UConn Basketball

UConn coach Jim Calhoun will undergo a surgical procedure Monday that will keep him out at least two more games, the University announced Wednesday.

Calhoun, 69, has been on medical leave of absence since Feb. 3 due to spinal stenosis, a lower back condition. He is expected to be hospitalized for one or two nights following the procedure and his status will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis afterwards.

“I’m glad we have finally determined the best course of treatment to deal with the problem,” Calhoun said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to having the procedure done, hopefully recovering as quickly as possible, and putting it all in the past.”

UConn, which is 3-3 since Calhoun left, will be under the direction of George Blaney when it hosts Syracuse on Saturday and travels to Providence the following Tuesday.

Calhoun could potentially return for the regular-season finale against Pitt on March 3.

We have a new, and unexpected, feature on the blog. Three regular season games and  the Big East tournament remain, but the way things are going, I’d expect UConn to be on the edge of its seat for Selection Sunday.

So, will the Huskies’ bubble burst or will they be popping the bubbly?

Actually, will Alex Oriakhi, the only scholarship player old enough to legally pop the bubbly, be doing so?

Here’s UConn’s tournament resume as of Tuesday:

RECORD: 17-10 (7-8 Big East)

BEST WINS: at Notre Dame, vs. Harvard, vs. Florida State, vs. West Virginia

WORST LOSSES: at Rutgers, at Louisville (by 21), at Seton Hall, at Tennessee

SOS: 1

RPI: 23

REMAINING GAMES: vs. No. 2 Syracuse, at Providence, vs. Pittsburgh

TODAY’S PROJECTIONS:

ESPN — No. 11 seed

CBS — No. 9 seed

Sports Illustrated — No. 10 seed

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

*ESPN: “Napier’s 3 was the shot of the Huskies’ season. Without it, UConn would have lost the ninth game in its last 13, the eighth in its last 10. With it, UConn’s suddenly shaky at-large profile avoided another ugly ding. Now Connecticut has a chance to turn things around: Syracuse comes to town Saturday. A win there would settle the agonizing over this team’s apparent collapse, not to mention the chance that it could miss the tournament. Is this the start of a turnaround?”

First of all, watch the video.

If you’re a UConn fan (and I suspect you are if you’re on this blog), watch it a few times.

Alex Oriakhi and Shabazz Napier (AP)

The shot was compelling for a few reasons: Shabazz Napier, nursing strained ligament on his right foot, wasn’t supposed to play Monday. He woke up Monday morning and didn’t think he’d be in uniform.

“James (Doran), the trainer, was telling me I was highly doubtful,” Napier said. “And I was telling him ‘Just pop some pills, give me some pills — ibuprofen.  I’ll be alright.’”

In fact, the coaching staff didn’t determine that he’d be ready until “four minutes before the game,” according to UConn associate head coach George Blaney.

Then, of course, there were the comments he made following the team’s 15-point loss to Marquette Saturday.

“Shabazz speaks a lot all the time, so I’m not going to worry about that,” Blaney said . “He’s a competitor, he wants us to do well. Sometimes he talks a little too much, but he’s fine. The team is fine with it. They knew that, in most cases, he was probably right.”

Roscoe Smith said the Huskies “definitely didn’t need that from Shabazz.”

They did, however, need a miracle 3-pointer to keep their season alive.

Some items of note:

* Jeremy Lamb was the star offensively, but UConn’s comeback started on the defensive end. Roscoe Smith was particularly impressive — both on the perimeter and in the paint — and Andre Drummond was “a monster,” Blaney said. He pulled down 11 boards, blocked four shots and altered many more.

Let’s not forget Alex Oriakhi, who played tough, physical and gutsy. Despite foul trouble that limited him to two minutes in the first half, Oriakhi scored seven points, none bigger than a put-back with 22 seconds that forced overtime

* Napier, always an interesting person to interview, commented on his previous comments (awkward, I know): “I probably said too much and you guys (the media) probably led it to a different point. I just want my teammates to go out there and give it their all. Today, they did. I can’t complain. We had a lot of problems today and we stuck with it…hopefully we can do that against Syracuse, because we’re going to have a lot of problems with Syracuse. That’s going to be a tight game.”

If it happens to go in UConn’s favor, the Huskies will have likely played themselves off the bubble. See you there on Saturday.

There’s plenty to be written about the role Shabazz Napier played in UConn’s pulsating 73-70 win over Villanova, and rest assured, Kevin will have all of it right here and on Hearst CT’s websites tonight.

For now, though, here’s the highlight: The miracle 3 Napier hit with less than a second left — practically launched from across the Ben Franklin Bridge in South Jersey — that for now may have saved UConn’s season.

Hat tip to Troy Machir over at Ballin’ Is a Habit for posting the video.

A few quick items of note from the Wells Fargo Center:

* We just learned that Shabazz Napier (foot) is unlikely to play tonight. He hasn’t practiced the past two days and was not warming up with the team an hour ago.

Of course, everyone on Twitter jumped all over the “foot in the mouth” jokes. Napier had some choice words for teammates after Saturday’s 15-point loss to Marquette.

* Also, no decision was reached today on UConn’s 2013 NCAA Tournament fate. The Committee on Academic Performance met, but did not take any action, an NCAA official said. The matter — data collection for APR — will be discussed at the next meeting, which takes place from April 23-25.

* Also, UConn really, really needs a win. Its tournament resume isn’t looking so hot, in my opinion.

The NCAA Committee on Academic Performance met today to discuss changes in the APR data collection.

As all you UConn fans know, the decision (whether the two-year APR is derived from 2009-10 and 2010-11 or 2010-11 and 2011-12) is imperative for the Huskies’ postseason eligibility in 2013. UConn has been waiting on this meeting ever since the new rules were instituted in October.

And it looks like the waiting game will last a bit longer.

Today’s meeting yielded no action, according to an NCAA official. The topic will be discussed at future meetings.

So, basically, UConn likely won’t know of its 2013 postseason eligibility until the 2012 season ends. And the way things are going, there’s no guarantee the Huskies will be part of the Big Dance this year. Tonight’s game at Villanova is essentially a “must-win” for UConn.

At the beginning of the season, you probably would have laughed (or cried, depending on how devoted a fan you are) if I told you there would be a “bubble watch” on this blog.

After all, UConn was the co-favorite in the Big East and the No. 4 team in the national preseason polls.

But here we are.

Shabazz Napier (AP)

UConn is two games under .500 in the Big East and in serious danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies had a chance to earn a signature win Saturday (overused term, I know) and they squandered it. There’s plenty of blame to go around, and it starts in the frontcourt. Andre Drummond never got into a rhythm. He and Alex Oriakhi combined for just seven rebounds.

But Marquette is one hell of a basketball team. Darius Johnson Odom is a man amongst boys in the backcourt. He has a running back’s body and a smooth, lefty 3-point stroke. Clearly, the Golden Eagles don’t have to worry about their NCAA Tournament prospects.

Here’s a rundown of UConn’s resume:

RECORD: 16-10 (6-8 Big East)

BEST WINS: at Notre Dame, vs. Harvard, vs. Florida State, vs. West Virginia

WORST LOSSES: at Rutgers, at Louisville (by 21), at Seton Hall, at Tennessee

SOS: 2

RPI: 26

REMAINING GAMES: at Villanova, vs. Syracuse, at Providence, vs. Pittsburgh

PROJECTIONS: ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has UConn as a nine seed, the 20-member mock NCAA tournament committee placed UConn as a No. 10 seed.