NCAA Tournament 2012: Jeremy Lamb's Missed Dunk Defines UConn's 'Lost' Season

Rightfully so, the “dogs” had been called off as the closing seconds dwindled in Iowa State’s convincing 77-64 win over the UConn Huskies. As the Cyclones were savoring the moment, the Huskies decided the best logical thing to do in order to save face was to steal the ball down 13 with less than 10 seconds left. 

Preseason first-team All-American Jeremy Lamb was able to corral the loose ball and tried a rousing windmill dunk at the buzzer.  The only thing more disappointing than the attempt was the end result—the loud clank and embarrassment of a missed dunk that coincided with the games final horn.

Yet, even as the sophomore guard took flight, we collectively asked: What is he thinking?

Perhaps he was thinking about a season that started with a tremendous amount of hype.  Ranked fourth in the country in the preseason poll, the Huskies were considered serious contenders to repeat as national champions, despite the loss of leader Kemba Walker.  Premature hype was not only reserved for the team, but certain individuals as well. 

Incoming freshman Andre Drummond’s name was attached to the NBA lottery before he had played a game for UConn.  Even he foresaw visions of grandiose success, when he tweeted “Do I hear repeat?” with his announcement that he was enrolling at UConn. 

However, after a season littered with disappointment and inconsistency, Drummond fouled of out of possibly his last college game with two points.

However, the season’s struggles can’t be solely blamed on the shoulders of an 18-year-old freshman. 

Returning stars from last year could never fill the steady shoes of an everyday leader.  Whether it was Alex Oriahki’s digression, Shabazz Napier’s judgmental mouth, or Lamb’s ineffectiveness to rise his game to the next level, no one could point the team in the right direction.

If the on-court issues weren’t enough to deal with, issues off the hardwood reared their head in a most devastating way.  Twice freshman Ryan Boatright served multiple-game suspensions for “violations” in the midst of the team attempting to find its own makeup.  And as the season was quickly bursting at the seams, head coach Jim Calhoun took a medical leave of absence that resulted in the Hall of Fame coach missing nine games.

However, after the distractions and universal shortcomings, the team was able to put on its shoes and go dancing in the NCAA Tournament.  The season that teetered on the brink still had a chance to be salvaged. 

Even Calhoun thought the Huskies had a chance to do some damage.  "They're not chasing something now,” Calhoun said. “They're just playing ball. … So we're probably in a better place."

However, seconds into their contest versus Iowa State, it was apparent to anyone who had watched this team that it was going to be a long night. 

Wasting no time, Iowa State’s Royce White went for the Huskies Achilles heal: defense.  The 6’8" forward coasted the length of the floor virtually untouched before throwing down an emphatic dunk to set an early tone.  What followed was a barrage of three-pointers from the Cyclones that the Huskies could never recover from.  In fact, after 12 minutes had departed from the game clock, UConn was staring at a 22-point deficit. 

A few runs would cut the lead to six, but the Huskies would never get closer.  Throughout the game, the team failed to play with defensive consistency and effort.  The boxing out was non-existent and the half-court offense was unorganized and cluttered.  Basically, the performance was a microcosm of the entire season.

In a season full of massive disappointment, UConn's most embarrassing loss of the season was against Rick Pitino’s Louisville squad at the KFC Yum! Center in early February.  In the second half, the Cardinals threw crowd-pleasing alley-oops and laughed their way to an 80-59 win, where even the Huskies admitted they had quit.

It was only fitting that their season ended in the same arena where they had “given up” on national television the day after Groundhog Day. The KFC Yum! Center hosted the Huskies' ineptitude twice in two months.

So, what was Jeremy Lamb thinking as he took off for his irrelevant last-second dunk? 

Only Lamb could answer that question truthfully, but he would be hard-pressed to admit that their “lost” season wasn’t weighing on his mind.