According to the regular-season preseason poll in the American Athletic Conference, the top teams at the end of the season figured to be Cincinnati and Connecticut. They were expected to be locked in a tight battle for first place right now -- in early March.
With that in mind, it seemed proper that the Bearcats and Huskies were scheduled to meet on the final day of the regular season at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. This down-and-dirty defensive rivalry has endured from the previous Big East Conference alignment and the stage was set for a game with huge postseason implications.