UConn sports

After a stop in New York for the holiday our whirlwind tour continues in bucolic East Hartford.

Getting ready for UConn-Syracuse here at the Rent. One day after watching one Duke point guard (Jon Scheyer) beat the Huskies, we’re waiting to see if another (Greg Paulus) can make it a double.

– It looks like UConn OG Erik Kuraczea is going to give it a go. His “lower leg injury” as coach Randy Edsall referred to it doesn’t seem to have kept him off the field.

That doesn’t mean Kuraczea will start, however.

Mathieu Olivier is working with the starters and should get the call. Olivier, who began the season as the starter at right guard, played well last week at Notre Dame in relief of Kuraczea.

– Before every game, as their respective teams warm up, the head coaches usually meet near midfield for a brief pre-game chat. Obviously if there is any bad blood or a current feud going on, the meetings are brief or non-existent.

Saturday, however, the chat between Edsall and Syracuse’s Doug Marrone went into overtime.

The two men are obviously friends, as they not only share a profession but an alma mater.

When Marrone was an offensive lineman at Syracuse (1983-85), Edsall was a young assistant coach with the Orange.

Edsall coached the Syracuse running backs in ’83 and ’84, and coached the tight ends in ’85. It’s likely he and Marrone shared more than just a quick chat back in those days.

– I have to be careful about reading too much into the pregame looks UConn puts on the field during warm-ups. A few weeks ago I think I wrote that WR Mike Lang appeared to be getting a few more reps than normal and surmised that he might play a little more.

That was way off, of course. Still, I can’t help myself from guessing.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Kelmetrus “Meme” Wylie gets an offensive snap or two today.

- Neill

About to leave the Garden after Duke 68, UConn 59 and wanted to share a few notes before hitting the highways and byways:

– It was Duke’s first win over UConn since the 1991 NCAA Tournament and it snapped a four-game losing streak by the Blue Devils in the series.

– In the first-ever matchup of coaches with at least 800 wins, Mike Krzyzewski bested Jim Calhoun.

– UConn (stop me if you’ve heard this one before) was dominated on the boards. Duke pulled down 56 rebounds and UConn 43.

So why did UConn lose the rebound battle?

“They banged us inside, and you’ve got a choice: you bang back and get the ball, or get banged,” Calhoun said.

The Huskies, it seems, got banged.

– UConn couldn’t make a free throw (15-of-28) and it made exactly two _ TWO_ jump shots.

Kemba Walker hit about a 13- or 14-footer about a minute into the game and Gavin Edwards made a 17- or 18-footer with 14:36 left in the first half.

That’s it.

Now, the Huskies did have a quickness edge and if they had finished a few more plays around the basket after driving….well….no, they still would have lost.

– A fun stat: It’s the first time Duke has won a game by shooting less than 30 percent since 1950.

It’s the first time UConn has lost a game when holding an opponent to less than 30 percent since March 8, 1991, when it lost to Georgetown 68-49 in the Big East Tournament.

The Hoyas won that day because they made 39 trips to the foul line (and made 32 of them). Alonzo Mourning was 15-of-16 from the line. Dikembe Mutombo had 27 rebounds.

– Calhoun was probably thinking of that game when he said:

“The last time we gave up 25 offensive rebounds was against Georgetown with Alonzo and Mutumbo,” Calhoun said.

Well, actually it was last season against Providence (a game the Huskies won big) but Calhoun was in the right neighborhood.

– I really hate it when reporters ask questions about what other reporters (or media idiots of some sort) said about a coach or player. I mean A) Who cares what they say? And B) Come up with your own original thought or question!

This one was kind of funny, though.

A questioner after the game told Krzyzewski that ESPN’s Doug Gotleib called Duke “alarmingly un-athletic” and asked if his team’s performance answered that statement.

“Well, he should be an expert on alarmingly un-athletic,” Krzyzewski said with a smile of the former Notre Dame and Oklahoma State guard.

“So I’ll have to take a look at that a little bit closer,” Krzyzewski said. “Because if it comes from an expert who actually knows what it feels like to be alarmingly non-athletic…”

The coach then said what was pretty apparent.

“Actually we’re pretty athletic, we’re just as athletic as Connecticut,” Krzyzewski said.

– Jerome Dyson on his 3-for-9 effort from the free throw line:

– Dyson was also asked (by some intelligent former Post staffer who is now a Post staffer…try to figure that one out) if he thought the Huskies missed an opportunity to make a statement a la Syracuse from a week ago.

Dyson said no.

“I feel like we’re right up there with the rest of the teams,” Dyson said. “Our team, we still feel confident that we’re one of the best teams out there also.”

- Neill

Duke 37, UConn 28 at the half.

A good start but a putrid final four-plus minutes for the Huskies.

UConn went three minutes and 3:46 without a point down the stretch of the first half.

- Neill

Greetings from Madison Square Garden and the finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Arizona State just dusted LSU 71-52 in the consolation game.

LSU was actually ahead 34-27 at the half, but was outscored an ungodly 44-18 in the second half.

LSU made just five shots (5-of-25) in the second half. Meanwhile Arizona State shot 68.2 percent in the second half and 61 percent for the game.

Now it’s time for Huskies and Blue Devils. Buckle up!

- Neill

Some UConn football news for you to chew on before/after your turkey.

– No new injuries to speak of, according to coach Randy Edsall.

The only player who remains a question mark is G Erik Kuraczea, and he’s probable with a leg injury.

If for some reason Kuraczea can’t go, Mathieu Olivier played pretty well last week in his spot and probably will again.

“No question,” Edsall said. “He’s played before and he did a good job last week when he went in.”

Kuraczea did practice this week and it looks like he’ll play.

– The Huskies, those who are close enough to drive, left campus after Thursday morning’s practice.

“I think it was like the Indianapolis 500 out of here,” Edsall joked.

For those who couldn’t make it home, the team had a Thanksgiving meal at their facilities building.

“They’re in now gobbling down the pumpkin pie, the stuffing, the turkey, and all the trimmings,” Edsall said.

The players are due back on campus tonight, however, as it is a regular game week.

“They’ve got an 11 o’clock curfew,” Edsall said.

– No changes to the depth chart this week, Edsall said.

“What you see is what you get. No surprises,” he said.

– K Dave Teggart has been good in practice, the coach says.

Of course, Teggart has been good in practice for much of the year but he’s still missed a few critical kicks.

- Neill

Trying to sneak out of the Garden and get back to Connecticut in time for some turkey at aunt Sharon’s and uncle Bruce’s. Before that, however, let’s talk some turkey:

UConn 81, LSU 55

A pretty impressive score and a pretty impressive performance by the Huskies.

“It was a breakout game,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “It was the first time I saw ‘Connecticut’ play this year in a regular season game.”

– PF Gavin Edwards didn’t start but played his best game of the year (career?) with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Calhoun joked after the game that Edwards should get used to coming off the bench.

“It doesn’t bother me if I can play like that,” Edwards said.

– SF Stanley Robinson was very good with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He also had a nice drive to the basket from the top of the key on the old UConn thumbs-down, clear-out play.

The play isn’t often run for UConn’s forwards. Usually it’s for one of the guards.

“The shot clock was running down and I needed to prove to them I could do it,” Robinson said.

Prove to who?

“Myself, LSU, everyone,” Robinson said with a smile.

– UConn rebounded very well, beating LSU on the boards 49-36. Calhoun took some of the blame for the Huskies’ early struggles and said he did more teaching this week.

“When we went through box-out drills early they were nothing except ‘Who’s the toughest guy?’ ” Calhoun said. “But we went back to an awful lot more technique…and then ‘Who’s the toughest guy?’ ”

– C Charles Okwandu started and didn’t embarrass himself. Quite the opposite.

“He gave us a good game tonight. He gave us a physical presence,” Calhoun said. “At 7-feet, 260-pounds he gave us a physical presence. He got a couple nice big rebounds, set some very good screens.”

– G Donnell Beverly was pretty good in short minutes again, tossing in four points, three assists and two steals.

“He’s our most poised player at times,” Calhoun said.

- Neill

UConn 45, LSU 29 at the break.

Press looks good, rebounding is much better (maybe still not great, but much better.)

Three Huskies are in double figures already. Stanley Robinson has 12, Kemba Walker 12 and Gavin Edwards 10 (he may not start another game this season if he plays like this off the bench).

And Charles Okwandu has provided some pretty good minutes. A block, a couple rebounds. He’s held his own, though two early fouls have limited his time on the court.

LSU’s top gun, guard Bo Spencer, is 2-of-11 with three turnovers.

- Neill

If I didn’t see it, I wouldn’t have believed it.

Charles Okwandu is UConn’s starting center this evening. We’ll see how long he lasts.

Rashamel Jones, Tate George and Oliver Macklin are among the former Huskies in attendance.

- Neill