OK.  Who else was up last night watching that Big East final between UConn and Louisville?  I like both teams; so, for me it was about watching quality basketball.  But I have to admit that it was hard not to root for Kemba Walker, Roscoe Smith, Coombs-McDaniel, Jeremy Lamb and Alex Oriakhi.  It's not a team of front-page headline stars.  UConn is a team of young players who were mostly dismissed at the beginning of the season.  No one thought that they would make it this far. NIT?  Sure.  NCAA Tourney.  Yeah.  Right.

What makes them stand out for me is the true teamwork and team spirit.  Walker always put the team first, and he inspired his teammates by giving them credit where due, depending on them in clutch situations, assisting as much as possible and never giving up:

"[Kemba] never quit, he never lost faith in me -- he never lost faith in any of us," said Lamb, who finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. "And that means a lot."

Other teammates echoed that message after the game.

"When you have one of the best point guards in the country, and you're a big man, and he wants to give you the ball, he's confident in you, it makes you that much better," sophomore forward Alex Oriakhi said.  (<cite class="source">Kieran Darcy, </cite> <cite class="source"></cite> ESPN, full story here ).

You can say whatever about Jim Calhoun and the issues preseason and during the season.  For the players, what mattered was being there for each other.  One person's success is everyone's success.  One player cannot win a game.  It takes 5 players working together to win a game.  You may have a star or leader, but he can't do it alone.  Kudos to UConn's players for showing how it's done.