Is No. 1 UConn a lock for the Final Four? Here are eight teams who could trip them up

The UConn men’s basketball team has marauded its way through the 2023-24 season like a horror movie villain, a juggernaut sure to inevitably inflict pain on its opponents.

But even Freddie Kruger’s got to have some monsters that keep him up at night.

The Huskies are the betting favorite to win a second straight national title and have been chosen in more than a quarter of brackets on ESPN.com so far, but that doesn’t mean they can rest easy as they embark on their East Region path to the Final Four.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest obstacles UConn will face in the East:

Red-hot Iowa State

The second-seeded Cyclones come whirling into the NCAA Tournament like a Category 5 storm– having eviscerated then-No. 1-ranked Houston, 69-41, in the Big 12 championship game, easily the Cougars’ worst loss of the season. Iowa State’s defense was stifling in that game, holding Houston to 26.8 percent shooting, including a 4-for-22 performance from three-point range.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger‘s squad enters the Dance having won 11 of 13 games and boasts its gaudiest win-loss record since the 1999-2000 team that featured first-round NBA Draft picks Jamaal Tinsley and Marcus Fizer (32-5). Like Hurley, Otzelberger has received plenty of consideration for National Coach of the Year honors, and the job he’s done in Ames is underappreciated, as he took over a program that finished 2-22 in 2021, and has now guided it to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Big Ten champion Illinois

Speaking of program-building coaches, Brad Underwood has been prolific since taking over the Illini in 2017, and this year’s squad is his best yet, having won 26 games and the Big Ten tournament title. Senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr. is enough to cause nightmares by himself, ranking third in the nation in scoring at 23 points per game and shooting 47% from the field. Forwards Marcus Domask, Coleman Hawkins and Quincy Guerrier each also average in double figures. The Illini flew under the radar a bit in a Big Ten dominated by Purdue, but after winning seven of eight down the stretch and taking the tourney title, Illinois has proven itself dangerous enough to make UConn nervous.

SEC champion Auburn

Major conference tournament champions seem to be a theme in this region, and none are more frightful than SEC champion Auburn. Bruce Pearl’s Tigers have won 27 games and enter the Dance on a six-game winning streak. Junior forward Johni Broome is a force to be reckoned with, averaging 16.2 points and 8.4 boards this season and earning third-team AP All-American honors. Auburn boasts one of the best offenses in the nation, averaging 83.3 points per game, which ranks 13th nationally.

Last year’s national runner up, San Diego State

By the time the Huskies reach the Elite Eight (if they do), there’s a decent chance they’ll have already met two of last year’s Final Four teams. The fifth-seeded Aztecs, who UConn beat in the 2023 national title game, are a potential Sweet 16 opponent. San Diego State lost some key players from last year’s squad, but senior forward Jaedon LeDee has taken a step forward, leading the team in scoring at 21.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg and becoming an AP third-team All-American.

The best Washington State team since Tony Bennett

Typically among the Pac-12’s bottom feeders and one of the least-successful high-major men’s basketball programs in the country, Washington State has undergone a renaissance under head coach Kyle Smith. Now in his fifth year with the program, Smith has steadily built the Cougars into a contender, and has them returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008, when now-Virginia head coach Tony Bennett brought them to the Sweet 16.

Just as when Bennett led the Cougs, this team wins on the defensive end of the floor, allowing just 66.9 points per game. Senior forward Isaac Jones is a force to be reckoned with inside, averaging 15.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, and freshman guard Myles Rice (15.1 ppg, 3.9 apg) is one of the Pac-12’s best guards. The Cougars’ tournament profile was boosted by two wins over West No. 2 seed Arizona, so they’ve got experience toppling elite teams.

A Final Four team with almost its entire roster back

Florida Atlantic came within a Lamont Butler buzzer-beater of playing UConn for the national title in Houston last season. This year, with almost every key player back from that Final Four squad, the Owls could face the Huskies in the second round.

Former UConn guard Jalen Gaffney (5.8 ppg) is in his final season of eligibility and averages 25 minutes per game for the Owls. Fans will no doubt also remember leading scorer Johnell Davis (18.2 ppg), big man Vladislav Goldin (15.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and guard Alijah Martin (13.3 ppg), all of whom were key to FAU’s Cinderella run last season. The Owls stumbled a few more times this season against some tougher competition in the American Athletic Conference, but earned enough quality nonconference wins to comfortably make the tournament field at 25-8. They won’t be afraid of the Huskies– or anyone else, for that matter.

A mid-major headache in Drake

Indiana State, led by internet hero and bespectacled big man Robbie Avila (nicknamed “College Jokic”) got all the headlines in the Missouri Valley this season, but Drake was nearly as consistent all season long, and downed the Sycamores in the conference title game to earn the automatic NCAA bid.

This is an experienced squad making its second straight tournament appearance under head coach Darian DeVries. Drake finished 26-6 this season and enters the Dance having won 10 of its last 11 games. Coach’s son and junior guard Tucker DeVries leads the team in scoring at 21.8 ppg, but four players average in double figures. This is a team you don’t want to ignore when filling out your bracket.

A bunch of smart kids

Ninth-seeded Northwestern and 13th-seeded Yale aren’t only good in the classroom– they can wreak havoc on the court this year as well. The Wildcats, who face Florida Atlantic in the first round, are making their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance after having only ever cracked the field once before last season. Northwestern finished 21-11 (12-8) in the rugged Big Ten, and scored wins over Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State. Leading scorer and fifth-year guard Boo Buie is a problem, averaging 19.2 points and 5.1 assists per game.

Yale, thanks to a game-winning shot in the Ivy League title game from East Catholic’s Matt Knowling, is back in the field for the third time in five years. The Bulldogs won 22 games this year, have a balanced offensive attack and are looking to win a game in the tournament for the second time under James Jones, after having beaten Baylor in 2016.