Just how much did UConn's miraculous ride to a national title mean to some of its biggest fans? Alex Oriakhi found out recently.

Oriakhi and teammate Tyler Olander had just finished eating some lunch at a local establishment when a woman approached them. The woman, a principal at a local middle school that Oriakhi couldn't remember the name of, told the two UConn hoops players that her husband had just passed away.

"Watching you guys play over these last few games has definitely helped ease my pain," she told them.

"Me and Tyler were really shocked," Oriakhi said. "Just something we love to do, playing basketball, was able to help her out and make her life a little easier. That's just the blessing that came with playing basketball. It was definitely surreal when she said that."

Oriakhi added that the woman had her whole school watching most of UConn's NCAA tournament games and told them they were the kids' role models.

"It was definitely a good feeling hearing that," Oriakhi said.

Also, here's my story on Kemba declaring for the NBA draft.