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WHEN: Saturday, noon
WHERE: Gampel Pavilion, Storrs. LINE: UConn by 5
RECORDS: Providence 17-12, 9-8 Big East; UConn 19-10, 9-8
ON THE AIR: ESPNU (Beth Mowins, Tim Welsh);WTIC-AM 1080 (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)

STORY LINES

INJURY REPORT: On Friday’s conference call, UConn coach Kevin Ollie said Omar Calhoun’s sprained right wrist was “hurting real bad.” He could be a scratch for the season finale. Shabazz Napier, out the past two games with a sprained right foot, is “feeling better,” Ollie said. The rookie coach added that he’s “not sure if he’ll be available.” Of course, Niels Giffey (fractured right index finger) and Tyler Olander (fractured left foot) will miss the game, too. It’s possible that UConn starts Ryan Boatright, R.J. Evans, DeAndre Daniels, Leon Tolksdorf and Phil Nolan.

NO STORYBOOK ENDING: Thanks to a ridiculous case of the injury bug, it’s been an anticlimactic ending for UConn. Ollie insisted that it hasn’t “put a damper on the season,” though. “Things happen in life, but we’re making our own meaning out of them,” Ollie said. “I’m so proud of this group. It’ll be my favorite group forever — how they battled, played with each other, nobody expected anything but the guys in this locker room. If we get beat by 50 tomorrow, that’s not going to change any sentiments in my heart that I have for these guys.”

AN INTERESTING SENIOR DAY: Graduate student R.J. Evans is the only scholarship player who will be honored on Senior Day. However, the senior walk-ons — Trey James (Middletown), Dave Vandal (Stonington), Keifer Lammi (Camden, Maine) — could see legitimate playing. If Napier and Calhoun sit, former walk-on Brendan Allen is the only scholarship player off the bench.

ROSTERS

PROVIDENCE

• Kris Dunn, G, 6-3 Fr.: 5.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg
• Vincent Council, G, 6-2 Sr.: 10.2 ppg, 7.1 apg
• Bryce Cotton, G, 6-1 Jr.: Leads Big East with 20 ppg
• LaDontae Henton, F, 6-6 So.: 13.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg
• Kadeem Batts, F, 6-10 So.: 15.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg
• Josh Fortune, G, 6-5 Fr.: 5.9 ppg
• Ted Bancroft, G, 6-5 Jr.: 0.7 ppg

UCONN

• Shabazz Napier, G, 6-0 Jr..: Missed past 2 games (sprained foot)
• Ryan Boatright, G, 5-10 So.: 12-for-41 FG in past 3 games
• Omar Calhoun, G, 6-5 Fr.: 2-for-21 FG in past 2 games
• DeAndre Daniels, F, 6-8 So.: 22 ppg, 9.3 rpg in past 3 games
• Phil Nolan, F, 6-9 Fr.: 6.5 rpg in past 2 games
• Leon Tolksdorf F 6-8 Fr.: Has not scored in past 5 games
• R.J. Evans, G, 6-3 R-Sr.: 10 pts, 5 rebs vs. USF
• Brendan Allen, G, 6-3, So.: 13 mins vs. USF

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Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim took to the podium following his team’s 66-58 loss to UConn and caused a stir when ESPN’s Andy Katz asked a question in the postgame press conference.

Katz asked Boeheim about the end of the UConn/Syracuse rivalry, to which Boeheim responded: “I’ll answer anybody’s question but yours. Because you’re an idiot and really a disloyal person. I have a few other things I could add, but I’m not gonna go there.”

Listen to the exchange via WAER in Syracuse:

The coach’s response took everyone by surprise and led to rampant speculation about the cause of Boeheim’s ire.

One theory quickly developed. Earlier on the ESPN broadcast of the game, Katz reported a new tidbit involving Syracuse senior forward James Southerland.

Southerland, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, had just successfully appealed his suspension and returned to play last weekend after sitting six games beginning Jan. 12

Katz reported Southerland’s issue was over “two paragraphs” of an academic paper, a fact Southerland and University officials had previously remained silent about.

Did Katz report something Boeheim believed was off-the-record? Ben Meyers of the Auburn Citizen seemed to think so in this insightful piece.

Or was it something else unreported as of now?

Katz also wrote critical words about Southerland just days after the suspension began. He was also the author of this November piece which touched on several sore subjects of the Syracuse men’s basketball program.

Then there was Boeheim’s use of the word ‘disloyalty,’ which further added to the confusion, since Katz isn’t exactly the head of the Syracuse public relations department.

Katz, for his part, sounded like he took the outburst in stride.

.@espnandykatz response to the press room crowd: last time I checked I wasn’t getting paid by Syracuse U

— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 14, 2013

UPDATE: Feb. 14 Boeheim has told the Syracuse Post-Standard’s Bud Poliquin it had nothing to do with Southerland, but everything to do with an interview Katz conducted with Boeheim a year ago.

Katz also commented on the cause of the rant to Mike Waters of the Post-Standard.

h/t To the Post-Standard of Syracuse for the full press conference video.

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WHEN: Today, noon
WHERE: Prudential Center. Newark, N.J.
RECORDS: UConn 15-6, 5-4 Big Eas; Seton Hall 13-10, 2-8
ON THE AIR: SNY (Eamon McAnaney, Bob Wenzel); WTIC-AM 1080 (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)
UP NEXT: Wednesday vs. Syracuse, 7 (ESPN/ESPN2)

UCONN

• Shabazz Napier G 6-0 Jr..: 17 ppg, 4.3 rpg
• Ryan Boatright G 5-10 So.: 1-for-8 FG vs. St. John’s
• Omar Calhoun G 6-5 Fr.: 21 pts on 21 FGA (12 3-pointers) vs. St. John’s
• DeAndre Daniels F 6-8 So.: Team-high 4.9 rpg
• Tyler Olander F 6-9 Jr.: 4.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
• Enosch Wolf C 7-1 Jr.: 2 pts, 5 rebs, 2 blocks vs. St. John’s
• Niels Giffey F 6-7 Jr.: Made 1 of past 15 3-pt FGA
• R.J. Evans G 6-3 R-Sr.: 2 pts, 2 rebs, 2 steals vs. St. John’s
• Phil Nolan F 6-9 Fr.: DNP vs. St. John’s
• Leon Tolksforf F 6-8 Fr.: DNP vs. St. John’s

SETON HALL

• Tom Maayan G 6-1 Fr.: 2.4 ppg, 3.5 apg
• Fuquan Edwin G 6-6 Jr.: 16.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.5 spg, 44 % 3-pt FG
• Haralds Karlis F 6-5 So.: 3.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg
• Brandon Mobley F 6-9 So.: 9 ppg, 5.7 rpg
• Eugene Teague C 6-9 Jr.: 11.5 ppg, team-high 7.7 rpg
• Aaron Cosby G 6-2 So.: 11.6 ppg
• Kyle Smyth G 6-4 Sr.: 4.7 ppg, 33 % FG
• Brian Oliver F 6-6 Jr.: Attempts 4.8 3-pointers per game

STATS
Since his career-best 16 point outburst against Notre Dame, Tyler Olander has totaled 14 points in six games…In its past two first halves, UConn is 13-for-61 from the field…Niels Giffey has made just one of his past 15 attempts from 3-point range…After a shooting 58 percent from the field from Dec. 7 — Jan. 8 , Ryan Boatright is converting 36 percent of his field goals in the seven games since.

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WHEN: Tonight, 7

WHERE: Madison Square Garden

RECORDS: UConn 15-5, 5-3 Big East; St. John’s 14-8, 6-4

ON THE AIR: ESPNU (Adam Amin, Tim Welsh); WTIC 1080 (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)

THE LINE: UConn by 1

UP NEXT: Sunday at Seton Hall, noon (SNY)

UCONN

• Shabazz Napier G 6-0 Jr..: 24 pts, 8 rebs vs. USF
• Ryan Boatright G 5-10 Soph.: 58% FG in 5 games from Dec. 7-Jan. 8; 38.6 % since
• Omar Calhoun G 6-5 Fr.: 10.7 ppg, 31 % 3-pt FG
• DeAndre Daniels F 6-8 Soph.: 6 pts, 6 rebs, 4 blocks vs. USF
• Tyler Olander F 6-9 Jr.: 16 pts vs. ND; 14 pts in 5 games since
• Enosch Wolf C 7-1 Jr.: 4 pts, 5 rebs vs. USF
• Niels Giffey F 6-7 Jr.: Made 1 of past 12 3-pt FGA
• R.J. Evans G 6-3 R-Sr.: 2 pts, 2 rebs vs. USF
• Phil Nolan F 6-9 Fr.: Has not scored in Big East play
• Leon Tolksforf F 6-8 Fr.: 3 pts vs. USF

ST. JOHN’S

• Phil Greene G 6-2 Soph.: 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio
• D’Angelo Harrison G 6-3 Soph.: 18.9 ppg
• Sir’Dominic Pointer G 6-5 Soph.: 6.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg
• JaKarr Sampson F 6-8 Fr.: 14.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg
• Chris Obekpa F/C 6-8 Fr.: Leads nation with 99 blocks
• Amir Garrett F 6-6 Soph.: 6.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg
• Jamal Branch G 6-3 Soph.: Will not play (knee)

STORY LINES

BRANCH OUT: St. John’s point guard Jamal Branch, a starter in the team’s past six games, will be sidelined with a knee injury suffered Saturday versus Georgetown, according to Roger Rubin of The New York Daily News. The injury will open more playing time for Chris Obekpa, the nation’s leading shotblocker (99). UConn heavily pursued the 6-foot-9 Obekpa, who played his high school ball at Our Savior New American School in Centereach, N.Y.

NAPIER’S NUMBERS: Shabazz Napier, the Big East Player of the Week, has totaled an absurd 34 points in 24:40 of overtime this season. Per 40 minutes, he’s scoring at a Pistol Pete-rate of 55.2 points per game

LAST TRIP TO THE GARDEN: Banned from the Big East tournament, tonight’s game marks UConn’s last visit to Manhattan. “It kind of hit us that it will be our last game there this year,” Napier said. “As a freshman coming to UConn, you want to play in the Garden, it’s a beautiful thing to play in the Garden. We want to go give 110 percent because it’s our last time there this year.”

DOUBLE-DOUBLE ANYONE?: Twenty games in, not one Husky has recorded a double-double. Napier came close versus USF (24 points, eight rebounds), as did DeAndre Daniels versus New Hampshire (seven points, 10 boards) and Ryan Boatright against Fordham (26 points, nine assists).

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South Florida at UConn men
WHEN: Today, 2
WHERE: Gampel Pavilion
RECORDS: South Florida 10-10 (1-7 Big East), UConn 14-5 (4-3)
ON THE AIR: SNY; WTIC 1080 (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)
LINE: UConn by 10
UP NEXT: Feb. 6 at St. John’s

SOUTH FLORIDA

• Anthony Collins G 6-1 Jr.: Ninth nationally with 7 assists per game
• Javontae Hawkins G 6-5 Fr.: Double-figures in 4 of past 5 games
• Zach LeDay F 6-7 Fr.: 10 pts, 7 rebs vs. Marquette
• Victor Rudd F 6-8 Jr.: 13 pts, 3 rebs vs. Marquette
• Toarlyn Fitzpatrick F 6-9 Sr.: 10.1 ppg, 5 rpg
• Jawanza Poland G 6-4 Sr.: 10.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg
• Martino Brock G 6-6 Jr.: 5.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg

UCONN

• Shabazz Napier G 6-0 Jr..: 18 pts on 5 FGA vs. Providence
• Ryan Boatright G 5-10 Soph.: 19 pts, 7 assists vs. Providence
• Omar Calhoun G 6-5 Fr.: Game-winning 3-pointer vs. Providence
• DeAndre Daniels F 6-8 Soph.: 18 pts, 7 rebs, 4 assists vs. Providence
• Tyler Olander F 6-9 Jr.: 0 rebs in 12 mins vs. Providence
• Enosch Wolf C 7-1 Jr.: 5 blocks in past 2 games
• Niels Giffey F 6-7 Jr.: Made 1 of past 11 3-point FGA
• R.J. Evans G 6-3 R-Sr.: 2 pts, 2 assists in 7 mins vs. Providence
• Phil Nolan F 6-9 Fr.: Has not scored in Big East play

STORY LINES
THE LITTLE GUY: South Florida point guard Anthony Collins is one of the premier facilitators in the country. UConn coach Kevin Ollie said he’s “never seen anyone dribble as low as he does. (Collins) is able to get in the thick of the defense and find their shooters and make plays so we’re going to have to contain him,” Ollie said.
USF OFFENSE: At times, it’s been tough to watch. The Bulls’ leading scorers — post players Victor Rudd and Toarlyn Fitzpatrick — are respectively shooting 37.7 percent and 39.2 percent, respectively. As a team, South Florida converts on just 40.5 percent of its field goal attempts, which ranks 300th nationally.
HUSKIES HEALTHY: Ryan Boatright (twisted ankle) was banged up following the Providence win, and Tyler Olander was still battling flu symptoms. Both are OK Ollie said. There should be no issue with either for this afternoon’s game.

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Amida Brimah, a 6-11 center from Miami’s Archbishop Coleman Carroll, verbally committed to UConn this morning. The recruit made the announcement via Twitter.

I will be playing college basketball at University Of Connecticut#Blessed

— Amidaprinceofzumunda (@Young_Brimah) January 14, 2013

He is the third player to commit in Kevin Ollie’s first recruiting class. He joins Long Island Lutheran’s Kentan Facey and Brooklyn’s Terrence Samuel.

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Related: UConn prepares for Melvin-led DePaul

WHEN: Tonight, 7

WHERE: Gampel Pavilion

RECORDS: DePaul 10-5, 1-1 Big East; UConn 10-3, 0-1

ON THE AIR: SNY (Bob Picozzi, Kara Lawson); WTIC 1080 (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)

UP NEXT: Jan. 12 at Notre Dame, 2 (SNY)

DePaul

• Brandon Young G 6-4 Jr.: 16.1 ppg, 4.3 apg
• Charles McKinney G 6-3 So.: 5.3 ppg, 51 % FG
• Jamee Crockett G/F 6-4 So.: 9.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg
• Cleveland Melvin F 6-8 Jr.: 16.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg
• Donnavan Kirk F 6-9 Jr.: Leads team with 29 blocks
• Worrel Clahar G 5-11 Sr.: 6.9 ppg, 4.3 apg
• Moses Morgan F 6-6 Jr.: 7.2 ppg
• Derrell Robertston C 6-10 So.: 3.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg

UCONN

• Shabazz Napier G 6-0 Jr..: 29 pts, 8 rebs vs. Marquette
• Ryan Boatright G 5-10 So.: 50 % FG or better in 4 of past 5 games
• Omar Calhoun G 6-5 Fr.: 6 pts vs. Marquette
• DeAndre Daniels F 6-8 So.: 11 pts, 1 reb vs. Marquette
• Tyler Olander F 6-9 Jr.: Has not scored 10 pts or grabbed 10 rebs in single game this season
• Enosch Wolf C 7-1 Jr.: 9 rebs vs. Marquette
• Niels Giffey F 6-7 Jr.: 7 rebs vs. Marquette
• R.J. Evans G 6-3 R-Sr.: 4.6 ppg
• Phil Nolan F 6-9 Fr.: 1.7 ppg. 1.9 rpg

STORY LINES

IT’S IN THE PAST: It’s been a week since the officials botched a call to begin overtime, and Kevin Ollie said he’s moved on. “It’s over with,” Ollie said. ” Satisfied or not, it doesn’t make a difference. I talked to the commissioner. I talked to the head of officials; they all apologize and I accept their apology. We move on. Things happen. Like I said before, the past doesn’t equal the future unless you live in it.”

FRONTCOURT ROTATION: Ollie said DeAndre Daniels and Niels Giffey have established themselves in the rotation, but Tyler Olander, Enosch Wolf and Phil Nolan are still battling for playing time at center. Aside from the opener versus Michigan State, Olander has been a disappointment. Wolf has shown flashes, but hasn’t been overly consistent.

BIG EAST HOME OPENER: UConn has never lost a Big East home opener at Gampel Pavilion (9-0). The Huskies look to extend the streak to 10 tonight.

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WHEN: Tonight, 7:30

WHERE: XL Center, Hartford

RECORDS: Washington 8-4, UConn 9-2

ON THE AIR: ESPN2 (Bob Picozzi, Bill Raftery) WTIC-1080 AM (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)

UP NEXT: Tuesday at Marquette, 8 (ESPNU)

WASHINGTON

• Abdul Gaddy G 6-3 Sr.: 13.3 ppg, 3.8 apg
• C.J. Wilcox G 6-5 Jr.: 19.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg
• Scott Suggs G 6-6 Sr.: 13.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg
• Desmond Simmons F 6-7 So.: 6.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg
• Aziz N’Diaye C 7-0 Sr.: 11.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg
• Andrew Andrews G 6-2 R-Fr.: 6.7 ppg, 2.7 apg
• Jernard Jarreau F 6-10 R-Fr.: 3.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg

UCONN

• Ryan Boatright: G 5-10 So.: Made 24 of last 35 FGA
• Shabazz Napier: G 6-0 Jr..: 23 assists in past 3 games, 21 in previous 8
• Omar Calhoun G 6-5 Fr.: Double-digits in 7 of past 11
• DeAndre Daniels F 6-8 So.: Only Husky with double-figure rebs in a game (vs. UNH)
• Enosch Wolf C 7-1 Jr.: 4 pts, 5 rebs since earning starting job on Dec. 7
• Tyler Olander F 6-9 Jr: 5 pts, 6 rebs vs. Fordham
• Niels Giffey F 6-7 Jr.: 4.4 ppg
• R.J. Evans G 6-3 R-Sr.: 9 pts in 15 mins vs. Fordham
• Phil Nolan F 6-9 Fr.: 0 pts, 2 rebs in 15 mins vs. Fordham

STORY LINES

NEWTOWN VISIT: Kevin Ollie and the Huskies visited the Newtown Youth Academy Thursday afternoon to engage with the children affected by the Dec. 12 tragedy. On Friday, Ollie discussed the trip. “It’s the responsibility we have,” Ollie said. “This is our job. This is why God created us — to help other people in need and hopefully on the other end, somebody’s helping you.”

SIZING THE HUSKIES UP: For just the third time this season, UConn will be at a serious size disadvantage (Michigan State and N.C. State were the others). Washington center Aziz N’Diaye leads the Pac-12 with 4.1 offensive rebounds per game. The 7-footer also shoots 63.2 percent from the field, which ranks second in the league. Washington’s backcourt–6-foot-5 C.J. Wilcox and 6-foot-6 Scott Suggs–could make life difficult for Ryan Boatright and Shabazz Napier.

TIME ZONE DEFENSE: Washington has already played in Connecticut this season. The Huskies took part in the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic (held at Mohegan Sun), and split games against Ohio State and Seton Hall. Since Lorenzo Romar took over in 2003, Washington is just 2-12 when playing in the Eastern Time Zone.