AP Photo/Nick Wass

By Paul Gotham

Setting: Hot times tonight in the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center when Jim Calhoun and his Connecticut Huskies (17-12/ 7-9) come a calling for a Big East battle with Mike Brey’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish (19-10/ 8-8).

Plot: A first round bye is at stake. The Irish possess eighth place and the final bye for the upcoming conference tournament. UConn is lurking in tenth.

Sub-plot: Notre Dame continues to play and win without former Big East player-of-the year, Luke Harangody. UConn recently experienced a resurgence when their long-time coach returned from a medical leave of absence.

Flashback: UConn downed Notre Dame, 82-70 earlier this season. Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker both had double-doubles in the victory. Dyson scored 20 to go with 10 assists. Walker also dished out 10 assists and scored 11. Stanley Robinson led the way with 22. After taking the last four head-to-head match-ups,  UConn leads the series 16-6. Notre Dame has won five of nine at South Bend.

Notre Dame has made 29 appearances in the NCAA Tournament – five under Mike Brey. Likewise, UConn has danced 29 times, including a pair of national titles in 1999 and 2004.

Foreshadowing: Forty-nine Fightin’ Irish have graduated to the N.B.A., including current players Matt Carroll, Troy Murphy and  Chris Quinn. Twenty-nine Huskies have laced them up in the Association with the current list including: Ray Allen, Hilton Armstrong, Josh Boone, Caron Butler, Rudy Gay, Ben Gordon, Richard Hamilton, Emeka Okafor, Kevin Ollie, A.J. Price, Hasheem Thabeet, Charlie Villanueva, and Marcus Williams.

Conflict: Notre Dame is coming off a week where they won two games over ranked opponents shooting just under 50 percent (51-104) from the field. UConn limits opponents to 38.7 percent. UConn’s recipe is not a new one. The Huskies have held opponents under 40 percent since the 1995-96 campaign. Once again, UConn is near the top of blocked shots in the nation at 7.9. UConn’s bigs have led the nation eight years running.

The Irish will need to pick their spots carefully. Notre Dame has decreased their number of shots the last two games. This indicates plenty of ball movement and switching sides of the floor. The Irish will need to continue this pattern. Trying to penetrate into the teeth of UConn’s defense without any ball reversal will serve as an exercise of frustration.

Ben Hansbrough and Tory Jackson combine for an assist to turnover ratio of 2.7:1. Jackson gets into the paint from the top of the key. Hansbrough drives the baseline well and sees the floor for kick outs. The two average over 20 points together. Hansbrough hit three threes in ND’s recent win over Georgetown. A similar result tonight would open up the Husky defense and create lanes.

Tim Abromaitis is third in the nation from long range hitting over 47 percent from behind the arc. The junior struggled against Georgetown (1-9). Returning to familiar confines should help his cause.

Tyrone Nash and Carleton Scott grab just under 10 rebounds a game. They will be called on to do that and then some. The Irish front court will need to stay active on the glass. With the Huskies swatting everything that flies in the paint, Nash and Scott will need to gather what opportunities they can to put points on the board.

Jonathan Peoples and Jack Cooley give the Irish valuable minutes off the bench.

Jerome Dyson leads four Huskies in double figures with 18 and a half. Dyson can hurt an opponent in a variety of ways. He is not afraid to shoot from long range hitting 30 percent (37-122). He does the bulk of his damage inside the arc driving to the basket and getting contact and finishing.

Stanley Robinson averages over 15 points and slightly less than eight rebounds. Robinson is the heart and soul of the Husky lineup.

As a team, the Huskies have made 754 trips to the free throw line. In comparison, the Irish have only taken 642 from the charity stripe. The Huskies thrive on contact and Kemba Walker leads the way making 141 free throws. Walker averages over five assists and almost 15 points.

Gavin Edwards and Alex Oriakhi add 16 points and almost 14 boards. The two combine for four blocks a contest.

Resolution: After getting a boost from Calhoun’s return, UConn came back to reality losing at home against Louisville. Notre Dame shot well in their last two games, but the Irish also out-rebounded  Pitt (31-21) and Georgetown (26-15). This trend will need to continue if ND wants to be successful. UConn will not make it easy though. The Huskies have a rebound margin of +3.4.

Notre Dame is at home which bodes well for their outside shooting. Their best defense will be their offense tonight as the Irish play ball control and minimize UConn’s chances. Notre Dame makes it three in a row over Big East rivals.

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By Paul Gotham

Setting: The corner of 7th Avenue and 32nd Street will be hopping this evening when the Duke Blue Devils (5-0) take on the University of Connecticut Huskies (4-0) in the finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Plot: For the first time in NCAA history coaches with 800 or more victories do battle when Mike Krzyzewski (838) and Jim Calhoun (809) square off.

Flashback: The teams have split 4-4 all time with UConn taking the last four. When these two teams get together, there is usually quite a bit at stake. Christian Laettner’s buzzer-beater was the difference when Duke advanced in the 1990 East Regional. Khalid El-Amin and the Huskies “shocked the world” when they downed the Blue Devils in 1999 NCAA Finals. Last meeting, UConn beat Duke, 79-78 in the 2004 National Semi-Finals. Duke has won the NIT Tip Off in 1985, 2000, and 2005.

Sub-plots: UConn has led the nation in blocked shots for the last eight years. This year is no different. The Huskies have blocked 10.3 shots per game. On the other hand, Duke has made the transition on offense from a dribble penetration team to perimeter motion. Duke will need to convert outside the paint to neutralize UConn’s inside talents.

Conflict: Kyle Singler vs. Stanley Robinson.   or Finesse vs. Brawn.  Singler is a versatile offensive player. He can score inside and outside. Singler can knock down a three pointer one possession and on the next trip take his man in the post and play with his back to the basket.  Singler has done all that and more but not against a player like Robinson. The Husky forward knows no fear and does not seek style points. At 6’9″, Robinson has defended bigger forwards and smaller guards.

Characters: Jon Scheyer has committed just two turnovers while dishing out 27 assists in 171 minutes played this year. 18-year-old Andre Dawkins leads the Devils in 3pt. efficiency – 48.3% (14 of 29). Can these guys continue this success against UConn’s pressure. Nolan Smith moved from point guard to shooting guard and has averaged 19.3 over his last three games.

Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker provide UConn’s offensive punch from the outside. Dyson averages 20 ppg thus far including 6 of 20 from long range. Walker is scoring 16 ppg adding 6 of 11 from the three-point arc. Alex Oriakhi pulls down over 10 rebounds per game.

Resolution: If Duke is to win, the Blue Devils will need to hit over 50% from the field. The Huskies will give the Devils few, if any, second-chance opportunities. Many of Duke’s offensive rebounds will contribute to UConn’s staggering amount of blocked shots. UConn will need to take care of the ball and not give Duke easy buckets off steals.

1st Team All-Casey

PG – Sherron Collins/Kansas

SG – Elliot Williams / Memphis

SF – Wesley Johnson/Syracuse

PF – Jason Love / Xavier

C – Larry Sanders / VCU

‘08 – ’09 Results: 31 – 5 (15 -3 Big East) Lost in the Final Four to Michigan State, 82 – 73.

Coach: Jim Calhoun  557 – 205 (23 years at UConn) 805 – 342 overall (37 seasons)

Key Returners:

Gavin Edwards – 3.8ppg, 3.0rpg

Stanley Robinson – 8.5ppg, 5.9rpg

Jerome Dyson – 13.2ppg, 4.1rpg

Kemba Walker – 8.9ppg, 3.5rpg

Notable Non-Conference Tilts: 12/9 vs. Kentucky, 12/30 at Cincinnati, 1/17 at Michigan, 1/23 vs. Texas

Stat of Identity: 37.7% field goal percentage – third in the nation.

By Paul Gotham

The more things change; the more things stay the same. Sounds complicated, but in Storrs, Connecticut, it’s a way of life. The names on the backs of the jerseys may change every so often, but the way the Huskies play basketball remains the same – rebounding, playing defense, and making the opponent work for everything they get. That is how Jim Calhoun-coached teams play.

Only the Huskies could overcome the loss of Jerome Dyson for the last twelve games of the 2008-09 season. Many programs would have faltered when losing a player of Dyson’s ability. Instead, the Huskies regrouped and made a run to the Final Four.

Last year’s recipe was a familiar one: making it hard for teams to score – 37.7% from the field. UConn accomplished this playing in the deepest conference in the land. UConn also ranked third in rebound margin (8.9) and number one in blocked shots (7.8).

Gone are Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien, and A.J. Price, but don’t count out the Huskies. If you go back through the years, the Huskies always get it done the same way.

When Dyson went down, Kemba Walker took his spot. Walker responded with a 23-point performance against Missouri in the Elite Eight. Walker and Dyson will have to make up for the loss of Price’s three-point shooting.

Alex Oriakhi and Gavin Edwards may not block as many shots as Thabeet, but combined the two will swat more than their fair share. Stanley Robinson made a name for himself in last year’s tournament averaging 17ppg and 9rpg over the Huskies final six contests. With a full season, Robinson could establish himself as one of the top ten players in the country.

Seven footer, Charles Okwandu will come off the bench along with four freshmen: Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, Ater Majok, Darius Smith, and Jamal Trice.

Twelve former Huskies earn paychecks in the NBA. UConn ranks third with North Carolina in this category.