It has been an interesting season for the UConn Huskies, who came out guns blazing with a 14-0 start to the season, then hit a January swoon, and now have recaptured their early season dominance in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

The majority of fans and prognosticators view the UConn Huskies as the favorites coming into the Final Four this weekend, and there is a multitude of reasons why.

Dan Hurley's UConn basketball program reached as high as second in the country in the AP poll. The swoon in January revealed some flaws that the team has corrected, and since then the team has been playing as well as anyone. Let's get into why the UConn Huskies should be the team cutting down the nets.

Depth

The depth of the UConn basketball program is as good as any team in the Final Four. Dan Hurley hit it out of the park by supplementing his core of Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson with pieces that fit perfectly.

It starts with 7-foot-2 backup center Donovan Clingan. Adama Sanogo has been as dominant as any center in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, and what makes UConn dangerous is when Clingan comes off the bench there is no drop off in quality of play. Clingan comes in and is a terrifying presence as a rim protector, runs the floor well and is a huge threat on lob passes. He is a big reason UConn can wear teams down and make runs in the second half of games.

You also have Hassan Diarra, Nahiem Alleyne and Joey Calcaterra. Diarra is a capable ball handler who can handle the minutes when Tristen Newton is off the floor. Alleyne started the season slow, but has really hit his stride since UConn regained its form in February. Calcaterra hit a shooting slump in January as well, but he is lethal from the outside. His 43.9% three-point shooting percentage is the best on the team, according to sports reference, and gives the Huskies a deep threat when Jordan Hawkins is not on the floor.

Defense

Clingan's presence on defense has been discussed, but the starting lineup is dangerous as well. Andre Jackson can defend a ton of positions, and is a disruptive force who can force turnovers and get the Huskies out in transition. Hawkins is known as a lethal three-point shooter, but he is a solid defender as well. The only concern in the starting lineup is freshman Alex Karaban, who has improved on defense throughout the season.

The Huskies are the 11th-ranked team in the country according to Kenpom's defensive efficiency. Out of the Final Four teams, only San Diego State rates better defensively. UConn ranks third in the country in offensive efficiency, while the Aztecs are 74th.

UConn held Gonzaga, the number one-rated offense according to Kenpom, to 54 points in the Elite Eight. Miami has more scoring options than Gonzaga did, but if the Huskies show up on defense, it would take a terrible shooting performance from the team overall for them to cut down the nets at the Final Four.

Figuring out how to use Andre Jackson

When UConn hit its January swoon in Big East play, teams were sagging off of Andre Jackson, basically daring him to shoot the three. Jackson is a key member the offense for UConn basketball, but that is not his strength. Dan Hurley and his staff have since found out how to counter that strategy.

Jackson is a good ball handler, he splits those duties with Newton, the starting point guard. Jackson is also a dangerous option when cutting to the basket, especially when double teams happen. We saw that in the Gonzaga game, when the Bulldogs doubled Sanogo down low in the post, and Sanogo found a wide open Jackson for an easy bucket. Even when he does not have an open dunk, he is capable of finding the next open man.

When Jackson is left open on the three point line, he will take the shot at times, especially if it is late in the shot clock. However, UConn has implemented dribble-handoffs when this situation occurs. It involves him handing the ball to someone like Newton, Hawkins or Karaban, then immediately setting a screen to get an open look from deep. Hurley and his staff figuring this out has led to a UConn Final Four trip.

UConn is a well-rounded team with plenty of weapons. They should be the favorite out of all the teams at the Final Four.