March is a month reserved for college basketball. The conference tournaments have begun and soon will be followed by the NCAA Tournament – where the elite teams in the nation will battle for the title of national champion. One worthy team will be missing from both. As UConn sits at home this month – victims of unjust and unfairly punitive NCAA sanctions – fans are left bitter and vacant with no tournament to focus on.
Well put down the whiskey and stop crying, we at A Dime Back have a plan.
We are pleased to introduce The Ultimate UConn Challenge.
Over the course of this UConn season, we have researched, compiled, ranked and seeded 64 of the greatest players in Husky history. Beginning tomorrow, fans will have the opportunity to vote – in head-to-head match-ups – for their favorite UConn player of all time.
The bracket works just like that of the NCAA Tourney where the 2012-2013 Huskies should be heading. Higher seeds are matched with lower seeds, with each winner advancing to face the next until there is a Final Four, a title game, and a champion.
It’s up to you, the fan, to decide which criteria you use to decide each individual matchup but we will provide you with career stats, notable accomplishments and any historical significance a player may hold.
We hope this journey – which will begin tomorrow and end the day of the National Championship Game – will be both fun and educational, as fans will have a chance to learn about the UConn players who preceded the modern era greats.
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At 9:30am tomorrow morning, the first matchup will go live. Another first round matchup will follow at 12:30pm. The third of the day will be at 4pm. And the fourth at 7pm. The following day, the next four matchups will go live following the same schedule until the first round is completed on Tuesday, March 19th. Then the second round will begin.
Voting for each matchup will be open for 24 hours and the bracket will be updated once the polls close.
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We sincerely hope that The Ultimate UConn Challenge brings some fun and entertainment to UConn fans who are accustomed to good things happening in March.
To view or download a full-size .PDF of the bracket, click here.
Am I wrong in thinking Ben Gordon should be a 1 seed?
Yes. If anyone deserving missed out on a 1 seed it was Hamilton.
Could have swapped Marshall and Hamilton. But the top 6, or so, is so interchangeable. Kemba will always be my number 1. I know we should look at the body of work and yadda yadda, but that season was the most satisfying sports season in my lifetime. Kemba is number 1.
Also, when this is all said and done, you guys should compile a bracket of least liked. For fun. And lulz.
For me, the top 8 players goes in the following order: Kemba, Ray, Emeka, Hamilton, Donyell, Smith, Gordon, Butler, and I could have made an argument for any of them as a #1 seed.
#1 overall seed in least-liked: Craig “Garbage” Austrie or Donnell Beverly? Does Nate Miles get on there? Doug Wrenn definitely makes the list.
I LOVED Doug Wren. No apologies.
Im sorry he wasnt the best player but I loved Craig Austrie he always filled in when we neeeded him never complained when he went to the bench plus he stuck it out 4 yrs when he could have easily transfered.
Austrie stands out because of how many minutes he got. It seemed like he was on the floor for 50 minutes a game.
And Nate Miles is DEFINITELY on there.