UCONN ROMPS INTO SWEET 16

March 21, 2009

"Too big, too fast, too good."

Those were the words Texas A&M head coach Mark Turgeon used to start his post-game press conference after his Aggies were pummeled in Philadelphia by the West's top seed, Connecticut, 92-66.

With Jim Calhoun feeling better and back on the bench, UConn shot a sizzling 58% from the field and held a 39-28 rebounding advantage and cruised to the win.

"Came down to we just could not guard them," said coach Turgeon. "We couldn't guard them. We could never put anything together because we could never get a stop."

Senior AJ Price is enjoying his first taste of NCAA Tournament success, leading the Huskies with 27 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in a dominating performance.

"Price is in total control of the game," said Turgeon, still seemingly in awe of what he saw from UConn. "He's dictating the whole game out there offensively and defensively."

Price's effort was a performance that made his ailing coach feel a whole lot better as well.

"Obviously, I think the 27 points and the 8 assists for A.J. was in that special category of players that we've had who in a big time game make big time plays," coach Jim Calhoun said. "He was absolutely special for us."

Fellow senior Jeff Adrien added 23 points and 8 rebounds while Stanley Robinsin added a dozen on offense. What makes the UConn performance more impressive is that Hasheem Thabeet, the 2008-2009 co-Player of the Year in the Big East, was limited to just 20 minutes because of foul difficulties, registering just one made field goal (6 points total), 4 rebounds and 2 blocks.

"Jeff (Adrien), he's been our rock, so important for us," Calhoun said. "He was just really, really terrific tonight."

After a season of battling against the Luke Harangody's, DeJuan Blair's and other top big men in the Big East, Adrien is ready to show what Big East basketball is all about to other unsuspecting big men around the country.

"I think really our conference just prepares us to play

games like this where the physical game, it's nothing to us," Adrien said following the game. "It doesn't really match up to what we've been through during the year."

"There's no other league in the country like the Big

East. We just go out there every game and try to take each other's heads off. I'm for real when I say that."

UConn's next stop is Phoenix Stadium and the West Regional semifinals where they will take on 5th seed Purdue, who knocked off Washington on Saturday. The Huskies also marched through the West in 1999 and 2004 on their way to their two national titles, they left one opposing coach pretty certain it could happen a third time.

"I definitely think they have a chance to be a national champion," said A&M coach Turgeon.

For Jim Calhoun, it is a start and these two games have will certainly have many around the nation moving the Huskies back into a 'favorite' position. However, there is work to do and, afterall, it is only the beginning.

"Are we special yet? No," said Calhoun after the game. "Couple more wins from that. There's no guarantees in this deal. But we played two very impressive games."