Today’s number is….22.
Yes, the final score was Louisville 78, UConn 76.
But the win snapped the Huskies’ 22-game win streak in Gampel Pavilion. Oh, and there was that other 22.
– 22 turnovers Sunday. 40 in two games this season against Louisville.
Wow.
Jerome Dyson had six of them and Stanley Robinson five.
“Between me and Jerome Dyson I think we turned the ball over the most. There’s no excuse for that. We just ended up turning the ball over,” Robinson said. “Just blame us.”
UConn coach Jim Calhoun hinted that both would have been yanked if he had any other options.
“It’s tough when you look down our bench and under normal circumstances those guys on some of the plays they make, they should be pulled out,” Calhoun said. “You can’t keep throwing the ball to the other team. It’s just a bad thing to do.”
– Actually Dyson said he thought he was playing pretty well before he was yanked early in the second half and forced to sit on the bench for a spell.
– Despite the loss Kemba Walker is still scoring in bunches. He had 28 Sunday, giving him 94 over the last four games.
Walker is 41-of-46 from the free throw line in those four games.
– Sunday’s game was the first UConn lost this season when scoring at least 70 points (15-1).
– Sunday was UConn’s first loss in Gampel Pavilion since Feb. 28, 2007, a 78-74 Senior Day defeat to Villanova.
The Huskies had won 22 straight here since then.
– Edgar Sosa’s driving layup with 8.2 seconds left was the difference on the scoreboard.
“It was a double screen high and Edgar decides what he wants to do,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said of the play call. “He did the right thing.”
– After the hoop Calhoun decided not to call timeout.
“No. I really felt that with eight seconds left on the clock I wanted him (Walker) to go to the rim,” Calhoun said. “He didn’t get there.”
– Dyson on the 22nd and perhaps most crucial turnover, his drive to the basket in the final minute:
“He (Alex Oriakhi) was wide open under the basket. I passed it and the dude (Kyle Kuric) stepped right in front of him and grabbed the ball,” Dyson said.
– PF/C Ater Majok started and played the game’s first two minutes, then didn’t see the court again.
– C Charles Okwandu had a career-high eight rebounds, all of which came in the first half.
– PF Gavin Edwards played a career-high 38 minutes, tied his career high with 17 points and set a new career high with four assists.
– UConn’s “big four” scored 72 of the team’s 76 points. Alex Oriakhi had two and Donnell Beverly two.
– Calhoun was asked to assess the landscape of the Big East after the game.
“I don’t assess the landscape in the Big East,” Calhoun said. “I assess getting ready for Notre Dame. I’m sorry I cut you off. I could give a (crud) about the landscape of the Big East.”
- Neill
