The Final Four coaches spent a few minutes on a conference call this morning with some esteemed media types (and me, too).
Plenty of the usual cliches and also some good info. Here’s a taste:
– Hasheem Thabeet’s left hand injury came as the result of a tumble.
I think it was the one where he was boxed out by a Missouri guy _ Justin Safford, I think _ with 14:47 left in the game, tried to get around, was called for a foul and fell down.
“It was self-induced. He fell on it going for a loose ball and got a pretty good size contusion,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “I don’t think by game time it should affect him.”
– Jeff Adrien has tendinitis (knee I assume, but the coach didn’t specify) and might miss practice today.
“He got a pretty good bang on Saturday,” Calhoun said.
– Huskies are the higher seed in the first national semi but are obviously going on the road to Detoit, playing Michigan State some 75 miles from its campus in East Lansing, Mich.
“We’ll have the white uniforms on. That’s the closest we’ll get to being a home team,” Calhoun said.
UConn lost twice away from home this year: at Pittsburgh and to Syracuse in six overtimes in New York.
“We were a very good road team this year and we’re going to have to be,” Calhoun said.
Michigan State’s Tom Izzo says he doesn’t think the home-court advantage will be that great.
“It really doesn’t give you more fans more of the time because of the way the tickets are,” Izzo said. “This thing is really a national tournament now.”
– Calhoun, Izzo and Roy Williams have done this before. Villanova’s Jay Wright, however, is making his first appearance in a Final Four.
“This is a special time for him, his kids, Villanova University,” Calhoun said. “I know he’s incredibly excited, as I am. This doesn’t get old, by the way.”
– Calhoun and Izzo are pretty friendly with each other. Calhoun often refers to talks with Izzo during the season.
“Every year I call him a couple times or he’ll call me,” Izzo confirmed Monday.
Said Calhoun, “I couldn’t have more respect for him. And I consider him a dear friend.”
There are limits, of course, to the friendship this week. Calhoun said he might skip a social function the night before the game.
“Just got an invitation for Coaches vs. Cancer with Lupe (Izzo’s wife) and he on Friday night,” Calhoun said. “I don’t know if we’re going to make that, either one of us.”
- Neill
