If UConn is to make another "five-wins-in-five-nights" run through the Big East tournament, it will start against DePaul on Tuesday at noon at Madison Square Garden.

Sound familiar?

The Huskies wind up as the tourney's No. 9 seed and will face No. 16 DePaul Tuesday. A win and the Huskies will face No. 8 West Virginia on Wednesday at noon. Win that one and they get top-seed Syracuse on Thursday, again at noon.

Let's just stop there for right now.

Conventional wisdom says the Huskies likely need at least one, maybe two wins next week in Manhattan to solidify an NCAA tourney bid. UConn crushed DePaul, 80-54, on Feb. 15 in Storrs and edged West Virginia, 64-57, on Jan. 9 in Hartford.

The Huskies went 0-2 against Syracuse this year, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Last year's unprecedented Big East tourney run, of course, began with a Tuesday afternoon, 97-71 reout of DePaul. Then came wins over Georgetown, Pitt, Syracuse and Louisville.

Of course, UConn hasn't won three straight games over Big East foes yet this season. But it's hardly impossible for the Huskies to at least get to Thursday, and likely lock up a bid to the Big Dance.