BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CONNECTICUT @ PROVIDENCE

March 6, 2008


An January 17th, Providence College want into Connecticut and stunned the Huskies 77-65 on their home court. The win moved PC ahead of UConn in the Big East standings at 3-2 with their third consecutive Big East victory. Jim Calhoun's squad had lost for the third time in four games, falling to 2-3 in the Big East.

Boy, did things move in the opposite direction for both teams since that game!

Here are the local media previews and game stories on tonight's contest:

After Their Sluggish Start, the Huskies Have Pulled Together (Providence Journal)
Game Preview: UConn @ PC (Providence Journal)
AJ Not One to Forget (Hartford Courant)
UConn Has Score to Settle With Providence (Waterbury Rep-Am)
UConn Men in Mood to Fricassee Friars (Connecticut Post)

Providence has completely tanked since thier win over Connecticut. The Friars followed up their win at UConn by losing nine of their next 10 contests and falling 'below the line' for qualifying for the Big East Tournament, let alone the NCAA Tournament which was their preseason goal. PC showed some signs of life this past weekend with an overtime road victory against Cincinnati, which puts them in a tie with DePaul and St. John's for the last spot in the conference tournament.

Connecticut moved in the complete opposite direction following the loss to PC. The Huskies rattled off 10 straight wins and now sit on 12 wins in their last 13 games. They played nine of those games without Jerome Dyson, who was their leading scorer at the time of his suspension from the team. Dyson is now back, trying to re-assimilate himself in the mix. However, this is now AJ Price's team and the junior point guard has run the show nearly flawlessly for the Huskies during their run. Price has shown 100-times improvement with his feel for the game, knowing when to look for his offense, push or pull out the ball and getting the bigs involved. He also has a knack for hitting tough and important shots down the stretch.

UConn still has the muscle inside with Jeff Adrien and the intimidating Hasheem Thabeet. The Providence front line will definitely struggle scoring and rebounding against the big Huskies. Adrien and Thabeet should have their way inside, drawing fouls, controlling the boards and finishing against Randall Hanke, Jonathan Kale and Ray Hall. In their first meeting, Providence relied on the long-ball, hitting 14 of 24 from beyond the arc, led by Dwain Williams' six of nine. However, Williams, who scored 23 in the win, is lost for the season with an ankle injury and Jeff Xavier, who had 11 in the win, is slowed with a foot injury, making the Friar backcourt much less lethal. Factor in that Sharaud Curry has missed virtually the entire season and you see why PC is having problems winning in the Big East.

In their win over Cincinnati, freshman Marshon Brooks stepped up and was the hero. Tonight, it is a different ballgame and the Huskies have the edge at every position and with depth. Having the game at home would seem to help PC, but in this series, the road team dominates and that should continue tonight as the 4.5-pt road favorite Huskies look to continue their march to the postseason.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 75 Providence 65

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CONNECTICUT @ RUTGERS

February 26, 2008


Connecticut had been finding ways to win as they built a 10-game winning streak. However, on Saturday, they could not find a way to win at Villanova, who ended their streak at 10 games with a 67-65 win over the Huskies. Rutgers, on the other hand, is limping home at 2-13 in the conference, losing their last seven, including a 30-pt loss to Marquette in their last outing.

UConn is expected to get deeper with the return of Jerome Dyson, who has missed the last nine games since being suspended for a failed drug test. Here are the local media game stories and previews on tonight's contest:


Huskies Expect Adjustment Period as Dyson Returns (New London Day)
How is Dyson's Return Game? (Hartford Courant)
Dyson in the Plans for UConn Men (Connecticut Post)
Dyson Returns to Different UConn Team (Rep-Am)
Inman Focuses in his Actions, not Reactions (Star-Ledger)
Thabeet, N'Diaye Take center Stage Tonight (Courier News)
Rutgers-UConn Scouting Report (Courier News)

In his last game, Jerome Dyson scored 20 pts in UConn's thrilling 84-83 win at Cincinnati. A few days later, Dyson and teammate doug Wiggins were cited on campus with possession of alcohol as minors and had to submit drug tests. Dyson's test came back positive and he was suspended from the team for 30 days. The Huskies rallied and ran off 8 straight wins, including victories at Indiana, home against Louisville, Pittsburgh, at Syracuse and against Notre Dame. They seemed to be falling off just a bit, but doing what they needed to do to win at South Florida and home against DePaul. It all finally caught up to them against Villanova last weekend. It seems, Dyson could not be coming back at a better time.

Since Dyson has bene out of the line-up, AJ Price has taken control of the team as their leader on the floor and the source of big baskets when the game is on the line. His growth and maturation in this time has been astounding and he has become the player many expected him to be when he chose UConn as a highly coveted recruit. Also, the shortened rotation as allowed Craig Austrie to become comfortable as the full-time two-guard and that importance was never bigger than when he drove coast to coast after a USF made basket to drill the game winner with 0:00.2 to lift UConn over USF in overtime. Stanley Robinson has also shown growth in this timeframe with consistent touches on offense and playing time.

So, where will Dyson fit back into the mix. When he left, he was the etam's leading scorer and top perimeter defender. He will likely begin in a supplemental role, but the added depth might be the biggest help in the short-term. Getting his legs under him in game situations may take a little time, but he shoudl be at full speed when we hit New York City for the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

For Rutgers, it has not been a very pretty season. The offensively-challenged Scarlet Knights gave fans a glimmer of hope with wins over Villanova and on the road against Pittsburgh in mid-January, but they have not won since. Freshman guards Mike Coburn and Corey Chandler definitely look promising for the future, but their junior class continues to underwhelm in their performance. JR Inman, Jaron Griffin and Anthony Farmer were supposed to take a step forward this season, but inconsistent performances have continued to plague the trio and as a result, the Scarlet Knights struggle offensively nearly every time out. They will be challenged by UConn inside and out as Hasheem Thabeet will make it very difficult to score inside and their inconsistent perimeter touch will make life tough outside.

UConn is a 9.5-pt road favorite and Rutgers will bring a strong effort as everyone likes to take a shot at the Huskies. However, coming off a loss in their last outing and their ability to make scoring tough on opponents inside and out, I do not see RU scoring enough to keep up the pace with UConn for 40 minutes.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 71 Rutgers 59

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL @ CONNECTICUT

February 19, 2008


Connecticut looks to continue their run of winning when they return home to host DePaul Tuesday night. The Huskies have won nine games in a row, seven in the Big East to put them in position for a run at the conference's regular season title. In those nine wins, eight of them have come with the game in the balance in the last four minutes, including their thrilling OT win at South Florida on Saturday afternoon.

DePaul has lost five of six and find themselves fighting for their Big East Tournament lives as we head down the stretch. Their upcoming schedule does not do them any favors with four of their last six games on the road and home dates with West Virginia and Notre Dame mixed in.

Here are the local media's game stories and previews on tonight's game:

Past Drives UConn (Hartford Courant)
No. 13 UConn Setting Lofty Goals (Republican-American)
UConn Puts 9-Game Win Streak On Line vs. DePaul (Chicago Tribune)
UConn's Goal: Keep Winning, Play Better (Connecticut Post)

Here are two teams heading in opposite directions, but the game is very important to each team. DePaul, sitting at 5-7, is in a dogfight with Villanova and Seton Hall for the last spot in the Big East Tournament. Each team has five victories, which is just one game in front of St. John's for 14th place. Of the four teams, two will be in and two will be out of the party at Madison Square Garden.

Connecticut is 9-3 in the Big East and their three losses is the least in the conference, joined by Georgetown, Louisville and Notre Dame. These four teams have separated themselves from the middle of the pack and look to be in pretty good shape for a bye in the conference tournament.

UConn's hot streak has been without the player many expected to be their top threat this season, Jerome Dyson, who has been suspended indefinitely by the University for a positive drug test following an alcohol-related citation on the UConn campus. Since that time, AJ Price has elevated his game into consideration for Big East Player of the Year, running the team flawlessly and scoring points when needed. The role for Craig Austrie has also expanded and the new found confidence gained with that role was never more obvious than his coast to coast drive that resulted in the 14-foot floater to beat USF on Saturday with 0:00.2 left on the clock in OT.

Like all Connecticut teams of the recent past, they still are big and athletic in the frontcourt with 7'3 Hasheem Thabeet blocking and changing shots, Jeff Adrien bullying his way to double-doubles and the 6'9, long, lean and athletic wing Stanley Robinson just waiting to bust out as a top player.

After struggling throug a tough out of conference schedule, DePaul made some noise by winning three of their first four in the Big East, however, their recent struggles have pushed the Blue Demons back towards the bottom of the pack in the conference. DePaul has some impressive athletes, but consistency in ballhandling and shooting continues to plague them and prevents them from finding any solid footing in the Big East. Their freshman duo of Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal is very impressive, but against a team like UConn, they will find producing points very tough. Look for Austrie to have the assignment of guarding leading scorer Draelon Burns and making it difficult for Burns to find anything uncontested from the perimeter. Limiting Burns ability for easy baskets will force the Depaul offense to work hard for anything they get, which usually leads to the Blue Demons breaking down on offense.

UConn is a 13-pt favorite, where in many instances, Depaul can make up for their shortcoming by matching up athletically, they will be severely challenged in that end today as well.


NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 81 DePaul 65

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: NOTRE DAME @ CONNECTICUT

February 13, 2008


The feature game on the schedule tonight pits two Big East championship contenders as Notre Dame travels to Connecticut to meet the Huskies in a rematch from an early January contest. Notre Dame jumped out early on UConn in the first meeting, lost the lead, but rallied behind Kyle McAlarney's career night to earn a tough victory in their first meeting. Connecticut will look for revenge tonight...

Here are the local media game previews and stories on tonight's game:

Anonymity Getting is Getting Tougher for Irish (Journal Gazette)
Huskies Will Hound McAlarney (South Bend Tribune)
Ayers Shows He Has Something in Reserve (Chicago Tribune)
Harangody Takes Over for Irish (Hartford Courant)
Notre Dame Has Tough 1-2 Punch (Connecticut Post)
Thabeet, Price Will Be Targeted (Journal Inquirer)

Back in early January, Kyle McAlarney lit up Connecticut for 32 points in a 73-67 Notre Dame win over UConn. The Irish led by 15 points at the half (and, much more earlier in the 1st half) before UConn stormed back to take the lead. However, big baskets by McAlarney and Rob Kurz put the Irish over the top in that game.

Look for the Huskies to throw everything they can at McAalarney on the perimeter to see if anyone else can hurt them from the outside. Inside, Hasheen Thabeet was definitely in the head of Irish star Luke Harangody as Thabeet blocked 10 shots in the game and Harangody shot just 5-23 from the field. While I find it hard to beleive Harangody will have a similar shooting effor, it is a tough match-up for the Irish bruiser. Thabeets size and length, and his increasing comfort in playing physical, is likely to cause difficulties again for Harangody.

Connecticut is quite a different team from the one that came up short in South Bend. The Huskies are on an impressive winning streak where they have shown the ability to win tough games. They have also shown they can handle adversity. AJ Price has grown by leaps and bounds as the leader from the point guard position. Thabeet and Jeff Adrien are as tough as any duo in the paint and Craig Austrie has settled into the shooting guard position with the suspension of Jerome Dyson.

Except for a repeat performance by McAlarney, I feel UConn is a tough match-up for the Irish to get a win on the road. Notre Dame is playing well and confident, but the Huskies will have revenge on their minds and they are one of th efew teams that have the bodies inside to make life difficult for Harangody.

UConn is a 5.5-point favorite and their win streak should continue tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 75 Notre Dame 67

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: PITTSBURGH @ CONNECTICUT

February 2, 2008


Over the last half-dozen years or so, no game on the schedule has seemed to mean as much as one between Pittsburgh and Connecticut in the Big East conference. They have played some classic thrillers in the regular season or in Madison Square Garden in the Big East Tournament. Jim Calhoun seems to use the Pitt game as a measuring stick for the toughness of his ballclub. The Panthers seem to relish the role of battling the Big East stalwart program of the last decade or so, hoping to achieve continued success to some day take that crown.

This year promises to be no different as both teams enter the contest at 5-3 in Big East conference play. Connecticut has rebounded from a surprising home loss to Providence to win four games in a row. One of those games was a non-conference road match-up at Indiana, who was ranked in the top 10 in the country. Their latest win was a thrilled over Louisville on Monday night. Making those wins even more impressive was they did them without the services of leading scorer Jerome Dyson and 6th man Doug Wiggins as both had been suspended for possession of alcohol on the UConn campus while under 21.

Dyson has now been suspended for a mandatory 30 days by the University because he failed a drug test in the aftermath of the incident, a process that has caused an additional rift between coach Calhoun and his athletic director. Wiggins passed his drug test. Wiggins had failed one earlier this year which resulted in him being away from the program for 30 days, so another failed test would have meant a suspension for the remainder of the season. A decision has not been made public, but Wiggins did return to practice yesterday and there are signs he will be available this Saturday, but that has yet to be confirmed.

In the absence of Wiggins and Dyson, AJ Price has continued to strenghten his role of on-court leader of the Huskies and continues to mature into one of the finest players in the conference. Added responsibility in the offense for Stanley Robinson has allowed him to find comfort and produce a pair of double-doubles in the impressive wins. Jeff Adrien continues to supply energy and emotion with his trademark toughness inside and Hasheem Thabeet continues to evolve as an offensive threat while changing everyone's game plan on the offensive side.

Pittsburgh is not going to feel sorry for the Huskies being short-handed. The Panthers have already lost Mike Cook and Austin Wallace for the season and Levance Fields has missed the last nine and a half games with a broken foot. The Panthers have held things together to post a 5-3 record in conference play which includes a win against Georgetown. They have also won on the road, beating South Florida and St. John's, but a few cracks in their usual toughness and effort have been detected recently as they lost at Cincinnati and were shocked at home agianst Rutgers. In both games, freshman DeJuan Blair found himself in some foul trouble and the consistent characteristics that have personified Pitt over the years were missing. With four freshmen in the eight-man rotation that has been diced because of the injuries, the up and down nature is to be expected.

There are some match-ups that Pittsburgh will have trouble with right from the get-go, but they match-up pretty well with UConn. Sam Young and Gilbert Brown give the Panthers an extremely athletic duo at the forward position and Keith Benjamin and Ronald Ramon are a pair of steady senior gaurds who have been through it all before. An area that sticks out right away is the height differential between the 7'3 Thabeet and the 6'7 Blair in the middle. However, knowing Pitt was able to overcome that match-up while beating Georgetown gives Pitt confidence heading to the XL Center in this one.

The way the Big East has gone, once a team seems to be gaining some momentum, the BE(ast) pulls them back to the pack. Connecticut really has a chance to solidify themselves as a clear challenger in the conference with a win this weekend. However, you wonder if the Dyson/Wiggins situation, now that the unknown is settled, will allow the team to relax just a bit. While they played with an edge in their last two games, can they keep that edge sharpended for a third?

Pittsburgh will likely come in with a nothing to lose attitude, but with the confidence that they have knocked off Georgetown in a similar situation, although it was at home. The way the conference is...I wouldn't be surprised to see UConn get pulled back into the pack.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Pittsburgh 68 Connecticut 66

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: LOUISVILLE @ CONNECTICUT

January 28, 2008


The XL Center in Hartford is the site of this week's Big Monday contest as Louisville travels to Connecticut to take on the Huskies in a pivotal Big East Conference Showdown. Both teams were in action on Saturday afternoon as Louisville eased past St. John's and a short-handed UConn squad pulled off a big win on the road against Indiana.

Here are the local medial previews and stories on tonight's game:


No Rest for the Weary (New London Day)
Huskies Game Carries Weight for Cards (Louiville Courier-Journal)
Thabeet Blossoming on the Block (Courier-Journal)
U of L Faces Surging UConn (Kentucky.com)
Dyson, Wiggins Wont Play Against Cards (Courier-Journal)
Little Time to Savor Win (Hartfod Courant)
Calhoun Proud of 'Special' Win (Rep-Am)
Underage Huskies Found With Alcohol (Connecticut Post)

Connecticut has been on a roll since they lost at the XL Center to Providence College 11 days ago. Since that game they rolled past Marquette and picked up road wins over Cincinnati and now Indiana. The win over Indiana was particularly impressive as it handed Kelvin Sampson his first loss at home since becomming the Hoosiers head coach. The win also came without Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins, suspended prior to the game by UConn coach Jim Calhoun. Late Thursday night the pair was cited by UConn police for possession of alcohol by minors. They remain suspended indefinitely and will not be with the team for tonight's game.

Louisville sits at 5-2 in conference play and has won six of their last seven games overall. The lone loss was on the road to Seton Hall on January 19th. Louisville saw a 14-pt 2nd half lead evaporate in that one. Since then, they have cruised past both South Florida and St. John's and now look to make a statement in the conference that they want to be the challenger of Georgetown's lead in the Big East. So far, anyone who looks like they are positioning themselves to join the Hoyas as separating from the conference pack have been pulled back to the pack, sometimes (see Pitt) in the unlikeliest of ways.

Without Dyson and Wiggins, the Huskies become quite thin in the backcourt. AJ Price remains the starting point guard and is joined in the backcourt by Craig Austrie. Their only backcourt reserve is freshman Donnell Beverly, who was not seeing much time prior to the suspensions.

Louisville does not have much depth in the backcourt either and relies on three guards to play most of their minutes with Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith and Andre McGee. coach Rick Pitino does have a couple options with freshman Preston Knowles and walk-on Will Scott to go deeper, but often times they are used when Pitino seems exasperated with his other guards.

UConn's depth has been hit throughout the season with the transfer of Marcus Johnson earlier and now the indefinite suspenions of Dyson, their leading scorer, and Wiggins. Stanley Robinson now becomes an even more vital player and must find consistent production from the wing with a ton of potential. The inside combination of strongman Jeff Adrien and 7'3 Hasheem Thabeet is usually enough to intimidate anyone, but the Cardinals bring a talented frontline themselves with seniors David Padgett and Juan Palacios along with sophomores Derrick Caracter and Earl Clark. On the wing, Terrence Williams is the one that makes the Cards go with his all-around play.

We have seen teams band together short-handed and get a short-term lift to overcome the adversity. However, it is often tough to maintain that level. With such a quick turnaround from their trip to Indiana for a tough win and coming home to face a Louisville team that is slowly putting things together, it looks to be a tall order for the Huskies. They still have talent and they still have decent numbers on the roster, but Louisville will be coming with something to prove.

Connecticut is a slight home favorite in the early lines, but look for Louisville to be just a little too deep and to continue their defensive improvement to get a tight win on the road.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 67 Connecticut 64

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CONNECTICUT @ CINCINNATI

January 23, 2008


Connecticut will look to gain some momentum following their 89-73 victory over Marquette on Sunday. They will look to do so on the road at a place where Syracuse, Villanov and Pittsburgh all failed previously, at Cincinnati.

Here are the local media previews of the game:

UConn Takes Notice (Hartford Courant)
Seniors Put 'D' First (Cincinnati Enquirer)
UConn Faces Tough Test in Cincy (Connecticut Post)
UConn Faces Critical Road test Against Improved Bearcats (Rep-Am)


Cincinnati is definitely the surprise team of the Big East. The Bearcats have won at Louisville and also own home victories against Syracuse, Villanova and Pittsburgh. Their four league wins have been marked by excellent defense and improved work on the glass. The Bearcats have solid athleticism at every position and the veterans are meshing well with the younger talent. Mick Cronin has gotten his team to believe in the philosophy that defense wins basketball games.

Point guard Jamual Warren has been steady with the basketball and shooting guard Deonta Vaughn gives the Bearcats the offensive punch they need to pull out wins. Warren's play has solidified the point guard position freeing up Vaughn to be the scorer on the club. This is a VERY important dynamic on a team that will look to slow the pace and keep the score from getting much past 60. Inside, Adam Hrycaniuk and Anthony McClain compliment each other well in the post and John Williamson is one of the seniors who have bought in fully to the defensive and rebounding philosophy that Mick Cronin has gotten his team to accept. The wings are led by Marvin Gentry off th ebench with the threat of instant offense and starting wing Rashad Bishop, a freshman with the knack for the big play.

I think Cincinnati's early success will be put to the greatest test yet by the Connecticut Huskies. UConn got a MUCH needed win over the weekend, beating Marquette in a contest that was never close, 89-73. Coming off a heart-breaking loss at Georgetown and a bad home loss to Providence, UConn could not afford a three-game losing streak in the conference with the potential to get ugly. They played inspired on defense and dominated the boards as expected.

While UC beat Syracuse and Pitt, quality teams no doubt, neither had the deep collection of athletes of the Huskies. UConn can run, run, and run some more behind AJ Price, Jerome Dyson, Doug Wiggins and Craig Austrie in the backcourt. They have the defensive presence in Hasheem Thabeet to take away much in the paint, something the three previous victims against UC lacked and with forwards like Stanley Robinson and Jeff Adrien, they are strong, athletic and big, trumping any advantages UC had against other teams.

Cincinnati will try to keep the score down, but this might be a tall order. UConn will test the commitment to a slower pace and their athletes could exert thier talents in this contest. The home crowd will be fired up and the Bearcats will be confident, but even with their previous success, they are still a 2.5-pt underdog. Look for UConn to end Cincinnati's home winning streak in conferenc play.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 74 Cincinnati 67

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: PROVIDENCE @ CONNECTICUT

January 17, 2008



The Big East's version of the battle of New England pits two original conference members against one another at the Hatford Civic Center. Each team comes in with identical Big East records of 2-2 and the Huskies will look to end a series streak of the road team winning these match-ups.

Here are the local media previews found on the internet this morning:

UConn Eager to Put Providence Loss in Past (Connecticut Post)
Friars Another Measuring Stick for UConn Men (Waterbury Rep-Am)
Friars, Huskies Expect Usual Barn-Burner (Providence Journal)
Game Preview: PC @ UConn (Providence Journal)
Calhoun Back With Huskies (Hartford Courant)

We are just 22% into the Big East schedule, but this is a very important game for both teams. The Providence Friars always bring one of their better efforts to the table when they play Connecticut, and this trip to hartford should be no different. The Friars are 2-0 at home in conference play (beating RU, USF) and 0-2 on the road (losing to Marquette, DePaul). The Friars hit a rough patch with Sharaud Curry and Dwain Williams out, their lone point guards, and started conference play 0-2. Williams is back and gives the offense some more direction and allows a talented perimeter group including Weyinmi Efejuku, Brian McKenzie and Jeff Xavier freedom to produce points.

Where Providence can struggle is along the front line. Randall Hanke is effecient on offense when he gets the ball in position to score, but he can struggle mightily with bigger, stronger player. That is exactly what he will see tonight when matched up against Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien in the post. Geoff McDermott will battle from tip to horn, but the lack of confidence the Friars have in their post play will likely push them to play smaller and press. Unfortunately, UConn loves to see the tempo revved up and this could play into their hands as well.

The Huskies are 2-2 in Big East play. They have played three of their four games in conference play on the road, winning at Seton Hall and dropping tough games at Notre Dame, where a huge second half rally was thwarted by the Irish, and Georgetown, where Roy Hibbert hit a game-winning three-pointer in the waning seconds. Their lone home contest in league play resulted in an easy win over St. John's.

The Huskies are led offensively by the much improved AJ Price and the strong two-guard Jerome Dyson. Inside, Jeff Adrien can still bull his way to a double-double nearly every night, but improvements on offense by Hasheem Thabeet has complimented his game. They are still waiting for Stanley Robinson to use his tremendous talents to become a consistent threat offensively. Like most Husky squads under Jim Calhoun, this rendition is athletic, tall and loves to push the tempo. They can still hit some rough patches, but this year, led by Price, they do not have droughts for as long of periods of time on offense as the execution has improves. Defensively, the effort is improving each time out and the team keeps improving.

Connecticut still lacks a 'big win' on the season, and a home game against Providence would hardly qualify as such at season's end, but the Huskies need to win all of their games like this. The Friars are in need of a big win and road wins in general for them to make an argument for inclusion in the Field of 65 this March.

This seems like a game that Connecticut will try to make a statement in. After the sting of a disappointing loss at Georgetown and with the return from illness of Jim Calhoun, look for the Huskies, as 9-pt favorites, to put things together tonight and flex some muscles.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 82 Providence 69

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CONNECTICUT @ GEORGETOWN

January 12, 2008


A classic Big East battle commences at the MCI Center on Saturday afternnon when Georgetown hosts the Connecticut Huskies. The Hoyas are 2-0 in the conference, cruising past both DePaul and Rutgers on the road, now they return home to host a UConn team looking to make a statement.

Here are the local media previews on the contest:

Hoyas on the Rebound (Washington Times)
Hoyas Swap Places with Connecticut (Washington Post)
Chance to Send Instant Message (Hartford Courant)
Thabeet Eager for Hibbert, Georgetown (Connecticut Post)

The Huskies have opened conference play with wins over Seton Hall and St. John's which bookend a loss to Notre Dame. Against the Irish, UConn found themselves down 19 at the half and rallied to take a 2nd half lead, but the Irish made big plays down the stretch to save the win.

The Hoyas have a little bit of everything, with 7'2 ROy Hibbert nearly matching the height of UConn's 7'3 Hasheem Thabeet. Patrick Ewing Jr and Vernon Macklin also add size and athletic ability to the mix. Multi-dimensional Dajuan Summers plays both forward spots and cool and steady lead guard Jonathan Wallace adds experience and dead-eye shooting to the Hoya mix.

Georgetown also has another element this season with freshmen Austin Freeman and Chris Wright joining junior Jesse Sapp as players who can excelt in the open court as well. If UConn is successful in pushin tempo, Georgetown adds more weapons to their traditional Princeton-style attack.

The patience and high effeciency execution that trademarks Georgetown is a touch match-up for UConn, especially this group that is still coming together as a team. The Huskies tend to lose focus at times, but their improvement has been steady and Jim Calhoun has been harping on 40-minutes of effort from this squad. The Huskies like to play fast and Georgetown is very good at preventing teams from playing at their preferred tempo.

For UConn to win this game, AJ Price is going to have to be at his very best, especially when the game slows down and UConn is forced to play in the halfcourt. Price will need to get the big men in position to score. Despite several exceptional athletes, UConn does have trouble with players being able to create their own offense in a halfcourt setting. Outside of Price and Jerome Dyson, the rest in the regular line-up are much more capable in transition or picking up baskets on the offensive glass. The presence of Hibbert will limit the advantage that Thabeet has over most teams. The Hoya depth should also be able to battle Jeff Adrien in the paint and Georgetown's experience migh be a stiff challenge for Stanley Robinson.

This should be a great learning tool for Connecticut as they still have to learn to fight through a game against a good opponent that will force them to play out of their element. I think the Huskies match-up well, but until they have road success playing teams of a different style, I am going to wait on them before predicting they spring an upset.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 76 UConn 68

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: ST. JOHN'S @ CONNECTICUT

January 8, 2008


Connecticut and St. John's enter tonight's Big East contest both at 1-1 in conference play. The Redstorm split last week with a loss at Syracuse and a home win over Cincinnati. The Huskies earned a road win ovr Seton Hall before dropping a tough one at Notre Dame.

UConn has the advantage in this game in nearly every category, but the Redstorm will scrap and claw on the defensive end for the full forty minutes. They will have to find the right combination of scoring inside and out to keep pace with the high octane Huskies, so look for them to try to slow the pace down and force the game to be played in a halfcourt setting.

The Huskies want to run, run and run some more. AJ Price and Jerome Dyson are a guard combination that fits that style of play really well. Their size, strength and athletic ability in the frontcourt will be tough to match for the Redstorm.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 80 St. John's 64

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CONNECTICUT @ NOTRE DAME

January 5, 2007


Capping off our first Saturday of conference action will be Notre Dame and Connecticut in what should be a very good game in a great atmosphere on the Notre Dame campus in South Bend. Both teams did what they had to in their opening conference games and now they will try to put a stamp on their contending status in the first week of play.

Connecticut earned a road win with a 98-86 win at Seton Hall behind Jerome Dyson's 27 points. Unlike against Seton Hall, the Huskies will have to contend with an inside horse that will put some pressure on the UConn bigs around the basket.

Notre Dame held serve at home with an impressive win over West Virginia Thursday night. Luke Harangody dominated the paint against WVU with a 29-pt, 16-rebound performance. He will find the competition stronger (in Jeff Adrien) and taller (in Hasheem Thabeet) against Connecticut than he did against the Mountaineers.

For the Irish, they will need to take better care of the basketball. Against WVU, Tory Jackson did score 12 points, but turned the ball over 6 times in 24 minutes. The Irish had 20 turnovers as a team. Kyle McAlarney did a better job distributing and taking care of the ball, but against UConn they will need him to be able to make shots as a beneficiary of Jackson's ability to break down the defense. The UConn guards, Dyson and AJ Price, are capable of putting a lot of pressure on the ball defensively, so this is a match-up to watch.

For Connecticut, they need to stay in control. Jim Calhoun wants his team to push, push, push on offense, but against SHU they seemed to get into a contest where they were more concerned about running and forgot to play defense. Notre Dame will unliekly be able to turn the game into such a ragged affair, but Connecticut also needs to realize where their advantages are and try to go to the boards and score inside.

Notre Dame needs to be dialed in from 3-pt range in this game. McAlarney, Ryan Ayers and Rob Kurz all hit the long ball at a very high percentage and they will need to be knocking them down to draw the Husky defenders out of th elane to isolate Harangody inside. Harangody uses excellent foot work and technique inside that he could find the Huskies in foul trouble if he is given space to operate. But, if ND is not making UConn come out of the paint, Harangody could struggle against the bigger Huskies.

I am not sure why, but I see Connecticut stealing a game on the road in this one. I just think their size inside is going to make things very tough on Harangody and they have enough athleticism to cover the 3-pt shooters of the Irish. It probably will come down to the last few possessions, so the maturation of the Huskies will dtermine if they can win this or lose it. I am thinking they have enough improvement to come up with an impressive win against a good Notre Dame team.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 80 Notre Dame 78

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: UCONN @ SETON HALL

January 3, 2007


An intriguing contest at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ as Connecticut makes the trek to battle Seton Hall. We should learn a lot about each team from this game as the local media beat writers are also anxiously waiting to gain new insight on each club:


Time to Turn it Up a Notch (New London Day)
Time to Turn it Up (Hartford Courant)
UConn Trying to Shed Travelling Blues (Connecticut Post)
UConn Men Hit Road for Big East Opener (Waterbury Rep-Am)
Seton Hall a Mystery (Star-Ledger)
Pirates' Davis Makes the Grade (Courier News)
Seton Hall-UConn Scouting Report (Courier News)


This will be a game to see how much better Connecticut is this year compared to last. A year ago, the UConn season came undone quickly once leage play started and they had to hit the road, an experience very new to their young squad. Thsi year, they have played a few games out of Connecticut and tuned up with a true road game against Central Florida last week.

Seton Hall prefers to play a frantic style of basketball that will try to force quick decisions upon their opponents. Last year, UConn made bad decisions throughout their conference games and once adversity set in, those decisions snowballed and the had some LONG offensive droughts.

This year, they are hoping that AJ Price has taken control of the ship as the point guard. Last year they appeared rudderless too often. Price is averaging 12.6 PPG and has an assist to turnover ratio of greater than three to one. He is showing to be much more effecient with the basketball and becoming the floor leader they lacked last season.

UConn has a decided height advantage and they do not lose any athletic ability with the enourmous frontline of Stanley Robinson (12 PPG, 6 rebounds), Jeff Adrien (13 pts and 9 rebounds/game) and Hasheem Thabeet (10.5 PPG, 8 rebounds and 3.5 blks a contest). On the wing, one of the best all around guards in the Big East, Jerome Dyson (15 PPG), is also a tough match-up.

The Huskies like to run, run and run some more. Jim Calhoun will plead his troops to push the ball at every opportunity, but they also must realize when it is not there to be patient and take advantage of the huge height disparity between the two teams and work that to their advantage.

Seton Hall is a team that is tough to figure. You know they are going to come out and fly all over the court. What they need more of is controlled chaos in their Big East contests as too often their game resembled chaos. When your playing Robert Morris or James Madison and needing to come back from a 20-pt defecit, that might work, but in the Big East, the opponents will take advantage of that situation.

The Pirates really struggle in the halfcourt game. That might not be too much of an issue tonight as the game is expected to be played at an exciting pace. The Pirates best offense is usually generated from their defense and they will try and pressure the UConn guards from tip to horn tonight. Their hope is that the Huskies are still not ready to manage the game to their strengths and they get caught up in the frantic pace of the action.

The biggest challenges for SHU will be converting offensively against the athletic and much taller Huskies. Eugene Harvey (17.4 PPG) likes to drive to the rim and 6'5Brian Laing (20.5) does most of his work in the vicinity of the paint playing as the Pirates power forward, those two will have a tough time scoring over Thabeet and Adrien. Harvey does a remarkable job of drawing fouls and getting to the line, but playing guards more closely resembling his strength and quickness in this contest could make that a more difficult chore.

After the big two, Seton Hall will have to find someone to be a consistent threat. Freshman Jeremy Hazell is a deep threat and Jamar Nutter has been through these games many times before. Paul Gause will generate his offense through his defensive prowess, but the new Pirate frontline is really going to be under the spotlight as John Garcia, Augustine Okosun and Mike Davis will face their biggst challenge of their careers.

I find this a very difficult match-up for the Pirates, and if UConn takes care of the ball, the Pirates will have a long night on their home court.

The oddsmakers still are a little worrisome of the Huskies recent road woes, making them a slight 2-pt favorite. I think SHU will make a spirited effort, but they will come up short and the Huskies will make it 21 of 23 against the Pirates in the series.


NBE Blogger Prediction: UConn 89 Seton Hall 77

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