MBB: Hints Throwback Jerseys Tuesday
As the stretch run of the 2021-22 Big East men’s basketball season looms, the University of Connecticut Huskies are pulling out all the stops.
A Tuesday tweet from the program’s official account strongly implies that No. 24 UConn will breakout throwback uniforms reminiscent of their 2003-04 championship threads when they battle No. 18, Marquette, at XL Center in a conference tilt of great importance (6:30 p.m. ET, FS1). Though only glimpses of the uniform are shown, the shorts appear to feature the detailed animated version of school mascot Jonathan the Husky worn from 2002 through 2012. The aesthetic is hinted to strongly resemble the jerseys UConn wore to the 2004 national title, which featured six future NBA players (Hilton Armstrong, Josh Boone, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor, Charlie Villanueva, and Marcus Williams).
Breaking out the Jonathan of the early-to-mid-aughts comes at a serendipitous time for the men’s program. Though they’re engaged in the thick of the chase for the Big East title (15-6, 6-4 Big East), consecutive losses to Creighton and No. 15 Villanova dropped them seven spots in the latest Associated Press poll and leaves them 3.5 games behind No. 11 Providence for first place in the conference standings.
The 2003-04 championship faced a similar snag in February: they won seven of their first eight Big East contests before dropping two to Notre Dame and No. 4 Pittsburgh. From there on out, the Huskies lost only one of their final 15 games, triumphing in both the conference and national brackets. They would avenge their loss to Pitt in a 61-58 final at Madison Square Garden before besting Georgia Tech 82-73 in the national final in San Antonio weeks later.
To stay afloat in the modern Big East title race, Connecticut will have to get by the surging Golden Eagles (16-7, 8-4 Big East), who have won eight of their past nine games, which include a sweep of Villanova. Marquette moved up six spots in Monday’s new AP poll for their efforts, as the completion of the Wildcat sweep allowed them to recover from a narrow loss to Providence on Jan. 30.
Channeling championships past partly played a role in the UConn women’s program’s key victory in Hartford on Sunday afternoon: engaged in a clash of collegiate titans, the Huskies likewise showcased their turn of the century look in what became a 75-56 win over No. 7 Tennessee. The victory prompted Darko Muhl, whose daughter Nika put up eight points and five assists in the win, to lobby the team to wear the uniforms for the rest of their season, which continues on Wednesday against Villanova at XL Center (7 p.m. ET, SNY).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
