Connecticut will win the national championship because it has the best combination of defense, offense, ballhandling and rebounding.

And a coach who has never lost in the Final Four.

The Huskies get a lot of attention because of the shot-blocking abilities of 7-3 center Hasheem Thabeet.

And they did have eight blocks -- roughly their average -- in their regional final against Missouri.

Bonus points for anyone who, without looking it up, can answer how many blocks Thabeet had in that game.

None!

Forwards Stanley Robinson, a 6-9 leaper, and Jeff Adrien, a 6-7 linebacker, combined for seven.

Robinson, in particular, set the tone with his ability to stick with Missouri guard Zaire Taylor (3-for-13 from the field) on his drives and then rejecting his shots.

That kind of interior defense, plus the ball-hawking abilities of guards A.J. Price, Craig Austrie and Kemba Walker, will make it difficult for anyone in Detroit to shoot better than, say, 40% against UConn.

Thabeet has come a long way, but he's not really a go-to post player. That's OK, because UConn can get points in many ways.

The Huskies can run, particularly when Walker's on the floor. Calhoun has an apt description for the lightning-quick 6-1 freshman: one-man fast break.

A guarantee: At some point in Detroit, Walker will sky above his teammates and rip down a defensive rebound, will not look for an outlet pass, will take it himself, will go past several defenders at midcourt, then keep going, go 1-on-2 in the lane … and finish, probably drawing a foul in the process.

In the halfcourt offense, Price is a clutch performer able to break down most defenders.

A guarantee: In the last five minutes Saturday night, when UConn absolutely has to have a basket in a close game and the clock is winding down, Price will back his defender into the lane, create a little bit of space and knock down a 10-foot jumper.

When shots miss, not many teams can go get it and put it in better than UConn.

A guarantee: Robinson will take the crowd's breath away with a rebound dunk at some point.

Thabeet could get into foul trouble, and the guards could be cold from the perimeter, and the thin bench could provide little or nothing.

Then it will be time for Calhoun to come up with something.

Find a way.

That's been the mantra all season, from starting the season without Robinson, who served a fall-semester suspension, to finishing it without one of the Huskies' best players in guard Jerome Dyson, who went down with a knee injury in February.

There aren't many coaches who find a way better than Calhoun. He's 4-0 in Final Four games.

Soon, he will be 6-0.