UConn played with the heart of a champion all week.
The fifth-seeded Huskies defeated two teams -- Cincinnati and Temple-- that had swept them during the regular season, then cruised to a 72-58 victory over sixth seed Memphis Sunday afternoon at the Amway Center to capture the American Athletic Conference title.
The Huskies' reward was an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, where they were a No. 9 seed and will play eighth-seeded Colorado from the Pac-12 Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa. The winner will likely draw top-seeded Kansas Saturday in the second round.
In a year where conference giant SMU was ineligible for postseason play, three other American teams-- Cincinnat, Temple and Tulsa -- also received bids.