When Jim Calhoun got emotional after UConn's hard-earned win over No. 7 ranked Indiana: "The greatest win I've had since the national championship"

Former UConn coach Jim Calhoun has led the Huskies to three national championships. Winning the biggest prize in college basketball is obviously a great feeling — but Calhoun once said that a regular season victory brought him just as much satisfaction.

In January 2008, UConn arrived at Assembly Hall in Bloomington as a heavy underdog. The Huskies were unranked and had already suffered five losses. They had previously lost to every opponent ranked before this point, getting only a home win against Marquette when they were No. 13.

On the other hand, Indiana was seventh in the nation and unbeaten at home. Still, Calhoun's team defied the odds and held off the Hoosiers, 68-63, for only their second loss of the season.

After the final buzzer, Jim Calhoun was visibly emotional during his postgame interview.

"This sweat that you see wasn't the game. The sweat was me hugging every single one of those kids," he said. "Quite frankly, they deserved more than a hug from me. They deserve a hug from the state of Connecticut. They deserve a hug from the university. They deserve a hug from our fans.

"To do what we did is certainly the greatest win I've had since the national championship team (in 2004) beat Georgia Tech. It could even beat the Duke game when we came back from down seven (in the 2004 Final Four). It takes a lot to really, really win me over, because I always look for that perfect game. But when you have a perfect heart and perfect effort, you can't ask any more of the kid."

Calhoun added that he was not going to cry, but he felt immense pride in his players and described the moment as very special.

Jim Calhoun believed 2004 Huskies had unmatched talent and championship mentality

During his time in Storrs, Jim Calhoun coached several outstanding players. Each of his teams had its own unique qualities and strengths, but Calhoun stated that the 2004 Huskies team had something special that set them apart from the rest.

"That was a really challenging team. We had answers for you inside, outside," Jim Calhoun said on All the Years podcast. "I you wanted to try to go inside against us, half-court game, we're gonna block your shots.

"And, you know, if you wanted to run, as I said, we could really run. So it's a hard team to play."

That Huskies team was led by Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Taliek Brown, Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva and Hilton Armstrong. They won 33 games and only suffered six losses. UConn defeated a tough Duke team 79-78 in the Final Four and beat Georgia Tech 82-73 in the final to win the program's second national title.