Game 28: Connecticut
Feb. 24, 2009
Something's got to give on Wednesday night at the Bradley Center.
In one corner you've got the No. 2 Connecticut Huskies, undefeated on the road this season and among the top defensive and rebounding teams in the nation.
In the other corner you've got the No. 8 Marquette Golden Eagles, the highest-scoring team in the Big East boasting the nation's fourth-longest active home winning streak.
Muscle vs. hustle. Athleticism vs. experience. Size vs. heart.
However you slice it, this should be a good one, and is undoubtedly the biggest game for the Golden Eagles since they advanced to the Final Four in 2003.
Also adding to the anticipation is the fact that No. 1 Pittsburgh was upset at Providence on Tuesday night, leaving MU in sole possession of second place.
If it can knock off UConn, it would move into a two-way tie for first place in the Big East standings with the Louisville Cardinals. The
same Louisville Cardinals who will host the Golden Eagles at 11 a.m. Sunday.
"If you’re a competitor, you love this type of stuff," said Jerel McNeal. "Ever since after the Seton Hall game I’ve just been super-excited just to play the next game, and it’s going to be like that the rest of the way out.
"That next game, it’s going to be so important, so fun, and it’s going against top-notch competition, so you can’t ask for anything more. Not to mention the fact we’re tied for first place and we’ve got a chance to come out on top of the whole thing.
"It adds a whole lot more to the excitement."
Right at the top of the to-do list for MU will be dealing with the Huskies' 7-foot-3 monster Hasheem Thabeet, who blocks an average of 4.4 shots per game and alters at least that many more.
Ideally, the Golden Eagles would like to get him into early foul trouble and force Jim Calhoun to go to his bench -- which actually isn't much deeper than MU's at this point. Such a scenario could occur, since MU is such a drive-oriented team, but it's clear the Golden Eagles will have to be selective in when they challenge Thabeet.
"You’ve got to pick and choose your spots," said Dominic James, who will pass Ousmane Barro for first place on MU's all-time games played list with his 128th.
"Obviously he’s going to try to control the paint area but at the same time we can’t allow that to dictate the way that we play our game. Obviously you want to get as many paint touches as possible, and even with him in there we can’t let him dictate what we do.
"I feel like we’re going to be just as aggressive as we are with any other big man. We’re not going to treat him any differently."
It's possible MU could also seek to try to bring Thabeet out with Lazar Hayward, who's one of the team's most reliable perimeter shooters. Doing so would probably require coach Buzz Williams to play even smaller, though, with sixth man Jimmy Butler taking the place of Dwight Burke.
Hayward, MU's top rebounder at 8.6 per game, will also undoubtedly find the sledding much tougher in the paint against Thabeet and Jeff Adrien, each of whom average over 10 rebounds per game.
"With any team the opposing matchup is probably bigger than me by I don’t know how many inches – it’s usually at least three," he said. "So I don’t think I have to do anything different, but using my quickness, using my strength and I have to fight for position really, really hard to get around those guys."
Adrien, in particular, could be a wild card. He sets the tone for the Huskies with his toughness and motor, and excels at cleaning up around the basket like Thabeet.
Hayward and Burke at the very least will need to get a body on the 6-7 Adrien at all times anywhere in the lane.
"I think he’s very key for those guys," Hayward said. "Sometimes he’s the glue guy for their team. When we watch games you can see him walking over to his teammates and making sure everybody’s keeping their head. And he’s also gotten a lot better from last year. It’s no surprise.
"He’s a big guy, and he’s a fighter. So if you don’t come in willing to fight him, he’ll attack you."
Helping MU immensely will be the absence of Jerome Dyson, the Huskies' shooting guard who's out for the year after undergoing surgery for torn cartilage in his right knee.
Dyson was UConn's toughest perimeter player, an outstanding penetrator and a ball hawk defensively. Calhoun starts junior Craig Austrie in Dyson's place, but he's more of a steady veteran than a threat.
McDonald's All-American Kemba Walker, however, is cut from the same cloth as Dyson, and can be even more disruptive defensively. He's playing big minutes off the bench of late.
UConn's starting lineup is rounded out by point guard A.J. Price, who's less than a year removed from reconstructive knee surgery, and 6-9 high flier Stanley Robinson.
Both are gifted athletically, but it's Price who carries the most weight for the Huskies as their best ball handler and top perimeter shooter with 55 three-pointers.
You can find the rest of
UConn's stats here. Adding to the storylines in this one will be UConn coach Jim Calhoun's quest for his 800th victory.
Already a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Calhoun, in his 37th year as a head coach and 23rd at UConn, is seeking to become the seventh coach in Division I history to win 800 games, joining Bob Knight (902), Dean Smith (879), Adolph Rupp (876), Jim Phelan (830), Mike Krzyzewski (825) and Eddie Sutton (804).
"I want to make sure I introduce myself to him before the game," said Williams of Calhoun. "He’s playing for win 800. I think there’s six people ahead of him in all of college basketball, all-time. I stand by what I said back then: I pale in comparison…don’t compare, to be honest with you, with a guy like Jim Calhoun.
"And not only what he’s done, but the things that he’s done for autism and cancer research. I genuinely respect what he’s about."
-- Delivered by Feed43 servicehttp://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/40266237.html
