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.