup, but the Huskies haven't played their best yet. It's all about surviving and moving on, baby!

Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.