UConn Huskies Men's Basketball Climbs 29 Spots To No. 7 in AP Poll

Hard work and success are always rewarded.

The University of Connecticut Huskies went down to Maui, Hawaii last week and with hard work won the 2010 Maui Invitational.

It was by no means easy. The young Huskies, starting three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior this season, had to fend off a feisty Wichita State team that was actually two spots ahead of UConn in voting for the AP Poll last week (34th).

The Huskies (then 36th) went on to the semifinals, where the were faced with second ranked Michigan State. The Spartans gave the Huskies everything they could handle in a rematch of the 2009 Final Four. Big games from Kemba Walker and Alex Oriakhi, as well as clutch plays from the freshmen, led by German Niels Giffey put the Huskies into the championship.

After narrowly escaping the nation's second ranked team by three, it was off to face the ninth ranked team the very next day. The Huskies faced Kentucky in the championship of one of college basketball's most elite tip-off tournaments. Jim Calhoun's men pretty much handled the Wildcats with little difficulty, winning the Maui Invitational Championship by 17 over John Calipari's team.

For their efforts, Connecticut has returned to its familiar place in the AP top 25. They did not simply just crack the list as many "new" entrants do. The Huskies climbed from unranked to seventh this week, leapfrogging not only fellow powers such as Texas (19), Illinois (20) and Memphis (14), but they jumped four Big East rivals who are also ranked. Notre Dame (25), Georgetown (16), Villanova (12) and Syracuse (8) are all ranked behind the Huskies. West Virginia (26), Louisville (27) and Cinicinnati (37) all received votes.

One Big East team, Pittsburgh, is ranked ahead of UConn at third.

UConn is at its highest ranking since being fifth with a first place vote at the final poll of the 2008-2009 season.

The next five games should be simple for the Huskies, who are showing that the nation's best player, Walker, is not their only weapon. The next five games from Tuesday until Dec. 22 are all at home, two at Gampel Pavilion on the UConn campus and three at the XL Center in Hartford. In this stretch, they will face New Hampshire, Maryland-Baltimore County, Farleigh-Dickinson, Coppin State and Harvard, the latter of which may be the most challenging, but still a favorable match-up.

Once Christmas passes, the Huskies will be forced to navigate the most difficult conference in college basketball. A young and now very much in the spotlight program, 12 of the Huskies' remaining 25 games are against teams either currently ranked or with votes in the AP Poll (Pittsburgh, Notre Dame twice, Texas, Villanova, Tennessee, Louisville twice, Syracuse, Georgetown, Cincinnati and West Virginia).

The advantage for the Huskies: half of these match-ups are in either Storrs or Hartford. Connecticut has a very passionate fan base, especially amongst its student body. In especially soccer, basketball, and even football, very few places are more difficult for an opposing school to play than the University of Connecticut.

If the Huskies can continue the great, balanced play they showed in Maui, if Walker and Oriakhi continue to get support from the likes of Giffey, Shabazz Napier, Roscoe Smith and Jeremy Lamb amongst others, and if UConn's big men can convert from the foul line — where UConn lost at least eight key games last season — then this team has the potential to be extremely dangerous. It is an exciting time in Storrs. The women's basketball team is on an 84-game win streak, the football team is one win away from a BCS birth and just learned that TCU will be joining the Big East in 2012 and the men's basketball team is primed for a big year, a year even a week ago many outside the Nutmeg State did not see as possible.

Well folks, believe it. The Huskies are here to play.