The sixth-ranked Huskies still need the same documentation that every other team has to produce in December, regardless of their national title last March.

	Albert Mouring looked energized after a few listless games.

Beating an inexperienced Duke in early November didn't count. Neither did laying waste to Massachusetts, Vermont, Coppin State or UNC-Asheville. Connecticut needed a top-five win to make sure the rest of the nation remembered why the Huskies won the '99 national title and why they could win it again.

Dismantling Arizona on Tuesday night in the Great Eight at the United Center in Chicago put the stamp on the Huskies' '99-00 squad. Connecticut's 78-69 victory over the previously undefeated and second-ranked Wildcats gave the Huskies the gauge they missed in their soft schedule the past two weeks.

"This was our validation point," Connecticut shooting guard Albert Mouring said. "We love the big games."

A year ago, the Huskies weren't sure how good they were until a convincing win over Michigan State on Dec. 5, the sixth game of the season. It only took one more game this season, which began with a shocking loss to Iowa in the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament in New York on Nov. 11.

"We were sleepwalking through that Iowa game," Connecticut's Khalid El-Amin said. "We didn't respect Iowa like we should. Now, you'll see a Connecticut team do the things we're good at like rebound, team defense and running the break."

El-Amin is at the center of this year's Huskies renaissance. He entered Tuesday's game with more focus on his shot than last year. He was averaging 18.7 points in 29.5 minutes, up five more points in the same amount of time from a year ago.

El-Amin jumpstarted the Huskies on Tuesday, scoring a game-high 23 points (9-of-24 overall shooting, 4-of-8 3-pointers) in 34 minutes. His quick shooting, penetration and hawking defense was a tutorial for Arizona freshman point Jason Gardner, who had four turnovers and was 2 of 9 from the field.

	“	"This was our validation point. We love the big games." ”
		— UConn's Albert Mouring

"That put a lot of pressure on us to come down and score on the next possession," El-Amin said of the close game. "Albert hit a big shot. When we needed a basket tonight, we came through. That's what big-time championship teams do."

El-Amin paused, and laughed, and then added, "I'm not saying we're going to make it to the championship game again, but that's what you need to do to get there. This was definitely a game where not only our character but our skill was tested."

Mouring, who has the chore of taking over for Richard Hamilton's shooting, was 4 of 8 overall (hitting 1 of 2 3-point attempts) for nine points. Mouring, like most of the Huskies, disappeared against Iowa. Since then, Mouring has fed off El-Amin's energy and well-placed passes. The experience in the backcourt led to a more relaxed frontcourt where Kevin Freeman, Jake Voskuhl, Edmund Saunders and Souleymane Wane have made it tough to win a game in the post.

They did more than that. The Huskies taught Arizona how to win in a high-pressure situation.

"You don't win a national championship without players who are hard-nosed and tough," Arizona forward Richard Jefferson said. "They forced us into some tough situations, in terms of shots. Jason Gardner will learn playing against Khalid and I'll learn playing against Freeman."

The Huskies won't get another test until Texas, which lost at Wisconsin on Tuesday night, comes to Hartford on Jan. 10. Meanwhile, Arizona continues a brutal week with Michigan State in Tucson on Saturday. Michigan State is fresh off an easy win over Kansas in the first Great Eight matchup Tuesday.

"(Connecticut) is a veteran-oriented team and they are what we aren't," Arizona center Loren Woods said. "We've got a lot of young guys who make a lot of mistakes. We thought we could shake them. We made a run on them, but Khalid sets up the offense and they moved the ball and got a wide open shot every time. But we've got to forget this game. I think we already have."

Connecticut hasn't. The Huskies have circled this win as their validation point, proving they're capable of defending their title.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.