UConn puts Final Four finish on tough season

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Jim Calhoun missed Connecticut's First Night season-opening event for the first time last October because he was in Indianapolis, defending his embattled program against an NCAA investigation.

The 68-year-old coach isn't missing another action-packed minute of the improbably sunny ending to a season that started under such a cloud.

After winning nine postseason tournament games in a 19-day stretch, Calhoun's tireless Huskies are headed to the Final Four in Houston, winning the West regional with a nail-biting victory over Arizona.

Calhoun doesn't argue when this surge is described as the most surprising achievement of his quarter-century at UConn, particularly after the Huskies' reputation took a hit during its NCAA scandal.