9:30 PM – MADISON SQUARE GARDEN – NYC
#14 CONNECTICUT HUSKIES (6-1)
TV – ESPN
CONNECTICUT LEADS SERIES 1-0
RECENT MEETINGS:
3/19/2006: UCONN 87 UK 83
UK and Connecticut have just met once in the schools storied history, although it seems like we have played more than that. Having a Calipari/Calhoun matchup will bring a certain air of familarity to this game and a large amount of disdain as the coaches are not exactly good friends. Connecticut has proven to be a bigger rival in the recruiting wars than on the basketball courts but that can all change soon as both teams figure to be Sweet 16 teams this year.
Connecticut has been something of a head scratcher this year as they destroyed LSU 81-55 but had just single digit victories over William and Mary, Hofstra and Harvard. (Yes, I know Kentucky barely beat Miami OH and Stanford). The Huskies lost their one prime time matchup against Duke 78-69. The one steady of a Jim Calhoun team is good guard play and this year’s team does not disappoint there.
THE STARTERS
G- KEMBA WALKER , SO, 6’1, 172 — 15.4 ppg, 3.1 reb, 5.6 assists
G- JEROME DYSON , SR, 6’3, 181 —20.1 ppg, 5.6 reb, 5.1 assists
F – STANLEY ROBINSON – SR , 6’9, 220 — 15.4 ppg, 7.1 reb, 1.7 assists
F/C – ALEX ORIAKHI – FR, 6’9, 240 — 6.0 ppg, 9.9 reb, 0.4 assists
F/C – CHARLES OKWANDU , JR , 7’1 , 255 — 0.9 ppg, 1.9 reb
Mark my words: Kentucky will not meet a better guard tandem tonight as they will with UConn’s Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker. Dyson has simply put, been a beast this season. He is coming off a 24 point, 14 board and 9 assist game against Harvard (I know) but they guy is a triple double threat every night he steps on the floor. Walker is having a great sophomore season and it will be interesting to see how Eric Bledsoe (with a sore ankle) will fare. Walker is a very good 3-point shooter and is hitting about 55% of his shots. Dyson is not as accurate a shooter but throws lots of attempts up. One thing to note that as good as the guard seem, they both are prone to turning the ball over a good bit. The other weakness is while Dyson and Walker are very good, there is not a lot of depth at the guard position. Darius Smith and Donnell Beverly are averaging less than 2.0 a game.
For some reason, Calhoun has been starting Okwandu lately and then bringing in Senior Gavin Edwards (6’9, 230) who is having a pretty good year (11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds). Granted the presence of Robinson and Gavin gives Calhoun a pretty good tandem. They are big players and pretty good defenders and rebounders. We actually may see more Orton in the lineup tonight to counteract the Huskies size. I can see Patterson on Robinson, Cousins on Gavin and Orton on Oriakhi as UK may play a more traditional “big” lineup most of the night tonight. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel will provide some freshman depth and has decent size at 6’7. He has been wildly inconsistent this year and is averaging just 4.0 a game.
OUTLOOK
I think the starting lineup for UConn (plus Gavin) may be as gifted as what UK faced against North Carolina but once you get past those players, this is a incredibly thin team. I would think that UK may open the game and attempt to run the Huskies out of the gym much as they did against North Carolina in the first half. Another way to attack the Huskies is to have Wall and Bledsoe penetrate repeatedly and hopefully get some cheap fouls on Dyson and Walker.
I think the big men matching up will be a battle to watch as well, but there is no point overlooking the Huskies lack of depth. Even Calhoun has addressed the lack of a bench by saying “We don’t have a bench. We’re faking the bench by bringing Gavin off. We don’t have a bench right now and that’s causing problems.”
In the last game against Harvard, Dyson played 38 minutes and was worn down by the end of the game, making just 1 of 12 shots. Dyson seemed to foreshadow what can happen against Kentucky by saying “It’s definitely going to be hard when we start playing teams who have a lot of different players who can come off the bench and we’re running up and down the court every play. Teams are sending their players to the bench getting rest, and we can’t do the same.”
With that in mind, look for Kentucky to attempt an all out blitzkrieg like the one they threw at UNC, and get off to an early lead and then batter away with the big bodies and wear the Huskies into submission. At least that is what I hope will happen. I came into this prepared with an open mind of possibly giving UConn a win in NYC but when I look at the matchups and the bench, I have to give UK a 82-71 victory going away.
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