With March Madness right around the corner, The Dagger is picking an all-time starting five from some of college basketball's most tradition-rich programs.

Our picks were based on a variety of factors, including stats, tourney success, All-America selections, and of course, our opinions.

Next up: Connecticut Huskies (men).

Who was considered from UConn:

1. Kemba Walker, G, 2008-11 (16.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.1 apg)

2 Rip Hamilton, G/F 1996-99 (19.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.8 apg)

3. Ray Allen, G, 1993-96 (19.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.4 apg)

4. Emeka Okafor, C, 2002-04 (13.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg)

5. Shabazz Napier, G, 2010-14 (13.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.5 apg)

6. Donyell Marshall, F, 1991-94 (18.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.7 bpg)

7. Ben Gordon, G, 2001-04 (16.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.1 apg)

8. Caron Butler, F, 2000-02 (18.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg)

9. Chris Smith, G, 1988-92 (16.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.4 apg)

10. Cliff Robinson, C, 1985-89 (15.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg)





















Next up in the Starting Five series:

• Feb. 10: Arizona

• Feb. 12: Georgetown

• Feb. 17: Louisville

• Feb. 19: UConn (women)

• Feb. 22: Indiana

• Feb. 24: Syracuse

• Feb. 26: Michigan St.

• Feb. 29: Kentucky

• March 2: UCLA

• March 4: UConn (men)

• March 7: Duke

• March 9: UNC

• March 11: Kansas

























UConn’s All-Time Starting Five

G — Kemba Walker

At 6-foot-1, Walker needed surprisingly little room to get off his shots. His quickness allowed him to get around opponents and rise above them. He set the UConn single-season scoring record of 1,965 points in his final season and was named a consensus All-American in 2011 when he led Huskies to national title. He also earned the MVP award at the Final Four. He was honored as the nation’s top point guard in 2010 and had a talent for getting to the foul line. He is the Huskies career leader in free throws with 501.

G — Ray Allen

He will always be remembered for the smooth stroke that made him the best 3-point shooter in the program’s history. He made 44.8 percent of his attempts behind the arc during his career. He was consistent, which is an extremely valuable trait in the college game. He holds the UConn record for consecutive games scoring in double figures at 67. Allen finished his career at the Big East player of the year in 1996 and he the Huskies’ first two-time All-American in 1995 and 1996.

F — Rip Hamilton

Some might say he was the greatest scorer in school history and his ability to move without the ball and use screens played a big part in making him so effective. He also had the intelligence to take what the defense gave him and scored a lot of midrange jump shots. He is second on the career scoring list, less than 200 points behind Chris Smith, who played one more season than Hamilton did. He was a two-time Big East player of the year and two-time All-American. He led UConn to its first national title in 1999 when he was named Final Four MVP, beating Duke in the title game.

F — Donyell Marshall

He might be the most versatile player in school history. Marshall could score and defend in the post against bigger men, though he was 6-foot-9. He could also shoot from the perimeter, causing matchup nightmares. Few players his size have ever run the floor as well as he did. Marshall was UConn’s first All-American. He was the Big East Conference player of the year in 1994 and produced 23 consecutive games scoring 20 or more points that season.

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