Can you, UConn?

Picked by many to finish in the middle of the pack or worse in the Big East, Uconn has jumped out to a 15-2 (4-2) record. Led by Player of the Year candidate, Kemba Walker, UConn has bounced back from an awful 2009-10 season.

UConn currently has a RPI of 6 and SOS of 22. Good wins include a win at Texas and neutral court wins over Kentucky and Michigan State. Both losses were on the road to Top 25 teams, Notre Dame & Pitt. The numbers should stay gaudy from the grueling Big East schedule. They have a big win at Villanova from this past Monday. KenPom has them outside the Top 20 in both AdjD (33) and AdjO (25). History shows unless those numbers improve, this isn't a Final Four caliber team.

Defensively, UConn is good. They're 86th in scoring but an impressive 12th in FG% and lead the nation in blocked shots. 3 guys average 1.5 blocks + per game, led by Alex Oriahki, 2.4 blocks per game. Oriahki is the second best player on the team after Walker. He averages a double-double or near-to-it. (11.1 & 9.4 RPG) to go along with his blocked shots. The Huskies are a very good rebounding team, 33rd in the nation.

As you might suspect, Walker is the offensive star, as he is 2nd in the nation in scoring. They're ranked 41st in scoring but are just an okay shooting team, 165th. They're also an avergae 3-point shooting team, fallinbg in the middle of the pack. They do make their throws, 14th in the nation. I wonder if Walker struggles how this team will respond offensively, but despite a 6-18 performance against 'Nova, the Huskies played good d in holding 'Nova to 59 and though everyone knew who would take the last shot, Walker still managed to hit the game winner after a sluggish night.

UConn has rebounded nicely from a terrible 2009-10 season and appear headed back to the NCAA's barring a meltdown. They have the ability to make a Sweet 16 run and a special college player in Walker who looks capable of carrying a team for a magical ride. Just a solid team up to this point.