Husky Frosh "Meet the Big East": Pitt 78-UCONN 63

The UCONN Freshman five experienced their first Big East road game against a deep, talented, very well coached Pitt Panther five and took a 78-63 pounding at the Petersen Events Center last night. At the Events center Pitt is 8-0 against top ten teams that come into "their house" and 142-11 overall; it is considered one of the toughest road venues in the Big East. Like all of Pitt coach Jamie Dixon's teams this group plays hard nosed, stifling man to man defense and a beautiful, disciplined motion offense with very balanced scoring. Pitt had four players in double figures led by smooth shooting two guard Austin Gibb's 19 points. Defensively, the Panthers forced the Huskies into a 32% FG shooting night and their big men continually limited UCONN to one shot offensively.
Pitt controlled the game from start to finish and after the first three minutes the UCONN Frosh looked like they were in shock. Calhoun changed to a half court trapping defense and this slowed the Panthers down some. From 3 minutes into the first half, to about 7 minutes left in the game the Huskies kept the deficit between 6-10 points despite poor shooting from Kemba Walker and no scoring support from the rest of the team. Walker started the contest looking tight and trying to do too much and went 3-12 in the first half. He loosened up in the second half and finished with 31 points but had to hoist up 27 shots to get there. No other Husky scored in double figures; Jeremy Lamb had 9 and Alex Oriakhi a disappointing 8 points.
What significance can we read into UCONN's first loss of the season. First, it is not panic time; even the best of Calhoun's Husky squads have only amassed a 1-5 record on the road against Pitt who were heavily favored last night. I think most knowledgeable UCONN fans felt the #4 ranking was a bit high, but I still see this as a very good UCONN team with potentially a big upside.
There were, however, some concerning trends in last night's loss. In my opinion, in addition to Walker only Lamb and Napier (possibly Olander) seemed up to the task last night. Clearly, UCONN's scoring has to be better distributed if they expect to compete atop the Big East. Napier is the real deal and I liked his confidence and ability to run the offense when Walker was moved to two guard. Jeremy Lamb looks increasingly confident at both ends, but his outside shooting is suspect. Roscoe Smith's development continues to be very slow offensively and his shooting has been abysmal. Giffey has made no progress since the beginning of the year and looked eager to get the ball to Walker as quickly as he could last night. I think Olander is competing well but commits some senseless fouls, reducing his playing time; He hits the boards hard and has a nice little shooting touch. To me of most concern has been the increasngly poor play of Alex Oriakhi since his outstanding performance at the Maui Classic. He looks discouraged, is getting beat off the boards and has disappeared on offense. Calhoun, not shy about critisizing players in the press was quoted after last night's game as saying"I don't know if he (Oriakhi) was better sitting or playing. He's not the player right now I think he can be." ouch!but on target.
While it is far too early in the season to ascertain where this team will end up, I think Napier and Lamb will continue to improve and contribute but Smith and Giffey may not be significant factors this year. Oriakhi is a big question mark. He can play much better than he is right now and he is not getting much help up front so this is also a factor, however, he has to turn things around for the Huskies to a major force in March. A typical early season Big East road loss against a tough well coached opponent or a harbinger of things to come? Too early to tell.
"You Heard it here first"
Steve

Huskies move up to #4 in both National Polls

On the strength of a decisive win over fairleigh Dickinson and PItt's loss to Tennessee, the UCONN Huskies were ranked fourth in both major polls on Monday. As you may know both the polls and NCAA Committee places a lot of weight in the RPi ratings. This is a ranking system which includes both a teams record and their strength of schedule. The fact the the Huskies are 6th in the RPI ratings and moved ahead of Syracuse probably explains why they also moved a head of the Orange in the polls.

The air is getting rare up there at #4 so we will see if the Huskies are this good when Big East starts on Dec.27 at Pitt after two tune ups against Coppin State and Harvard.
"YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST"
Steve

ps- I was wondering if the Walker brothers still follow college ball or they have joined a local polo club and have lost interest in
B-Ball

Huskies enter exam break 8-0, 6th in both major polls

Since the win at the Maui Invitational Tournament the UCONN Huskies have added three wins in the cupcake part of their schedule. A 62-55 outcome over a stubborn and well coached New Hampshite squad was followed by blowouts of Maryland-Baltimore
County (94-61) and Fairleigh Dickinson ( 78-64). A breakdown of the individual scoring in these three games gives some insight into the answers and the issues I said were important to look for before the start of the tough Big East Schedule on Dec. 27 against Pitt.
Knowing that not even Kemba Walker will average close to 30ppg in the Big East, Calhoun has been trying to get his "diaper dandies" to start showing more on offense. Against UNH, somewhat let down after the Maui win and surprised by UNH's tenacity, the Huskies fell back on Walker and he produced another 30 point game. Shabazz Napier, the impressive Freshman point guard was the only other Husky in double figures. However, against Maryland-Baltimore County, Walker scored 24 and UCONN had 5 other players in double figures including Lamb, Smith, Oriakhi, Giffey and Sophomore enigma Jamal Coombs-McDaniel. Against FDU, Walker scored 21 and Lamb, Smith and Napier had 12, 10 and 10 respectively.
I feel that Shabazz Napier is the Freshman who is furthest along in his development. He has great point guard instincts and is ready to relieve Walker at the point and contribute about 10ppg in the Big East. Lamb, a slashing two guard is starting to show some life on offense as he had 11 and 12 points in the last two games including some treys. Giffey, a 6'7" German import is coming along slowly but nicely. I think as the season progresses he will be a steady contributor with some big games as he finds his stroke. Roscoe Smith, UCONN's most highly touted recruit at an athletic 6'8" tall is a bit hard to read at this point and has raised some questions in my mind. Although he has produced back to back double figures the flashes of his athleticism have come on defense with some eye opening blocked shots. He has struggled offensively and I am concerned that he is a not a good jump shooter, particularly from 15 ft. out, critical for someone of his size. I think his jump shot will improve, but how much that is true this season is an important an open question.
The Huskies resume play on Dec. 20 against Coppin State, Harvard on the 22nd, then the BiG East schedule starts on Dec.27 in an away game against Pitt.
At this point, I can say unequivocably that this year's Huskies are an exciting, hustling bunch who will make the Big Dance.(If they go .500 in conference play they are in.) The development of the Freshmen is critical to how far this team can go. Napier is ready for prime time but the others are works in progress. Let's also not forget the somewhat puzzling 6'7" Sophomore, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel. He has a solid all around game but came to Storrs with the reputation of a lights out three point shooter, which he has yet to show. My hope is that he will develop into a streak shooter, a la Rashad Anderson, and add some needed points in bunches.
Right now, Calhoun seems to be leaning to a starting five of Walker and Lamb in the backcourt with Oriakhi, Olander( a solid if unspectacular Freshman banger) and Smith up front. The rotation is pretty deep with 10 players that Calhoun has been using including, Napier, Coombs-Mcdaniel, an improving Senior Guard Donnell Beverley, Oakwandu and Giffey off the bench.
Enjoy the break and then let's get ready to rumble
"You Heard it here First"
Steve

Huskies Move into top ten in both Major Polls

As I opined in my last post, the UCONN Huskies were ranked #7 in today's AP Poll and #9 in the ESPN/Coaches Poll on the strength of their spectacular showing in last week's Maui Invitational Tournament. The jump from unranked to seventh in the AP poll was the largest single move up in one week since Kansas jumped from unranked to fourth in 1989 after winning the pre-season NIT. Clearly, the Huskies are far better than all the pundits, including this reporter,predicted in the pre-season. Let's all take a deep breath at this point and address the question of "how high is up for this season's Huskies?"
First and foremost, the two returning starters Kemba Walker and Alex Oriakhi have far exceeded expectations. Walker is leading the country in scoring at 30.0 ppg and his leadership and confidence have been awesome. Oriakhi has elevated his game to potential All- American status; While he doesn't have huge "ups" he is a quick jumper and a ferocious rebounder at both ends of the floor. In addition, he has very soft, sure hands, receives passes well and has a very nice touch in the paint. He is averaging a double/double through the first five contests.
The Five Freshman are far better than believed in the pre-season reports. Shabazz Napier, the 6 foot point guard from Boston is lightening quick, a tremendous penetrator and precociously confident. He clearly can play point taking some of the ball handling burden off Walker. Jeremy Lamb is a versatile two guard who can both shoot and slash to the hoop. Niels Giffey is a 6'6" swingman from Berlin, Germany who has the outstanding all around game that has become typical of the best European imports. Tyler Olander, the 6'9" local product, has impressed with a nice shooting touch and pretty good jumping ability. A big variable at this point is the Huskies most highly touted recruit, Roscoe Smith,a 6'8" small forward from Baltimore. Calhoun likens him to Rudy Gay but feels he is a better shooter. Calhoun believes that "Smith will be a special player for us." So far, he has shown some flashes of his talent and at times has appeared tight and tentative.
In sum, this team has strengths where weaknesses existed last year. The team chemistry looks great and the effort has been all out in every game. There are three or four good perimeter shooters and there are four or five guys who can score when needed. Defensively, this group can be smothering which triggers the signature UCONN transition game. The biggest liability is that the front line is thin and in the tough Big East and the Big Dance, the big men tend to accumulate fouls quickly. In December 7'1" Freshman Enosch Wolfe, from Germany becomes eligible supplying much needed depth up frot.
To date Walker leads the Huskies in scoring at 30.0ppg, followed by Oriakhi at 13.4, Napier at 9.6, Smith at 7.8 and Lamb and Giffey at 5.2. Look for Napier to bump up to about 12 ppg, Smith to 11ppg and Giffey to 9.3 to provide support for Walker and Oriakhi. The next five games are cream puffs with the first Big East contest coming on Dec. 27 at Pittsburgh. Over the next five games there are several things to watch and if they happen we are in for a very interesting season. Look for Napier, Smith and Giffey to bump up their ppg's, Smith to gain confidence and start looking like the Huskies top recruit, Wolfe to add needed help up front. If all these things fall in place we are looking at a possible Elite Eight or even Final four squad.
You can watch the Huskies tomorrow night on SNY at 7:30 against New Hampshire. ON Friday the Huskies take on Maryland-Baltimore county in a 7:00 start, also televised on SNY.
"You Heard it here First"
Steve

Walker and Oriakhi fuel Huskies improbable Championship in Maui

If you had asked me on Sunday whether the Huskies had any chance to win the Maui Invitational Tournament I would have bet our Turkey dinner for 30 people against it. Fortuneately,I didn't make that bet but I will have to put a little crow on my plate since I was a vociferous opponent of UCONN giving Jim Calhoun another contract. I felt his time had passed and the Huskies needed to bring in a young, dynamic coach. Two nice cupcake wins against Stonybrook and Vermont plus two returning starters and Five Freshmen in a recruiting class ranked 20th in country did nothing to foreshadow last night's pounding of 9th ranked Kentucky to complete this weeks improbable championship run. In addition, the Huskies faced a strong field including 2nd ranked Michigan State and 11th ranked University of Washington. Kentucky's Freshman class was ranked #1 in the country and Michigan State's was ranked 10th to boot. In what may some day be considered Calhoun's greatest coaching job we saw this young Husky squad grow up in five games and beat Wichita State, Michigan State (70-67) and in the title game destroy Kentucky 84-67.
What happened? To begin with Kemba Walker has emerged as possibly both the best point guard, if not the best player in the country according to Jay Bilas, the fine ESPN color commentator. Forward Alex Oriakhi has blossomed into a rebounding and scoring force in the paint and the freshmen group was clearly underrated. Add this to great team chemistry and the ideal personnel to develop a smothering UCONN defense to fuel the signature of all great Calhoun teams, an explosive transition game and it all adds up. Freshman Shabazz Napier is an outstanding point guard, something rare in a "diaper dandy". He is quick, confident, plays intense Defense and can penetrate and drive to the hoop. Roscoe Smith is playing well, if inconsistently, and is a very good small forward. Jeremy Lamb is an exciting swingman and looked his best so far this year in last night's win. Niels Giffey, a German import, is a whippet thin 6'7" small forward who has a solid all around game, can run all day, and has a nice stroke from three point land. Finally Tyler Olander is a solid banger up front.
The first 13 minutes of last nights contest featured exciting, quick paced ball in a game that looked like it was going to go down to the wire. However, the Huskies seemed to be visibly gaining confidence when they led 29-27 with seven minutes to go. At that point, Napier scored on a tremendous drive to the hoop, cradling the ball away from the Wildcat big men, before banking a beauty off the glass. After getting the ball back Napier hit Walker on a text book backdoor play and the run had begun. Over the last seven minutes of the half, the Huskies outscored the Wildcats 21-2, a real old-fashioned Husky run, to open up a 51-29 lead at the half. WOW!
The game was never in doubt in the second half; Walker finished with 29 points and won the tournament outstanding player and Oriakhi scored 18 with 11 rebounds. Niels Giffey, in his best showing of the season, added 14 on 5-6 shooting from the field including 2-3 treys. Napier, sensational at the point added 12.
I have to believe that when Monday's polls come out the previously unranked Huskies have to be in the top 10 teams in the country and this squad is a legitimate contender in the East. It is obviously too early in the season to know how far they can go but it sure will be an exciting ride. This reporters battered hat is off to Coach Jim Calhoun and Associate Head Coach George Blaney.
"You heard it here First"
Steve

Kemba Walks on water as Huskies upset #2 Michigan State

The big news tonight is that Kemba Walker, no ifs ands or buts is a superstar. Espn's knowledgeable color commentator called him the best point guard in the country in tonights's spectacular upset win over Michigan State. Prior to tonights game Walker was leading the country in scoring with a 30.3 ppg average. tonight's
30 point effort against Michigan State will likely keep in that spot.
Since this is my first post of the season I will start by highlighting the pre-season expectations for this years Huskies and review the major questions that I had following last season's disappointing and enigmatic squad. The Huskies lost 3 of their top scorers from last year including Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson and Hasheem thabeet. They were left with only two returning starters, Jr. Kemba Walker and sophomore Alex Oriakhi and five Freshmen recruits. Their recruiting class was only ranked 20th in the country and their top recruit, small forward, Roscoe Smith was ranked fifth at this position. Not one poll or major college pre-season magazine picked Uconn in the top 25 teams in the country and most picked them about 10th in the Big East. I have to admit, that my own expectations were low and I was screaming as loud as anyone for the Huskies to end the Jim Calhoun era. As you know, I felt that he was mired in a depression last year that adversely effected his coaching and the team. My four major question marks, incredibly, have already been answered after only four games.

1. Could Jim Calhoun regain his equilibrium and rebuild a very young team? I have watched all four games this year and from the get-go I have that Calhoun looks like a much happier guy this year. Unlike last year, when he often appeared tense, angry and distracted, he has been relaxed and very present in all games. Calhoun seems to have really bonded with his young Huskies and this is an exciting, hustling team a la Calhoun's best squads. Put one in the plus column.
2. Kemba Walker showed flashes of brilliance last year when he averaged 14.8 ppg. However, he shot inconsistently and didn't supply the much needed leadership. Walker apparently worked very hard on his game this summer and it shows. Both his perimeter shooting and finishes on his drives have improved dramatically and he has been simply sensational. I think he may be the fastest college player I have ever seen in the open court with the ball. Move over Ray Allen, Ben Gordon, Richard Hamilton et al, another Husky superstar has been ordained.
3. Last Year I felt that Freshman Alex Oriakhi would blossom into a big time player, but I did not expect it to happen so fast. He is averaging a double, double and had 15 points and 17 rebounds in tonight's win.
4. Are there any talented recruits. I love Freshman point guard Shabazz Napier. He is confident a great ball handler and penetrator and sensational on defense. calhoun used him a lot at the point tonight enabling Walker to play two guard and not have to handle the ball so much. top recruit Roscoe Smith (10.3 ppg) has improved with each game, can shoot the trey, slash and is a very good shot blocker. Swingman Jeremy Lamb has been a contributor and Nils Giffey, a small forward from Germany has an excellent all around game. Much more talent here than predicted.
In sum, batten down the hatches everyone this is one exciting team. They will definitely contend in the Big East and take a trip to the big dance. Much too early to know how far they will go but it doesn't hurt to have possibly the best player in the country.
tonight's exciting win was sealed when Kemba Walker scored the last of his 30 points with 52 seconds left on a fade away jumper from the left corner. Roscoe Smith added 8 points and Shabazz napier added seven in the Huskies sensational upset.
Tune in tomorrow night when the Young Huskies will play the winner of the Kentucky- Washington game in the finals.
I will say it right now - WE ARE GOING TO THE BIG DANCE
You heard it here first
Steve

Eliot and Allen in talks about blog site

Rumors were swirling in the Connecticut press this week that Steve Eliot had a clandestine meeting with Dave Allen at the Suburban home of an unnamed, well known camp director. Eliot, who is rumored to be considering a sabbitical this year apparently made a lucrative offer to Allen to manage the web-site during his absense.
Calls to the offices and homes of both Eliot and Allen were not returned.

Rumors swirl: Will Eliot Re Sign contract for "You Heard it Here First"

After Wednesday's discharge from Memorial Hospital for surgery on a benign adenoma on his parathyroid gland, 3 time National Sportswriter's Assn. recipient of "Sportswriter of the year", Steve Eliot responded to rumors that he is considering other alternatives next year to continuing his nationally recognized blog site "You Heard it Here First." Eliot is reputed to have at least five different offers including a spot in the Obama Cabinet. Still under the influence of anesthesia, Eliot was non-committal in his answers to shocked reporters and distraught followers of his site in an impromptu press conference on 67th St. and York Ave in front of a souvlaki stand. The rumors come at a particularly shocking time when Eliot is reputedly in line for his second Prescience award for making 9 accurate predictions this year on his blog site including calling in December that the UCONN was likely headed to the NIT this year.
ESPN will cover the story tomorrow on Sports Center with interviews with several people close to the Eliot inner circle who might give some insight as to why Eliot is a considering a move.

Calhoun signs new contract

It was announced today that Jim calhoun signed a new contract throught the 2013-14 season. The 67 yr. old Calhoun says he intends to coach several more seasons. There has been much talk on the Husky blog sites that he needs some new recruiters ala Karl Hobbs, Dave laeto.
Steve

Is it time for Calhoun to step down?

I know that this will be a controversial and perhaps painful conclusion on my part to my followers who are UCONN Grads. I know and that with good reason you feel tremendous respect, loyalty to and confidence in Jim Calhoun. In 1988, when I first had season tickets which I kept through 2002, I was part of the awe and excitement about how Calhoun took a program in Storrs, Ct. and made into a perennial national power. The Huskies are currentlly tied for first with the number of graduates who are in the NBA(13) many of who are stars, i.e. Ray Allen, Rudy Gay, Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton, Emeka Okafor to name a few. As I have said many times before, he has been a great recuiter, motivator, and teacher of team ball. However, even from the begining his degree of rage and inability to control it has always concerned me. While it worked for certain players, or they tolerated it knowing they had a good chance for national exposure and a good look by NBA scouts, it was devastating to other players. Just for example, Rudy Gay, Josh Boone, and Craig Austrie always, in my opinion, played "scared" under Calhoun's explosions of rage. I am not saying this lightly; I have had the oppurtunity to see many games from the first or second row over the years and at times have feared Calhoun was actually going to punch one of his players on the court.
I believe that his rage has turned to Depression recently and that combined with his problems with anger lead me to conclude it is time for him to step down. I agree with Mike Davis's thoughtful post in response to "That's All he Wrote" that continuing at this point will tarnish his incredible Hall of Fame record. In addition, I am concerned about the effect his staying will have on the program going forward. Dave Allen wondered about what was wrong with Dyson. After the St. John's game I wondered if he had just "quit" on Calhoun out of antipathy. I would not be surprised if some of the current Huskies are not singing his praises to recruits. In any case the uncertainty about his future could give potential recruits pause about signing letters of intent. I think it is in everybody's best interest to recruit a relatively young(someone Jay like Wright, Jamie Dixon, or Seth Greenberg who is on St. John's short list) with a reputation to take over the program. I fear the Husky program may be about to undergo an extended down turn without a needed change. I say this will due respect to the incredible 24 yr tenure of Jim Calhoun and hope he will give himself needed time to take of his own health.
"You Heard it Here First"
Steve

St.John's 73- UCONN 51; That's All He Wrote

No comments on the game I would only be repeating the same mantra.
It sure raises some questions which I will address in my upcoming final blog.
1) Will Calhoun accept an invitation to the NIT; he can barely control his disgust with this team.
2) What went on with Dyson in the last 4 games of the year. He was just awful today. Dave Allen suggested maybe an unreported injury, exhaustion. He and Calhoun certainly don't look like they are having a love fest,
3) What is UCONN's current recruiting situation for next year.
4) Is it time for Calhoun to bow out?

I will comment on all of the above in the last blog of the year.
"You Heard it Here First"
Steve

Big East Tourney/ change in format

for the Big East Tourney I will post the score and perhaps a very abbreviated post for each game. That way followers will have a format to express their thoughts about the Huskies in the tournament; I encourage you all to post in the comment section anything you want to say about the tourney.
Steve

NIT: South Florida 75-68

In a disappointing finish, and to many an enigmatic one, the UCONN Huskies ended their regular season with a poorly played 75-68 loss to South Florida. With an overall record of 17-14 and 7-11(12th place) in the Big East the Huskies played themselves out of the Big Dance and purchased themselves a bus ride, down I-95 to Madison Square Garden and the National Invitational Tournament. They could only salvage a "Dance Card" with a virtually impossible Championship in the Big East Tournament.
If one looks beyond the false hopes engendered by this year's team, their worst season since 2006, and the two worst seasons in Jim Calhoun's Hall of Fame 24 year tenure the reasons for the record are quite clear. I feel that several factors led Husky beat writers, TV announcers and Husky fans to believe all season long that this team was under achieving and would eventually pull it together. To begin with, there is the Husky legacy of two National Championships under Calhoun and umpteen Big East regular season and tournament championships. Second, when Calhoun took his medical leave, many believed that when he came back, he would work his motivational magic and the Huskies would run the table and waltz into the Big Dance. In fact, his presence or absence were irrelevancies for this years thinly talented squad. Of most importance in raising false hopes were the string of "Good losses" against highly ranked teams such as Duke, Kentucky, Syracuse, and an upset win over then #1 ranked Texas and Big East Powers. As you know by now I don't believe in good losses and of more importance is the fact that these teams played high octane, fast paced offenses, mediocre defenses allowing the Huskies to avoid their weak half court offense and run their transtion game where they were at their best. In fact, against the Swiss Cheese Texas defense Dyson ran coast to coast all game long and had his career high 32 points to pace the win. The Longhorns have since fallen into the 20's in the polls.
So all season long we heard from poorly informed announcers like Verne Lundquist, Clarke Kellogg, Bill Raferty and Brent Musberger that this talented team would straighten out.
The so called collapse at the end of the season was not a collapse at all. Teams with good Freshmen and Sophomores get better as the season progresses, the Huskies got left behind. Here are the bald faced facts, no third guard, only three mediocre to good big men and an extremely poor shooting team. In fact, the Huskies were 143rd in the Nation in FG% and 250th in the nation in 3 point shooting%. No way to make up for that.
Yesterday's loss had it's bizarre aspects. After falling behind by thirteen, Calhoun removed Dyson, Robinson, and Edwards and left them on the bench for the remainder of the game. His Freshman and Soph subs and the much improved Kemba Walker led an impressive come back but fell short. Calhoun obviously conceded the game with 16 minutes left and took a calculated motivational gamble. He his trying to enrage his Seniors to hope for a Big East Tourney miracle. Further he announced he will start the team that finished the USF game.
I will not post for the Big East Tourney or NIT. I will have a season ending post taking a look ahead to next year.
"You Heard it Here First"

"Good Night Mrs. Calabash Wherever you are" Notre Dame 58-50

I just finished watching a DVR recording of UCONN's 58-50 loss to Notre Dame. Jimmy Durante was probably before the time of most of my followers, but he was a TV comedian who ended his show each week by saying "Good Night Mrs. Calabash Wherever you are." Somehow, this came to mind as I watched the waning seconds of the Huskies horrific loss to ND and I could almost hear the air going out of their bubble. The loss left the Huskies 7-10 in conference play with one to go, assuring a sub .500season. Although one bracketologist expressed the following "A sweep would be huge for the Irish's NCAA chances, but would it be enough to bounce UConn (17-12, 7-9, 45 RPI) out? After playing Notre Dame, UConn visits South Florida Saturday. UConn, which has played the nation's second-hardest schedule, must win one of those two and then needs at least one, maybe two wins, in the Big East tournament to lock up its bid. The Big East could get anywhere from seven to nine bids depending how the next two weeks play out."
If the Huskies do not make it to the finals of the Big East tournament I think it would be a disgrace to give the Huskies a bid. I will not analyze the loss because you can read my first post of the season ( on e-mail) or "We just don't have the Horses" after the loss to Pitt to understand tonight's performance. Sadly, I must say, I have had Robinson pegged all year despite the feeling of some of my followers that I have been too hard on him.
One very interesting note about the some of the comments from the color men tonight. Although I am not a Bobby Knight fan, I think we could all agree he knows his stuff. His criticism of Calhoun's game coaching was subtle but spoke volumes. Three times in the second half he noted the UCONN had to find a way to get Robinson more shots. He said that he would have brought Robinson to the foul line on offense rather than have him work hard down low to get open. When he referred to using a high low, he meant putting Robinson on the foul line an moving Edwards down low. It was subtle but it was a big knock on Calhoun's inability to make in game adjustments.
"You Heard it Here First"
Steve

Huskies Hang by a Hair after 78-76 loss to Louisville

No one can fault UCONN's effort after Sunday afternoon's heartbreaking 78-76 loss to the Louisville Cardinal. The Huskies left nothing on the floor on Senior Day, but succumbed to Louisville's 3 point shooting and the same three fundamental lacks they have had all season. Louisville made 10 three's to the Huskies 5(4 by Kemba Walker); that is a fifteen point difference to make up which the Huskies tried valiantly to do. Add to that no real 3 point shooters, no back up guard and one bigman short and the difference becomes insurmountable.
The Huskies came out smoking and took an early 13 point lead on the strength of excellent defense, strong transitions and Kemba Walker's continued sensational play. The lead might have been even larger if Stanley Robinson had not committed 2 turn overs and one blown tap in in the first two minutes of the game. He let a perfect fast break lead pass go through his fingers and threw a ball out of bounds as well as bobbling an easy tap in. Robinson went on to total 5 turnovers, two in the second half where he threw passes directly out of bounds with no Husky player in sight. Do you think that's worth more than the two point margin of defeat?
In the last ten minutes of the first half Louisville stiffened up their defense and started hitting threes as they whittled the lead to 5 at the half.
In the first half the Huskies attacked Louisville's 2-3 zone by making their first pass in the half-court to Gavin Edwards at the foul line. Edwards either made nice interior passes, good kick backs or turned and shot his nice 15 foot jump shot.
At the start of the Second half Pitino, a great game coach, switched to a smaller, quicker line up and they swarmed around Edwards whenever he received the first pass. this resulted in UCONN turnovers (22 for the game) and cut down Edward's effectiveness. Calhoun never made a counter adjustment as the game started to slip away. UConn fell behind but came back to tie the game with eight seconds left when Samuel's scored on a lay up. Walker took the in bounds pass, drove the length of the floor and threw up a desperation off balance, off the mark drive to end the contest Nevetheless, Walker continued his sensational play and certainly looks like he has finally arrived at the next level up.
Where does that leave the Huskies? Here are the Big East standings as of 3/1/10.
(4) Syracuse Orange 14-2 27-2
(7) Villanova Wildcats 12-4 23-5
(8) West Virginia Mountaineers 11-5 22-6
(12) Pittsburgh Panthers 11-5 22-7
Marquette Golden Eagles 10-6 19-9
Louisville Cardinals 10-6 19-10
(11) Georgetown Hoyas 9-7 19-8
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-8 19-10
South Florida Bulls 7-9 17-11
Seton Hall Pirates 7-9 16-11
Connecticut Huskies 7-9 17-12
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-9 16-12
St. John's Red Storm 5-11 15-13
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-11 15-14
Providence Friars 4-12 12-16
DePaul Blue Demons 1-15 8-
Again, if we assume the big East will get 8 teams in, Wednesday night's game against Notre Dame is critical. If the Huskies win and go on to win their last game of the season, they will have the same or better record than Notre Dame and they have the highest RPI amongst ND, South Florida, Seton hall and Cincinnatti. If this is the case they may have to win at least two, possibly three Games in the Big East Tournament. As I said they are hanging on to the NCAA chances by a very weak hair.

Traffic Jam in the Big East

Assuming that the Big East will have 8 teams chosen by the NCAA selection Committee, there are seven teams ahead of the Huskies and 4 teams tied with them at 7-8.
Conf Overall

(4) Syracuse Orange 13-2 26-2
(7) Villanova Wildcats 12-3 23-4
(8) West Virginia Mountaineers 10-5 21-6
(12) Pittsburgh Panthers 10-5 21-7
(11) Georgetown Hoyas 9-6 19-7
Marquette Golden Eagles 9-6 18-9
Louisville Cardinals 9-6 18-10
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7-8 18-10
Seton Hall Pirates 7-8 16-10
Connecticut Huskies 7-8 17-11
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-8 16-11
South Florida Bulls 6-9 16-11
St. John's Red Storm 5-10 15-12
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 4-11 14-14
Providence Friars 4-11 12-15
DePaul Blue Demons 1-14 8-19

Of the four teams tied with UCONN, the Huskies have the toughest Strength of Schedule(#1 in the country) and the highest RPI ranking(41), both measures that are highly important to the selection committee. A win on Sunday at 2:00 against Louisville would be a huge plus. This might not get clarified until the Big East tournament is over.

"You Heard it here First"
Steve

Aye Jeromba! UCONN 73-West Virginia 62

In an astounding late season turn around the UCONN Huskies won their third straight Big East contest (2 against nationally ranked top ten teams) with an emphatic 73-62 upset of #7 ranked West Virginia tonight. The Huskies backcourt tandem of Jerome Dyson and the suddenly resurgent Kemba Walker led the way; In his fourth straight sensational showing Walker had 21 points and was 14-17 at the charity stripe. Dyson was his usual slashing and aggressive self and ended up with 17 points. Stanley Robinson who has been playing steadier, if not spectacular ball, had 15 points and 13boards, while Gavin Edwards ( despite getting in foul trouble) turned in his now almost insanely usual performance with 11 points( 3-4 from the field and 5-5 from the free throw line).
The win brings the Huskies to 7-8 in the Big East with three games to go. This win was huge, although the Huskies are still on the bubble. If they go 2-1 the rest of the way they are in but let's hope they do not get tripped up by a poor shooting night.
What does this impressive three game run mean. It sure looks like Kemba Walker has taken some kind of giant leap forward and is playing at a level we have all hoped for and expected all season long. He has cut down on the aimless dribbing and
turn overs, has added pull up jumpers when he drives the lane and is shooting well from the outside, including some treys. As a result he is drawing a lot of fouls and shooting extremely well from the free throw line. Dyson continues to remain the spark plug and heart and soul of the Huskies and Robinson seems to have found a steadier level of play. The unexpected pluses have been the awesome improvement of Gavin Edwards. His inside play is an impeccable combination of pin point passes and a fine shooting touch from close range. He has become very active on defense, often leaving his man to create a trap or help out in the back court. In addition, although Majok is not scoring he has become more confident and active on defense and is creating some havoc.
I may have reactivate my order for the 80" High definition TV that will be installed at the Steep Hill Dome if the Huskies make it to the Sweet Sixteen. On the other hand a couple of bad games could end it pretty quickly. Go Huskies.
" You Heard it Here First"
Steve

Huskies roll over Rutgers 76-58 to remain on the bubble

In a must win game the the UCONN Huskies buried Rutgers 76-58 to remain on the bubble for the eigth bid that will surely go to a Big East team this year. The 18 point spread was the Huskies largest of this roller coaster ride of a season. After three straight losses, the Huskies have come back with three straight Big East wins including Monday's upset of #3 ranked Villanova.
The current resurgence seems to be led by the improved play of Kemba Walker who has cut down the turnovers and begun to hit some three point field goals, the inspired play of Jerome Dyson, and the phone it in 10ppg and 8rpg of Gavin Edwards and vastly imporved foul shooring.
Dyson, once again led the scoring with 20, followed by Walker's 16(14 in the second half) and Edwards with 11. Edwards also led the Huskies with 8 boards as his confidence grows with every game.
The huskies now stand at 6-8 in conference play with four games (all conference tilts) to go. Next week will be key as the Huskies take on #8 ranked West Virginia at home on Monday and the Louisville Cardinal next Sunday. They have lost to both teams earlier in the season; a win over WVU on Monday would put them in tremendous position to salvage a bid to NCAA Tournament.

"You Heard it here first"
Steve

Huskies need win today to stay on the bubble

The UCONN Huskies badly need a win today to remain on the bubble and make a run for an invitation to the "Big Dance." At 4:00 P.M., today they take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in an away game that will be televised on SNY. UCONN goes into today's contest at 15-11(5-8 in the Big East) while Rutgers is 14-12 (4-9 in the Big East).
A win today would put the Huskies at 6-8 in the conference and I believe from there they would need to go 3-1 to reach .500 in conference play, which I believe will get them an invitation. Their final four games are against #8 ranked West Virginia and Louisville at home and Notre Dame and South Florida away. It won't be a cakewalk.
McCoombs-Daniels who made two treys against Villanova will miss today's game because of an ankle sprain sustained in practice this week.
"You Heard it Here First"
Steve

Kemba Keeps Huskies alive in 84-75 upset of Villanova

Last night in Philadelphia, Kemba Walker gave us a glimpse of what might be as he scored a career high 29 points and added 9 rebounds in the Huskies upset of #3 ranked Villanova. In a spectacular showing Walker was 6-10 from the floor and 14-16 from the charity stripe; he led a season best showing by the Huskies who shot 67% from the field and 80% at the free throw line. The rest of the scoring was provided by Dyson with 15 and Robinson and Oriakhi with 10 each. Freshman Alex Oriakhi looked more aggressive on offense last night than he has all season and affirmed my sense that he will be a very good player over time. Defensively, Jerome Dyson did an incredible job on the Wildcats star guard, Scott Reynolds when he held him to only four points in the second half.
At the post-game press conference Coach Jim Calhoun was quoted as follows "We looked like a UConn team tonight," he said. "It was a terrific win for us at a terrific time against a terrific team." While Calhoun is certainly correct how do we assess what last nights win means. A turn-around inspired by Coach Calhoun's return setting up for a table clearing late season run? An indication that Kemba Walker, who has been a disappointment all year has finally come into his own? The fan in me hopes for a "yes" but the reporter says "no"
I think that Villanova is just the type of team that allows UCONN to play their best. Like the Huskies they like to run the floor and last night's contest was played at a very fast pace requiring a minimum of half court sets by UCONN. The Wildcats are a free wheeling offensive team but not known for great defense, particularly inside which allowed Walker and Dyson to drive the lane the entire game at will. All these factors created the oppurtunity for UCONN to shoot a very uncharacteristic 67% from the floor. In their five remaining conference games the Huskies will meet more typically Big East tough defensive squads and I believe their poor shooting will do them in.
Hats off to great Husky fan Dave Allen; I think his "vigil of hope" and refusal to utter a three letter acronym for a post season tournament other than the Big Dance may have influenced last night's outcome. I would like to hear opinions from all my followers about the significance of last night's game.

"You Heard it here First"
Steve

Horror Show at the XL Centre; Cincinnatti 60-UCONN 48

I became a UCONN season ticket holder for the then Civic Center in 1988 and kept my tickets until 2001. During that time span I went to 7-8 games a year and watched as many as I could on TV. From 2002, I have followed the Huskies closely, been to several games a year and watched many on TV. I can say unequivocally that this afternoon's game was the worst performance by a Husky team I have seen in 22 years. Here's what returning coach Jim Calhoun had to say about today's game "I thought it was one of the worst performances I've had here at UConn in 24 years," said Calhoun, who had been sidelined with an undisclosed medical condition since Jan. 19. "I'm really incredibly disappointed by the performance, and I'm embarrassed by it, quite frankly."
This all came against, trust me on this one folks, a very mediocre Cincinnatti team. UCONN left the floor tied at the break in a tilt that was poorly played by both teams The Huskies were led by Stanley (first half) Robinson's 10 points. The pace was slow, exposing the Huskies horrendous half court offense. Walker made poor pass after poor pass and Dyson looked lethargic. Calhoun went right to his weird substituting pattern. Ten seconds into the game Majok, who has shown some promising flashes lately, took a bad shot and was yanked. He ended up playing eight minutes the entire game while the talentless Charled Oakwandu got about 20 minutes. About thirty seconds later Walker made a play Calhoun didn't like and he sat for the next fourteen minutes.
In the second half Robinson decided to order in Chinese Food and didn't score. The Bearcats led by 10-14 points almost all the way as they began to dominate the offensive glass and score many put backs. With 2;34 left to play the Huskies went to their full court press, forced two turnovers and narrowed the gap to six - their best stretch of the game. Why they did not start to press with 10 minutes left is beyond me. They then reverted and Cincinnatti closed it out by twelve. The Huskies were led by Walker with 14, Dyson 13 and Robinson with 10. They shot 35% from the field. I will not further analyze this game because you all know by now what I think- three players short. As I predicted Calhoun's return will have no effect on a very mediocre Husky squad.
News and Notes Speaking of Calhoun, sadly, I have to say that it was obvious to me that he is still quite depressed. He was clearly distracted at times and his body language and facial expression said "depression" I just hope that the people around him have the guts to tell him to get proper help.
I am wondering if any of the UCONN grads have been to any home games this year. Something very strange has happened to the UCONN cheerleaders who were always acrobatic and exciting. This years group does no acrobatics, their routines have been diminshed to simple boring moves. In addition, they have been largely displaced by a "pep" squad: sorry to say it but I think the criteria for the pep squad are to be unattractive and a very clumsy, slow moving dancer. Their routines are ridiculously simplistic and look like they are in slow motion. It moved my friend Ron Corwin, who was at the game with me to say "put a skirt on me and I could do a more exciting routine." In addition, the Husky Mascot no longer runs the floor and does those great headlong dives that excited the crowd but just walks around with his head down. He did seek me out at the half to have his picture taken with me. The place was a porpourri of depressing performances this afternoon.

Calhoun Returns

Coach Jim Calhoun ran yesterday's practice after being cleared to return to full coaching duties for the rest of the season. I will be at the XL Center tomorrow and see Calhoun's dramatic return to the sidelines.
While his presence will give then an energy boost I don't believe it will be enough to overcome this years Huskies fundamental flaws. I don't expect any dramatic runs down the stretch.
"You Heard it Here First"
Steve

"Good Losses" are for bad teams; Syracuse 72- UCONN 67

Here is a truism in sports; good teams win close games and bad/mediocre teams lose close games. For example look at the Yankees record last year in one run games; it was something over 90%, while the Mets probably lost 80% of their one run games. This is true in any sort you can name.
Having said that, the UCONN Huskies played their hearts out in tonight's 72-67 loss to Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. They overcame a 16 point deficit in the second half with a 14-2 run(which started when the Orange had to put their court leader Andy Rautins on the bench with his fourth foul) and tied the game at 65 on a Jerome Dyson three with less than two minutes to play. At that point Kemba Walker again demonstrated poor decision making when he took and missed a long three point attempt. Syracuse was fouled on the next possession and made 6 free throws in the last two minutes to put the game on ice. A "good loss" with little meaning. The Huskies were ultimately brought down by their poor shooting, 38% from the field and 25% from three point land. Although Dyson was sensational at times, he shot 33% from the field on 7-21 shooting.
Tonight's game was fast paced, exciting, but ultimately revealed the Huskies strengths and shortcomings. Dyson provided some very exciting moments in the paint: at 14:14 of the first half he took a pass inside and made a rim shattering dunk. At 8:28 in the first half Robinson missed a shot, Dyson got the rebound missed his follow-up, got another rebound and made a gyrating score off the glass. Wow! I continue to be disappointed in the attitude and play of Kemba Walker. He did have one stretch where he made two pull up jumpers in a row rather than over penetrate- he needs to do more of this. His decision making and passing continue to be poor. Although blow hard ESPN color man Fran Frischilla lauded Walker's pass to Dyson on a fast break in the second half "It was great the way Walker waited until the last second to deliver the ball to Dyson (who,by the way was wide open) In fact, it was a very poor pass, delivered both too late and too low. As a result Dyson had to bend to get the ball and was already under the hoop- he missed the shot, luckily he was fouled. Passes from great point guards lead the recipient into good shooting position. In addition, what is with all the chest thumping after one good play and the weird smile when he makes a mistake. In my opinion, this is the behavior of someone who is trying to demonstrate to the crowd that mistakes are unusual for him and he just laughs them off; unfortuneately, this usually goes with someone who has trouble seeing his own weaknesses and tries to cover them up- a recipe for slow learning.
Edwards continues his outstanding consistent play. tonight he had what has become a typical Edwards game 12 pts on 50% shooting from the floor. Unfortuneately, Robinson also had a typical game. He scored 14 pts in the first half including some great alley oops. In the second half he ordered out for Pizza and scored two points when it most counted. Majok continues to show some flashes of talent and aggressiveness that I believe will ultimately make him a very good player.

News and Notes- I continue to feel that SNY has far and away the best play by play and color men in College Basketball. I found ESPN's combination of John Saunders and color man Fran Frischilla lacking. Sauders looked like he needed a nap and Frischilla just makes some pretty uninformed comments. For example, " I like Blaney going more to his bench tonight- Beverley, Coombs-McDaniel and Edwards are getting some time. Fran, HELLO, this has been true all year. With the game tied at 65 Robinson fouled Jackson. Frischilla called it a good foul. Are you kidding me? the game was tied and UCONN has a great defense. In addition, that foul put Syracuse in the bonus situation- it could not havae been a worse foul.
Look for me, with my entourage, sitting behind the Cincinnatti bench in this Saturday's tilt against Cincinnatti at the Civic Center.

"You heard it here first"
Steve

Huskies Struggle to Beat last Place DePaul, 64-57

Despite being at home in cozy Gampel Pavillion, where the Huskies have been near unbeatable, they had a hard time putting the Big East Cellar dwelling DePaul blue Demons away 64-57 this past Saturday night. UCONN trailed most of the first half but then their defense stiffened as they came back to take a one point lead at the half. DePaul got off to an early lead by draining threes and shutting down Dyson's drives to the hoop. The Huskies looked awful in the half court offense and Kemba Walker continually allowed himself to get trapped creating turnovers.
In the second half the Husky defense created steals and Dyson was able to make his patented slashing drives to the hoop. Dyson went to the charity stripe 12 times and made 11, the difference in the game.
I saw nothing in this game to brighten my view of the Huskies chances of making the Big Dance. Walker's regression and slow development at this point has to be one of this season's biggest disappointments. In the plus column Gavin Edwards continues his solid and consistent play down low. In what is now a typical game for him in 23 minutes he scored 10 points and had five rebounds. What is clear now is that as Dyson goes, so go the Huskies. Their big wins have come when Dyson is able to drive the lane and put points on the board. The problem is that with all his heart, Dyson is a streaky shooter who has some very poor nights from the floor.
I received two very interesting "comment" posts from followers John Scott and Dave Allen. John, thank you for becoming a follower and for your interesting comment. Dave Allen, always has interesting things to say but I just wonder if they might be slightly influenced by the fact that he is a UCONN grad, die hard Husky Fan, and a Jim Calhoun believer.
Let's start with John's interesting comment. At this point the Huskies have to go 5-3 in their remaining 8 Big East tilts to reach .500 and have a reasonable shot at at a NCAA bid. John is confident this will happen and that one of the wins will come against Syracuse or Villanova. I agree that there could be one upset in the making, if Dyson gets hot, however I do not share John's confidence that they will reach .500 for reasons I have already expained ad infinitum. By the way a .500 record would probably put them in a tie for 8th place in the Big East. There are two precedents for 8 teams from one conference in the tournament; interestingly both times, 2006 and 2008 it was the Big East conference that sent 8 teams to the dance.
John makes a case for UCONN comfortably getting a 5 or 6 seed because he believes that their strength of schedule is #1 in the country and the selection committee does put a lot of value on schedule strength. In fact, in the two most credible strength of schedule rankers, Jeff Sagarin has them 18th and the Pomeroy poll has them 19th. That being said I do think 9-9 is the magic record for the Huskies.
Dave Allen believes that Calhoun's return will turn things around. First, as I pointed out, Calhoun is clearly suffering from Depression and it is not clear when he will return. Secondly, Calhoun is a great motivator but I do not think that he is a particularly good game coach and that his hyper-active, impulsive, anger driven substitution pattern hurts the team. Dave, I also think that motivation is not the issue- as you know I think we are 3 players short and nothing can change that.
Keep the comments rolling in and thanks to Dave and John for posting this week.
"You Heard it here First"
Steve

Next Stop Basement? Marquette 70-UCONN 68, Louisville 82- UCONN 69

In a disheartening 10 day stretch the UCONN Huskies lost 3 straight Big East games, dropped out of the top 25 in both national polls, fell to 13th out of 16th in the Big East (3-6) and made an NCAA bid a very long shot. All the losses came against lower, mid level Big East teams, which at this point in the season is very telling and in my mind erases the maybe's and ifs- what you see is what you will get in the last leg of the season. With 9 Big East games remaining the Huskies would have to go 6-3 to end up at .500 for the season and get consideration for an NCAA bid; two of the games are against 3rd and 4th nationally ranked Syracuse and Villanova.
Last Sunday, UCONN blew a three point lead with 58 seconds on the clock and lost to Marquette 70-68. Dyson led the Huskies with 18, Walker had 15, and Gavin Edwards turned in another solid performance (9 pts, 14 rebs).
On Monday the Huskies got blown out by an aggressive, 3 point shooting Louisville team 82-69. In a particularly desultory effort the Huskies trailed all the way, several times by 19 points and looked good for one brief stretch in the second half.. Dyson again led with 18, followed by Walker with 15 and Edwards with 13 points. The poor shooting Huskies shot 38% from the field and had 18 turnovers, underscoring season long problems.
At this point in the season it should be obvious to all that the three liabilities I discussed in my first blog of year, short a back up guard, no good jump shooters, and short one banger upfront continue to be the major underlying problem. Coombs-McDaniel has not supplied a much needed 3-point shooter, Donnel Beverley is a weak back up guard and Majok has shown brief flashes of his talent but is too green to contribute this year. Despite his improved play I still feel Stanley Robinson will never live up to his much heralded "potential" and as I predicted will be playing in Europe after one poor season in the NBA.
In sum my loyal followers, I recommend that you get your NIT tickets early if you want to see the Huskies in post-season play.
"You Heard it First Here"
Steve

Huskies Interior Defense Collapses in baffling 81-66 loss to Providence

Yes, the Huskies suffered a let-down after their big win over Texas against a tough Big East opponent on the road on Wednesday, however, this baffling collapse can best be explained by a total breakdown of the interior defense in the second half. Providence out rebounded UCONN 53-38 and 24-12 off the offensive glass. In the post-game interview Associate head coach George Blaney observed that the Friar's plethora of three point shooters forced the Husky back court to pick them up behind the three point arc. This allowed the Providence guards to penetrate at will in the second half causing the Husky big men to come out early, leaving open lanes for the Friar front court to crash the boards for put backs. In my mind the Huskies inconsistency keeps coming back to something I said in my very first blog this year; we are three players short, a banger inside, a reliable three point shooter ( Dyson was 4-13 on treys) and a good back up guard. With Dyson playing poorly after Saturday's career best game, Blaney had no one to put in to pick things up. With Majok completely ineffective on Wednesday, again, Blaney was left a man short up front.
This game had a very strange rhythm; UCONN started off looking good and took a 29-19 lead 14 minutes into the first half. Providence started draining threes and left the court up 36-35 at the break. With 9:16 in the game the Huskies led 58-55 and looked like they were about to take control when Providence posted 14 unanswered parts as part of a 20-3 run to salt things away. During this stretch they just ate the Huskies alive off the offensive boards.
Mid-season road loss to a tough Big East opponent or an indication that the fundamental shortcomings of this team limit their upside? Let's hear some opinions.
"You Heard it Here First"
Steve

Huskies #19 in both polls; this reporter on short list for two major awards

On the strength of last weeks two wins both polls, ESPN/Coaches and the
AP Poll, the Huskies moved up to #19 in both. If you read last nights write up of the Texas game you know that is exactly what this reporter predicted
I received another call from the National Sportwriter's Assn. last night informing me that I am now on the short list for their two major awards for the 2009/2010 season. I have been asked to plan to be at the final Four for the awards presentation.
This week the Huskies take on Providence, away, on Wednesday night and Marquette at home on Saturday. These are two unranked but perenially tough Big East Squads; if the Huskies are headed the way we hope they should win both.
"You Heard it Here First"
Steve

Jerome Roars, Stanley Soars as Huskies Topple #1 ranked Texas 88-74

In a scintillating display of "HUSKY BASKETBALL", UCONN overcame an eight point first half deficit with a thrilling second half display of pressing defense, countless steals, fast break points, and thunerderous dunks. Dyson and Walker applied intense defensive pressure and cut their own turnovers from 16 in the first half to three in the second. The Huskies had runs of 15-0, and 26-6 ,and outscored the Longhorns by 22 in the second half leading to a decisive 88-74 upset win. I can't remember the last time I was this excited by the Huskies play. The win will certainly move the Huskies back into the top 25 in both polls, possibly as high as #19.
An uninspiring first half, with 16 turnovers (6 by Walker) ended with the Longhorns up by eight. They came at UCONN in waves using 12 players (9 scored) and were pounding the boards on the offensive end. Nothing that happened in the first half suggested what was to come. At the end of the first half I was disheartened by what seemed like a regression to too much dribbling by the Husky backcourt and too many turnovers. I would love to have heard what Temporary Head Coach George Blaney said at the half to help turn things around, but the over dribbling stopped, the first passes started going inside with nice kick outs as Dyson drained 4 shots from three point land. Dyson ended up with a career high of 32 points, Walker had 19 with 10 assists and Robinson scored 17 points and had 10 rebounds. Edwards added 11 points and Ater Majok played 31 very effective minutes, scored 5 points, had 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.
Once again Blaney's calm demeanor seemed effective for the Huskies. Interestingly, he used a tight 6 man rotation, did not yank players in and out at every mistake and used Ater Majok for 31 minutes. There were so many positives in this game that we can only hope this is a real turn around rather than two good games in a row. To begin with, Dyson played at "superstar" level in this game, meaning he showed the ability to take over the game at a crucial times to insure the win. He has shown signs many times this year of jumping a level to "Superstar" so let's hope this is a permanent change. Walker showed the qualities that have led many people to think he will end up as a top five in the country point guard. His defensive quickness is amazing and when on his game he triggers the Huskies ability to push the offense up court before the defense can set-up. I have never seen Robinson come out from the opening tap so clearly ready to play. He was sensational in the first half, keeping the Huskies within striking distance. Two plays, one in each half, made me begin to reassess my concerns about his hands and athleticism. The plays were identical. Robinson started from behind the 3 point arc on the weak side; he cut hard under the basket to the strong side, went up for a pass and when he caught the ball he turned sharply 180 degress in midair resulting in layups. Wow!
The play of Gavin Edwards and Ater Majok was very encouraging. Edwards was very steady in 23 minutes, scored 11 on 3-4 shooting, presented himself well for passes down low and seems to have a good feel for finding the perimeter players in good shooting position. Majok is beginning to look like he could be a major contributor this season. In addition to his stats, he looked more comfortable on the court, fought hard for loose balls and was relentless on the offensive boards; dispite his thin frame he is a very tough customer.
If the improvement the Huskies have manifested in the last two games stick, this team may surprise some people come March. I just may order that 50" HDTV to set up at the SteepHill dome.
"You Heard it Here First"
Steve

News and notes I think that Verne Lundquist may have taken "laughing gas" before Saturday's telecast. How many times did he guffaw at the bland, inane observations of Clark Kellogg. There is a rumor that on his way up to Gampel Pavillion he stopped for a "Orthodontic consultation" at the offices of highly regarded orthodontist Dr. Joel Beaman. When I called Beaman and asked him about it by phone he sent me what looked like a computer enhanced photo of a Jack Crevalle that he claims he caught surf casting in Florida on Saturday.

Big East quiz

Do you know the team names for the 16 big East teams, i.e. Kentucky Wildcats, or Michigan Wolverines. Winner receives a prize- answers can only be submitted on blog site. Winner receives a "You Heard it here First" souvenir.
Steve





Cincinnati
Connecticut
DePaul Blue
Georgetown
Louisville
Marquette
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
Providence
Rutgers
Seton Hall
South Florida
St. John's
Syracuse
Villanova
West Virginia

By George he's got it! UCONN 75-St. John's 59

In tonights tilt at the Hartford-XL Center, with encouraging performances by the Big Three(Dyson, Walker and Robinson), the UCONN Huskies snapped a three game losing streak with a decisive 75-59 win over St. John's. In Coach Jim Calhoun's absence, due to an undisclosed medical issue, Associate Head Coach George Blaney put his stamp on the Huskies improved half-court offense evident in tonight's win. Blaney had clearly put two distinct changes in place; there was dramatically less dribbling by Walker and Dyson as both gave the ball up more frequently resulting in better passing around the perimeter. In addtion, both guards regularly made their first pass inside resulting in some nice opportunities for the big men up front, as well as some nice kick outs to the perimeter shooters. Dyson, Walker and Robinson all benefitted and were able to launch three pointers while square to the hoop. Each connected twice from three point land for a total of six three pointers, a huge improvement. Clearly Blaney had also instructed his guards to look more for Edwards inside; ironically, Edwards who has been the Huskies most consistent player all year seemed tight as a result and had a mediocre game. Nevertheless, I think continuing looks to Edwards inside will pay dividents; he has some nice inside moves and his kick out passes seem to find the perimeter shooters in good positions to spot up.
The improved half-court play resulted in some really nice plays. Early in the game Edwards found Coombs-Mcdaniel in the corner for a trey; at 4:14 of the first half Okwandu scored on a beautiful pick and roll and with 8:09 left in the game Dyson found Robby under the hoop with a beautiful look away pass and "Sticks" finished it with a dunk. Could the 91% shooting at the charity stripe resulted from a more relaxed squad under Blaney's less volatile sideline style?
The offense was led by Dyson with 21, Robinson with 18 points and 9 rebounds and Walker with 17 points and 6 assists. This Saturday the Huskies take on the #1 ranked team in the country, Texas in a non-conference game at the Gampel Pavillion. Tonights win brought the Huskies to 3-3 in league play; with their difficult strength of schedule a .500 Big East record will get them a "Dance Card" in March.

news and notes Did anyone notice the frequent references by the announcers and half time broadcast team to Calhoun's "stress", strenghtening my feeling that Calhoun is depressed.
Speaking of broadcast teams I thought that the SNY team of play by play man Bob Picozzi and color men Bob Wenzel(former coach at UWV and Rutgers), and Andy Katz did a really fine job. Picozzi is succinct and to the point and at breaks in the action
asked excellent questions leading to incisive, knowledgeable and informative comments by both Wenzel and Katz.
Well, the sun will shine tomorrow in Huskyland as things may be looking up.
"You Heard it Here First"
Steve

Expect a Husky win tonight

Despite the fact that the St.John Redmen (12-5 overall, 2-3 in the Big East) are an improving team( last two games wins over Cincinnatti and Depaul) I expect a decisive UCONN win tonight.
I think they will be extra motivated for several reasons. First the "win one for the Gipper " syndrome for Calhoun. Paradoxically, I think they will also be motivated that they can win without him. Finally, my very inside sources tell me that many of the players like the steadier, more even tempered George Blaney to the explosive Calhoun. Tune in at 7:00 PM tonight on SNY
"you heard it here first"
Steve

Is Calhoun in a Depression?

University representatives quoted Coach Calhoun's Doctors this morning. In effect, he is not dealing with any issues related to past medical issues. Of course, this could mean a new medical issue has emerged, however, I was struck by his statement after the loss to Pitt. Calhoun was quoted as saying " I am not used to coming down the stretch of a close game and not have my team take control. It is very hard for me." That statement combined with my observation is that he seemed subdued in the last two games.
He certainly has many personality traits when combined with certain stresses could cause a Depression. He has a tremedous amount of internally generated pressure to win,he is very demanding of himself, and he is a very angry man.(evident when you see him argue with refs on every call or rip into one of his players when they make a mistake) If someone like this turns their anger of themselves because they feel they are not living up you have the seeds of a Depression. If UCONN explains the leave as due to "stress" that is code of Depression.
"You heard it here first"
Steve

Calhoun to take medical leave of absence as of Today

In a startling and concerning development UCONN AD Jeff Hathaway announced that Coach Jim Calhoun will take a medical leave of absence of undetermined length effective immediately. No information was given about the reason for the leave. The very capable Associate Head Coach George Blaney will take over the position.
When I was at courtside last week and again Sunday watching the game with my son Andy, I remarked that Calhoun seemed subdued. Let's hope this is not a serious cancer recurrence; Let's all send our thought's and best wishes to Coach Calhoun for a speedy and complete recovery.

"You Heard it here first"
Steve

Ka-Boom! The sound of the Huskies dropping in the polls

In the new rankings which come out every Monday,UCONN dropped out of the top 25 in the AP poll and fell to #21 in the USA/Coaches poll. This week the Huskies take on ST. John's on Wednesday at the civic center and #1 ranked Texas on Saturday at Gampel Pavillion. Wednesday evenings game starts at 7:00 PM and will be televised on SNY; Saturdays game will be aired nationally on CBS at 4:00 PM.
Speaking of CBS don't you think they can do better for their National telecasts than the announcing duo of Verne Lundquist and Clark Kellogg. Lundquist, who has been a fine play by play guy his whole career sounds like he should think about hanging up his mike; He sounded tired and although he still made some insightful comments he did not have the energy to disagree with Kellogg's inane and uninformed comments. Kellogg reminds me of to of my least favorite sports play by play guys of all time; Joe Garagiola and Tim McCarver. Like the duo of former St. Louis Cardinal Catchers, Kellogg focuses endlessly on one point and beats it to death. I do not like the extraneous chatter and the plethora of minute, incorrect and repetitively stated points. A good example is when, with about one minute to go and UCONN down by five, Walker dribbled at the top of the key for about 10 seconds.Lundquist emphatically and correctly said "he's using too much time". When he then got fouled Kellogg said "maybe not"; the fact that he got fouled had nothing to do with the fact that he used up 12 precious and unnecessary seconds on the clock.
Thanks to the 13 fans who have signed up to be "followers of the blog"
"You heard it here first"
Steve

Oy Vay, One Trey; Michigan 68- UCONN 63

In their most desultory performance of the season the UCONN Huskies suffered their third straight loss for the first time since the end of the 2006 season, 68-63 to the unranked Michigan Wolverines. All their glaring weaknesses conspired to turn a tie game with 1:30 left to play into a six point loss. Lack of depth up front, a stultifying half court offense, poor shooting both at the charity stripe(62%) and three point land (1-11), and poor ball handling added up to this damaging loss which will likely drop the Huskies out of the top 25 in both polls.
The teams played evenly for the first three minutes until Jerome Dyson picked up his second foul and sat out the remaining 17 minutes of the first half. Without Dyson the Huskies looked lost as the Wolverines ran their disciplined motion offense and began draining threes. The teams left the floor with Michigan up nine.
One minute into the second half Manny Harris ( the Wolverines leading scorer) missed a jump shot and it came down, uncontested, into the hands of Stanley Robinson. Robinson allowed the ball to slip through his hands; the Wolverines picked up the loose ball and a lay up gave them an 11 point lead, the largest margin of the game. With Dyson and Walker pushing the offense, the Huskies went on a 16-5 run to even the score. Gavin Edwards also looked impressive during the run and ended up 6-7 from the floor with 14 points. Edwards has become a sure handed, consistent contributor up front and it is clear that the Huskies need to get him the ball more often inside. The score see-sawed to a tie with 1:30 left to play. The remainder of the game made the stomachs of all real Husky fans churn. At 1:30 to play Michigan hit a three pointer; with no reliable three point shooters, a game which should have been a one possession contest turned into a two possession game for the Huskies. This created more pressure on Walker ( 2 assists from our point guard) and Dyson to drive the lane for hoops. Dyson went into his dribbling act and lost the ball leading to a Michigan score off a fast break and a 5 point lead Sure enough, with 1:18 on the clock, Walker dribbled away 15 seconds before he committed another turn over. Miraculously, the Huskies remained in the game and Dyson was fouled-yup he missed both shots. On UCONN;s ensuing possession Robinson was fouled and threw up an air ball on his first free throw and made the second. Michigan closed it out by five.
Walker led the Huskies with 15, followed by the improving Edwards with 14 and Dyson with 13. If you re-read my very first report of the season it is all there. It pains me to have to be so critical of the Huskies who I root for passionately but in my role as reporter I cannot let this interfere with my objectivity. When I won my unprecedented third SOTY( ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and National Sports writer Associations "Sportswriter of the year Award" in 2008, the presenter George Vecsey cited my ability to remain objective as a writer and passionate as a fan as one the qualities he most admired in me. It is not easy to balance the two.

News and Notes; I would like to welcome Jason Haymond to the blog site. Jason is a graduate of Hall High school in Hartford and the University of Michigan where he gained notoriety for surviving an entire semester without the benefit of a bed. His good friend Andy Eliot described his athletic pedigree as follows.
"I'd like to introduce a new Husky fan to the blog -- Jason Haymond. Jason is a native of West Hartford CT and an avid Husky fan. In terms of his athletic history, Haymond was a standout lacrosse player at Hall High School (though it is reported that he has not exercised in any capacity since 1996). In terms of his basketball skills, he is known for having good court sense, but poor ball handling skills and an extremely awkward set shot."
sounds to me like the Huskies could use him.
"You heard it here First"
Steve

Hey Solly, where are the UCONN alum?

My nephew,the honorable and trustworthy Mr. Jeremy Sollinger called me last year to request a private meeting at an undisclosed restuarant in Connecticut. At that meeting, he requested that I admit one Dave Allen and several other UCONN graduates to the site. He swore, sealed by an exchange of blood(thereby putting his place in my inner circle of advisors at risk,SVEICA, that these fellas were HUGE UCONN fans and would be regular, isightful contributors to the site.
For your friends honor and place in SVEICA, plus the quality of the site, I would love to have you guys contribute your opinions to the site.
"You heard it here First"

We Just don't have the horses; Pitt 67- UCONN 57

You can analyze this loss any way you want but from my seat two rows behind the Pitt bench it became patently clear to me that the 2009-2010 version of the UCONN Huskies just doesn't have the horses. To wit, we are one guard short, do not have a three point shooter or even a really good jump shooter, and between Majok and Okwandu, we are very weak offensively at Center. That's 3 key players short; This team will have done extremely well if they make it to the Sweet Sixteen and I am not sure that they are not NIT bound this year.
Despite the loss, thanks to Bill Mitchell this reporter was seated two rows behind the Pitt bench. What one cannot see on TV or from further back is the awesome size of these guys and the very fast pace of the game; in addition one gets to pick up both strengths and weaknesses of the players. As far as last night's pounding from the Pitt Panthers on the Huskies home court, the problems with this year's squad were apparent.
Pitt led almost all the way except for the Huskies briefly taking two one point leads with about 6 minutes to go after a stretch of their best run of the game. Pitt's guard oriented, motion offense was impressive affording Ashton Gibbs( 19 pts) and Brad Wanamaker(19 pts) good open looks at the hoop as well as openings to drive the lane. In contrast, UCONN's stagnant half course offense was evident. Essentially, in the half court, Dyson dribbles around looking for opportunities to drive the lane; His excessive dribbling tends to induce the other players to stand around waiting to see what Dyson will do. Pitt defended against this cleverly last night by having their big, strong, Center, Gary Mcghee come out and force Dyson to give up the ball whenever he beat his first man.
The Huskies had one good seven minute run starting mid way through the second half. They increased their defensive intensity and subsequent steals and forced turnovers allowed them to move into their running game. Both Walker and Dyson turned on during this stretch and they came back from 8 down to take a one point lead. Jamie Dixon, the incredibly intense Pitt coach reinserted McGhee into the line up at this point, the pace was slowed and Pitt pulled away to win by 10. The Huskies scoring was led by Stan Robinson with 19, Dyson with 14 and Walker with 10.
Some observations from courtside;

1) Walker is playing scared. He has the goods, but has to relax, start shooting again and learn to play under better control. I would like to see him pull up in the lane more often when he penetrates rather than go air borne with no one open. His development is slower than anticipated but he will still be a very good guard. For his benefit, I hope he stays four years.

2) I know some of you think I am too hard on Stanley Robinson, but sorry folks he just doesn't have what it takes. While clearly he is a better player this year and will be important to whatever the Huskies achieve, he is, at best, a mid to late first round NBA draft choice and I predict by the end of his second season in the NBA he will be waived and no one will pick up his contract. Will probably end up playing in Europe. Why do I say that? He fools people because of his speed for his size and his great ups- he can sky. The essential problem is that he is not a good athlete; his eye-hand coordination is poor resulting in poor hands. Many passes he does not catch cleanly or misses and of most important is that he is a poor shooter. He has very little touch and feel and he will never shoot well. In addition, he moves stiffly and has no 1on1 offensive moves. When he gets the ball down low he just dribbles aimlessly and uses his jumping ability to go over the defender- this will not fly in the NBA and is only semi effective at the college level. Being close to the court I was able to see that he is poorly conditioned indicating poor work habits. He was completely winded in the second half and was gasping for air the entire time. Finally and of most importance he has no heart and when the game is tight he gets passive and does not want the ball. Once again, this happened against Pitt. 15 pts in the first half, but when the chips were on the line in the second half he scored 4 points and he got 1 that is right folks 1 rebound the entire game.
Ater Majok has abililty but is a project- he will not contribute significantly this year but will in the future.
Dyson is a very good player with plenty of heart but he can't shoot. The Huskies made one trey against Pitt and this will kill them in close games down the stretch.
In short, we are short 3 horses and nothing will change that.
"You Heard it here First"
Steve

Look for this Reporter behind the UCONN bench as Huskies take on Pitt

Through some clandestine negotiations, Jim Calhoun has arranged for me to be sitting behind the UCONN bench for tomorrow night's Big East battle between the Huskies and the 16th ranked Pitt Panthers. If you tune in to ESPN2 for tomorrow nights 7:00 PM contest, you will know what is happening when you see Calhoun leaning way back, appearing to be listening to someone in the stands. Calhoun's Questions will be relayed back to me by one of the female team managers in hand written notes.
Expect this game to be a dogfight. Pitt always gives the Huskies fits at the Civic Center and this has developed into a great rivalry. Pitt has a guard oriented offense led by Sophomore Ashton Gibbs at 17.5ppg, Bernard Wanamaker, 12 ppg and Gilbert Brown at 10ppg.
"You Heard it Here First"
Steve

Mr. Robinson leaves the neighborhood as Huskies blow 19 point lead

In a game of wild momentum swings, UCONN managed to blow a 19 point lead and drop an important Big East encounter to the 12th ranked Georgetown Hoya's. The huskies were at their pressing, fast paced best in the first half and at the break held a 15 point 40-15 lead. Dyson ran the floor well and Robinson had 3 resounding dunks as Georgetown looked lethargic. Throughout the first half Dick Vitale (who I like,) continually praised Robinson and talked about he had arrived and would go high in the NBA draft. I just held my breath thinking, let's see what happens. While I lovd Vitale's enthusiasm, I feel that for the last few seasons he has gotten lazy in his game preparation and just hooks on to one or two ideas.
As the second half unfolded it became apparent early on that Robinson was having one of his classic disappearing acts. He looked tired, his shot selection was horrendous and Georgetown started a spectacular comeback. Inexpicably, Robinson took eight threes, making only two and his three point try practically from the locker room set up Georgetown's tieing the game with 5:21 to go. Vitale commented ignorantly that Calhoun would take Robinson shooting from there every time up court. The Hoya's Junior, Austin Freeman. the best game of his career and killed the Huskies with 33 points, many from downtown. I just cannot understand how the Huskies continually allowed a player who was on fire get free time after time.
While UCONN still led by one with 1:11 to play, a steal and another hoop led to a 72-69 Hoya win.
I continue to be disappointed in the sloppy point guard play of Kemba Walker; too many turnovers and very few really good passes and he continually gets out of control when he penetrates. Please do not try to tell me Stanley Robinson has arrived; once again when the chips were down he was just not home. Once again, the Huskies shot poorly from the line, only 52%. Bright spots were the improving play of Jamal McCoombs-McDaniel and the solid play of Oriakhi and Edwards.

News and Notes

Once again, with Huskies playing poorly Coach Calhoun has approached this reporter through our mutual friend Bill Mitchell. Under the guise of attending this Wednesday's game in the front row with Bill, I will stay after the game to meet with Calhoun at an undisclosed, underground location. Obviously, this reported will have to keep the contents of that meeting confidential since I will be functioning in my other role as a Psychologist.
I am the only person who has noticed the striking facial resemblance between John Thompson III, the current Hoya coach and blog site follower John Walker.

" You heard it Here First"
Steve

Jerome Brings it Home; UCONN 71-Seton Hall 63

The UCONN Huskies went into tonight's home contest at Gampel Pavillion ranked 13th in both major polls after splitting two big East contests last week. They bounced back with a home win over Notre Dame after a tough 2 point loss on the road to the Cincinnatti Bearcats. Tonight's 71-63 win over the scrappy Pirates of Seton Hall was much closer than the score indicated. The lead changed hands several times down the stretch before Jerome Dyson took over the final minutes of the game with a spectacular show of rebounding, assists and the trademark Dyson coast to coast trips resulting in buckets off slashing drives. After sitting out much of the first half with foul trouble Dyson ended up leading the Huskies in scoring with 16 points and he added 9 rebounds and 10 assists. By the way, Dyson is the only player in the country averaging more than 20ppg, 5assists/game and 5 rebounds/game.
The Huskies sported their trademark balanced attack; in addition to Dyson's 16, Walker and Edwards added 15, Ariakhi had 12 and Robinson 10. Walked was much more in control at point and there far fewer turnovers tonight. Ariakhi again looked solid and will be the next Husky superstar and Robinson continues his consistent and sometimes spectacular play. On Saturday the Huskies go up against a tough Georgetown Hoya squad at the Verizon center in Washington, D.C. The game will be broadcast at noon on ESPN.

News and Notes- Please welcome to the site Steve Halloran, a friend of Jem Sollinger. Steve grew up in Farmington and was an outstanding HS hoops player. ( He played against Jeff Calhoun, Jim's son) He was a two sport athlete at Middlebury where he played varsity soccer and basketball. He has been a Husky fan since 1986 and we look forward to his insights.
If you haven't already done so please join the blog siteuconnhuskymania.blogspot.com. just sign in and follow the directions. If you already have a gmail account you can sign in with your current username and password.

"you heard it here first"
Steve

Join my blog site

In the future my posts will be on my newly created blog site which is uconnhuskymania.blogspot.com. All you need to do is click the link I just gave and you will be on the site. If you click on followers, and follow the directions you will be a member and be able to post comments. I would like to ask all those who enjoy the posts and would like to continue to become a follower. I want to thank Peter Eliot for creating and setting up the blog site.
Tomorrow, at the XL center in Hartford the Huskies will try to rebound from Wed. nights loss against the Irish of Notre Dame.
"You heard it here first"
Steve

Walker's poor play, missed free throws, poor shooting; Cincinatti 71-UCONN 69

Well Husky fans, I wish this were not true but this reporter is already in the running for his third career prescience award. A quote from my first post of the season ; "Of most concern is that this years Huskies shoot poorly both from the field and the charity stripe. For example, in the three point loss to Kentucky Dyson alone missed 10 free throws. Of even greater concern is that the Huskies do not have a reliable 3 point shooter, a critical ingredient in close games that go down to the wire. My one criticism of Walker, who is a great penetrator and defender is that he sometimes makes poor dish offs and there have been too many turn overs."
Countless bonehead plays by Kemba Walker in which he either over penetrated without intent or turned the ball over were extremely costly in a game which the Huskies should have won. Walker's worst play of the game came right after he hit a trey to tie the game at 69. With the Bearcats Vaughn having fouled out, everyone in the house but Walker seemed to know that Cincinnati was going to put the ball in the hands of sensational Freshman, Lance Stephenson and let him take it coast to coast. Dyson picked up Stephenson in the back court and you could see Calhoun desperately trying to get Walker's attention so he could double up on Stephenson to either slow him down or force him to give up the ball. Unfortunately, Walker was too busy grandstanding to the crowd to see Calhoun and trap Stephenson. Dyson could not contain Stephenson alone and he drove the length of the floor and got fouled with .7 seconds to go. He drained both free throws and it was lights out.
The Huskies were also bedeviled by poor shooting from the floor (38%) and from 3 point land (30%) hitting only 4 treys compared to the Bearcats 7, a nine point differential. The Huskies were led by Dyson's 24 points whose sensational, slashing drives to the hoop accounted for 24 points and Robinson's 22. Robinson continues to show signs that he may be a factor in big games this year, but we shall see.
The game was a typical, early season Big East contest; physical with a lot of sloppy and spotty play. Despite all this the Huskies lost by only 2 on the road so I wouldn't read too much into the loss. Majok is definitely a project and will have to improve during the year for the Huskies to contend seriously come March. Walker is becoming more and more concern as I see him repeating mistakes that he should be out growing by now.
A safe and happy New Year to all.
"You heard it first here"
Steve